CINXE.COM

<!DOCTYPE html> <html lang="en"> <head> <meta charset="utf-8" /> <meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=Edge" /> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1"> <title>2016 Report to Congress | United States Digital Service</title> <meta name="robots" content="index" /> <meta name="description" content="Letter from the Administrator In August 2014, the United States Digital Service (USDS) was created to improve the Federal Government’s most important public-facing digital services. USDS is a collaboration between..." /> <link rel="canonical" href="https://usds.gov/report-to-congress/2016/" /> <meta property="og:title" content="2016 Report to Congress | United States Digital Service" /> <meta property="og:locale" content="en_US" /> <meta property="og:description" content="Letter from the Administrator In August 2014, the United States Digital Service (USDS) was created to improve the Federal Government’s most important public-facing digital services. USDS is a collaboration between..." /> <meta property="og:url" content="https://usds.gov/report-to-congress/2016/" /> <meta property="og:site_name" content="United States Digital Service" /> <meta property="og:type" content="article" /> <meta property="og:image" content="https://usds.gov/assets/img/social-card--default.png"> <meta property="og:image:alt" content="Letter from the Administrator In August 2014, the United States Digital Service (USDS) was created to improve the Federal Government’s most important public-facing digital services. USDS is a collaboration between..."> <meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image" /> <meta name="twitter:site" content="@usds" /> <meta name="twitter:image" content="https://usds.gov/assets/img/social-card--default.png"> <script type="application/ld+json"> { "description": "Letter from the Administrator In August 2014, the United States Digital Service (USDS) was created to improve the Federal Government’s most important public-facing digital services. USDS is a collaboration between...", "@type": "BlogPosting", "url": "https://usds.gov/report-to-congress/2016/", "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "/img/usds-logo-onwhite.png" } }, "headline": "2016 Report to Congress | United States Digital Service", "dateModified": "2025-03-14 17:53:14 -0400", "datePublished": "2025-03-14 17:53:14 -0400", "mainEntityOfPage": { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://usds.gov/report-to-congress/2016/" }, "@context": "http://schema.org" } </script> <link rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="180x180" href="/assets/img/favicons/apple-touch-icon.png"> <link rel="icon" type="image/png" sizes="32x32" href="/assets/img/favicons/favicon-32x32.png"> <link rel="icon" type="image/png" sizes="16x16" href="/assets/img/favicons/favicon-16x16.png"> <link rel="manifest" href="/assets/img/favicons/site.webmanifest"> <link rel="mask-icon" href="/assets/img/favicons/safari-pinned-tab.svg" color="#5bbad5"> <meta name="msapplication-TileColor" content="#da532c"> <meta name="theme-color" content="#ffffff"> <link rel="stylesheet" media="all" href="/assets/stylesheets/styles.css" /> <link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="United States Digital Service" href="/feed.xml" /> <script type="application/javascript" src="/assets/js/vendor/uswds-init.min.js"></script>  <script async type="text/javascript" src="https://dap.digitalgov.gov/Universal-Federated-Analytics-Min.js?agency=EOP&sub-agency=USDS" id="_fed_an_ua_tag"></script>  <script async src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=UA-132706295-1"></script> <script> window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);} gtag('js', new Date()); gtag('config', 'UA-132706295-1', { 'anonymize_ip': true }); </script> </head> <body> <a class="usa-skipnav" href="#main-content">Skip to main content</a><div class="usa-banner padding-bottom-2 tablet:padding-bottom-0"> <div class="usa-accordion"> <header class="usa-banner__header"> <div class="usa-banner__inner maxw-none"> <div class="grid-col-auto"> <img class="usa-banner__header-flag" src="/assets/img/us_flag_small.png" alt="U.S. flag"> </div> <div class="grid-col-fill tablet:grid-col-auto"> <p class="usa-banner__header-text">An official website of the United States government</p> <p class="usa-banner__header-action" aria-hidden="true">Here’s how you know</p> </div> <button class="usa-accordion__button usa-banner__button" aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="gov-banner"> <span class="usa-banner__button-text">Here’s how you know</span> </button> </div> </header> <div class="usa-banner__content usa-accordion__content" id="gov-banner"> <div class="grid-row grid-gap-lg"> <div class="usa-banner__guidance tablet:grid-col-6"> <img class="usa-banner__icon usa-media-block__img" src="/assets/img/icon-dot-gov.svg" alt="Dot gov"> <div class="usa-media-block__body"> <p> <strong>The .gov means it’s official.</strong> <br> Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site. </p> </div> </div> <div class="usa-banner__guidance tablet:grid-col-6"> <img class="usa-banner__icon usa-media-block__img" src="/assets/img/icon-https.svg" alt="Https"> <div class="usa-media-block__body"> <p> <strong>The site is secure.</strong> <br> The <strong>https://</strong> ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely. </p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <header class="usa-header site-c-header" role="banner"> <div class="usa-navbar site-c-navbar"> <a href="/" title="USDS Home" class="site-c-navbar__logo-link"> <img class="site-c-navbar__logo" src="/assets/img/usds-logo-horizontal.png" alt="USDS Logo"> </a> <a href="/apply" class="usa-button site-c-navbar__join">Apply</a> <button class="usa-menu-btn site-c-navbar__button" aria-label="Menu"> <svg aria-hidden="true"> <use xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="/assets/img/fontawesome-sprite.svg#bars"></use> </svg> </button> </div> <nav role="navigation" class="usa-nav site-c-nav"> <button class="usa-nav__close"> <img src="/assets/img/close.svg" alt="close"> </button> <ul class="site-c-nav__primary-nav"> <li class="site-c-nav__primary-nav__item"> <a class="site-c-nav__primary-nav__link" href="/mission">Our mission</a> </li> <li class="site-c-nav__primary-nav__item"> <a class="site-c-nav__primary-nav__link" href="/how-we-work">How we work</a> </li> <li class="site-c-nav__primary-nav__item"> <a class="site-c-nav__primary-nav__link" href="/projects">Projects</a> </li> <li class="site-c-nav__primary-nav__item"> <a class="site-c-nav__primary-nav__link" href="/news-and-blog">Blog</a> </li> <li class="site-c-nav__primary-nav__item site-c-nav__primary-nav__item--mobile"> <a class="site-c-nav__primary-nav__link" href="/apply">Apply now</a> </li> <li class="site-c-nav__primary-nav__item site-c-nav__primary-nav__item--non-mobile"> <a href="/apply" class="usa-button">Apply now</a> </li> </ul> </nav> </header> <div class="usa-overlay"></div> <main id="main-content" role="main"><style> .site-c-flag a:visited, .site-c-report-to-congress ul a:visited { color: #005ea2; } .site-c-report-to-congress ul, .site-c-report-to-congress ol { max-width: 66ch; } .site-c-report-to-congress.side-nav ul { list-style: none; margin: 1rem 0; padding: 0; } .site-c-report-to-congress.side-nav li { margin: 1rem 0; } .site-c-report-to-congress.side-nav li.sub { margin-left: 2rem; } .site-c-report-to-congress.side-nav li.active { font-weight: bold; } .site-c-report-to-congress.side-nav li.pdf { margin: 3rem 0; } </style> <div class="grid-container"> <header class="padding-y-5"> <span class="site-c-flag"> </span> <h1>2016 Report to Congress</h1> </header> <hr aria-hidden="true"> <div class="grid-row tablet:flex-row padding-top-3"> <div class="tablet:grid-col-8 desktop:grid-col-9 margin-bottom-9 tablet:padding-right-4 site-c-report-to-congress usa-prose"> <h2 id="letter-from-the-administrator">Letter from the Administrator</h2> <p>In August 2014, the United States Digital Service (USDS) was created to improve the Federal Government’s most important public-facing digital services. USDS is a collaboration between some of the country’s top technical talent and the government’s brightest civil servants, who work in partnership to apply private sector best practices to our digital services.</p> <p>Initially, USDS’ small team of technologists planned to focus on three projects. Additional funding and the support of Congress for the Information and Technology Oversight and Reform (ITOR) Fund in the 2015 and 2016 Fiscal Year appropriations bills allowed USDS to invest in a greater number of high-priority projects, detailed in this report. Of the $30M appropriated in the 2016 fiscal year, $14M was apportioned to USDS to support its operations, with the balance of the $30M supporting other IT oversight and reform activities. At its creation, USDS was administratively placed within the Office of the Federal CIO. After more than two years of operations, however, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has decided to move the Administrator of USDS to directly report to the Deputy Director of Management (DDM).</p> <p>USDS staff in OMB work alongside agency Digital Service team staff to support high-priority projects in agencies including the Departments of Veterans Affairs, State, Education, Homeland Security, Health and Human Services, Defense, the Internal Revenue Service, and the Small Business Administration.</p> <p>The central focus of USDS is on the measurable improvement of the performance and cost-effectiveness of important, public-facing Federal Government digital services – via the application of modern technology best practices. To execute this mission, <a href="/report-to-congress/2016/projects/">USDS conducts hands-on engagements with agencies</a>.</p> <p>In support of its core mission of improving the performance and cost-effectiveness of important government digital services, the USDS engages in three additional activities:</p> <ul> <li><strong><a href="/report-to-congress/2016/procurement/">Rethink how we build and buy digital services.</a></strong> USDS is working on modernizing procurement processes and practices for the modern digital era. Our partners in the IT contracting community are a critical element of modernizing our government, as skilled contractors deliver the majority of the government’s digital services.</li> <li><strong><a href="/report-to-congress/2016/hiring-talent/">Expand the use of common platforms, services and tools.</a></strong> USDS is working with agencies to identify and implement shared tools and services to address common technical issues and usability challenges across the Federal Government. One example is building Login.gov, a universal login system that will enable the American public to access multiple government agency services with one, streamlined account.</li> <li><strong><a href="/report-to-congress/2016/shared-services/">Bring top technical talent into public service.</a></strong> In support of these goals, USDS has recruited and placed over 200 Digital Service Experts, from one of the most competitive industries in the world, to join the government for term-limited tours of duty with the USDS and work with civil servants inside agencies. The long-term goal is to encourage a tradition of public service in the tech industry that will support the ongoing improvement of government digital services.</li> </ul> <p>USDS has developed procedures and criteria for prioritizing projects, which includes obtaining input from OMB’s IT Dashboard, agency leadership, and relevant U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) reports. To prioritize projects, USDS also uses the following three criteria, which are listed in their order of importance:</p> <ol> <li>What will do the greatest good for the greatest number of people in the greatest need?</li> <li>How effective and cost-efficient will the USDS investment be?</li> <li>What potential exists to use or reuse a technological solution across the Federal Government?</li> </ol> <p>Along with its investment in the ITOR Fund, Congress asked USDS to provide a regular update on progress in each of its programs. This report details that progress.</p> <p><img src="/images/report-to-congress-signature-mikey.png" width="337" height="112" /></p> <p>Mikey Dickerson<br /> Administrator, U.S. Digital Service</p> </div> <div class="tablet:grid-col-4 desktop:grid-col-3 margin-bottom-3 site-c-report-to-congress side-nav"> <ul> <li class=" active"> <a href="/report-to-congress/2016/">Letter from the Administrator</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/report-to-congress/2016/projects/">High Priority Projects</a> </li> <li class=" sub"> <a href="/report-to-congress/2016/healthcare-dot-gov/">HealthCare.gov</a> </li> <li class=" sub"> <a href="/report-to-congress/2016/immigration-system/">Immigration System</a> </li> <li class=" sub"> <a href="/report-to-congress/2016/veterans-disability-claims/">VA Disability Claims</a> </li> <li class=" sub"> <a href="/report-to-congress/2016/vets-dot-gov/">Vets.gov</a> </li> <li class=" sub"> <a href="/report-to-congress/2016/irs-secure-access/">IRS Secure Access</a> </li> <li class=" sub"> <a href="/report-to-congress/2016/visa-processing/">Visa Processing</a> </li> <li class=" sub"> <a href="/report-to-congress/2016/medicare-payments/">Medicare Payments</a> </li> <li class=" sub"> <a href="/report-to-congress/2016/refugee-admissions/">Refugee Admissions</a> </li> <li class=" sub"> <a href="/report-to-congress/2016/college-scorecard/">College Scorecard</a> </li> <li class=" sub"> <a href="/report-to-congress/2016/defense-travel/">Defense Travel</a> </li> <li class=" sub"> <a href="/report-to-congress/2016/hack-the-pentagon/">Hack the Pentagon</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/report-to-congress/2016/procurement/">Procurement</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/report-to-congress/2016/hiring-talent/">Hiring Top Talent</a> </li> <li class=""> <a href="/report-to-congress/2016/shared-services/">Shared Services</a> </li> <li class="pdf"><a href="/resources/USDS-2016-Impact-Report.pdf">Download the<br/>full report (PDF)</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> <section class="site-c-billboard"> <div class="grid-container"> <p>We need you.</p> <p>Let’s help millions of people together.</p> <p><a class="usa-button usa-button--outline usa-button--inverse" href="/apply">Apply now</a></p> </div> </section> </main> <footer class="site-c-footer"> <div class="grid-container"> <div class="grid-row flex-justify"> <div class="grid-col-12 desktop:grid-col margin-bottom-7"> <img class="site-c-footer__logo" src="/assets/img/usds-logo-footer.svg" alt="USDS logo"> </div> <div class="grid-col-12 tablet:grid-col-4 desktop:grid-col margin-bottom-7"> <h2 class="site-c-footer__heading">About USDS</h2> <ul class="site-c-footer__list tablet:padding-right-3"> <li><a href="https://www.usds.gov/impact-report/2024">2024 Impact Report </a></li> <li><a href="/assets/files/USDS-Overview.pdf" target="_blank">Press sheet [PDF, 2 pages]</a></li> <li><a href="/faq">Hiring FAQ</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="grid-col-12 tablet:grid-col-4 desktop:grid-col margin-bottom-7"> <h2 class="site-c-footer__heading">Resources</h2> <ul class="site-c-footer__list tablet:padding-right-3"> <li><a class="usa-link usa-link--alt usa-link--external" href="https://playbook.cio.gov/" target="_blank">Digital Services Playbook</a></li> <li><a class="usa-link usa-link--alt usa-link--external" href="https://sprint.usds.gov/" target="_blank">Discovery Sprint Guide</a></li> <li><a class="usa-link usa-link--alt usa-link--external" href="https://techfarhub.cio.gov/" target="_blank">TechFAR Hub</a></li> <li><a class="usa-link usa-link--alt usa-link--external" href="https://designsystem.digital.gov/" target="_blank">U.S. Web Design System</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> <div class="site-c-footer__site-info"> <a href="/privacy">Privacy policy</a> </div> </div> </footer> <script src="/assets/js/application.js"></script> <script src="/assets/js/vendor/uswds.min.js"></script> <script src="/assets/js/shims/svg4everybody.js"></script> <script>svg4everybody();</script> </body> </html>