General Services Administration officials said use of Login.gov, the federal government’s identity verification service, has “expanded rapidly” across state governments since it opened access to non-federal agencies two years ago.
The expansion of the service, detailed in a GSA blog post on Monday, began after the federal agency announced in 2021 that it wanted a limited number of state and local governments to test Login.gov with their federally funded programs. Login.gov is now used by several state and local agencies, such as departments of transportation and state unemployment insurance systems, and several others are considering the service, the GSA said.
In the blog post, GSA provides an evaluation of how California has used GSA’s authentication service for its Monterey-Salinas Transit bus line. California was one of the first states to adopt Login.gov, and Monterey County’s public transit system uses the system to provide contactless payments and access to reduced fares for seniors and veterans through Cal-ITP Benefits, a web application from the California Department of Transportation that allows riders to quickly and securely verify online whether they are eligible for reduced fares.
The blog post states that using Login.gov also takes privacy into account. Riders can manage their personal information by only agreeing to share the information they need. Additionally, verifying their eligibility takes less than five minutes for most riders.
Due to the success of the sign-in service in Monterey County, it has been expanded to include public transit customers of the Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District. Cal-ITP is also considering expanding the service to 13 other transit agencies to offer contactless payments and reduced fares. According to GSA, transit agencies in South Carolina and Connecticut are also exploring using the service.
“Cal-ITP is excited to partner with Login.gov on this project. Verification through Login.gov opens the door to digital benefit delivery and makes public transit more accessible and welcoming to some of the people who need it most,” said Gillian Gillett, chief of the California Department of Transportation’s Data and Digital Services Division, in the blog post.
States – including Arkansas, Hawaii, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Utah and West Virginia – have also partnered with GSA to modernize their unemployment insurance systems with Login.gov, the blog post said. Login.gov partnered with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Unemployment Insurance Agency to provide identity verification services to those states that administer benefits through those systems, which are vulnerable to identity fraud and have been known to be targeted during the pandemic.
“Whether they are using state or federal services, the public expects and deserves safe and easy ways to get what they need,” GSA Administrator Robin Carnahan said in the blog post. “Expanding the rollout of Login.gov to more states is an opportunity to demonstrate that we can meet that expectation and is a priority for GSA and for the country.”
According to GSA, states and localities that want to use Login.gov can take advantage of the new pricing model, which is based on usage and allows governments to run pilot programs to test the service. State and municipal governments can work with Login.gov through an interagency agreement. According to GSA, interested governments should contact the company if they are unsure of their eligibility.
