subject: US Government, Going Paperless [print this page] US Government, Going Paperless US Government, Going Paperless
Albeit the advancements in technology, the government still relies on direct mail when sending checks to their beneficiaries. This procedure is tied up with how most banks can release funds to its their beneficiaries. There are a few downsides with this practice which include lost checks and delayed payment due to courier timelines.
Beyond these reasons, the government has a better reason for changing the way funds are released to its beneficiaries. The US government decided to send checks electronically. This will comprise the beneficiaries who previously applied for Social Security and other institutions by the first of May next year will be able to receive their checks electronically. The statement was given by the US Treasury Department last Tuesday.
Beneficiaries who have already received their checks will need to discover a way to receive their checks electronically by the first of March in 2013. Officials from the Treasury Department said that statistically eight out of ten benefit recipients are already using electronic sending of benefits. Other beneficiaries will start receiving their money via a safe and reliable way using electronic funds transfer.
With this practice completely implemented, government beneficiaries will start enjoying the benefits of timely funds transfer. Simply because it will be simpler to receive checks directly into your account rather than through mail.
Perhaps most importantly, this initiative will also help the government save significant amount of money which will in turn is helpful to taxpayers. They will no longer be obligated to pay for the $120 million annual budget allocated for paper checks. It will also save one billion dollars for Social Security for 10 years.
Of course, because this new practice, a new problem is presented. Considering that most of the beneficiaries are elderly, the issue of misunderstanding the process is expected. This issue has been anticipated by the government so an education awareness campaign will be launched to facilitate help to beneficiaries making the transition more easy.
A buying point that the national government demonstrated when promoting the new practice is focused on reiterating the switch to digital checks will be useful to its beneficiaries. Officials said that after the switch is on full blast, it will eliminate concerns of missed checks and providing timely access to the benefits received.
Coverage of the new process includes Social Security, Veterans Affairs, Office of the Personnel Management, Railroad Retirement and Supplemental Security Income. From these agencies, several beneficiaries await the full implementation of the said process. Hopes are high that it will be an easy implementation.
Paperless environments have been implemented within most private institutions for awhile. As an initiative that promotes economizing on resources, a major initiative that focuses on using up resources on other aspects of operation. These initiatives have helped private companies provide better services and benefits to their employees. Clearly, these advantages have been recognized by the government.
