{
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    "title" : "Balancing priorities and values |Digital.gov",
    "description": "Balancing priorities and values",
    "home_page_url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/","feed_url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2024/02/08/balancing-priorities-and-values/index.json","item" : [
    {"title" :"Balancing priorities and values","deck" : "A U.S. Digital Corps Fellow’s perspective on speed of government","summary" : "This article summarizes four priorities and values that simply take time: consideration of the public’s time, privacy, accessibility and equity, and scope.","date" : "2024-02-08T19:07:00-05:00","date_modified" : "2025-01-27T19:42:55-05:00","authors" : {"kira-tebbe" : "Kira Tebbe"},"topics" : {
        
            "accessibility" : "Accessibility",
            "privacy" : "Privacy",
            "research" : "Research"
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      "filename" :"2024-02-09-balancing-priorities-and-values.md",
      
      "filepath" :"news/2024/02/2024-02-09-balancing-priorities-and-values.md",
      "filepathURL" :"https://github.com/GSA/digitalgov.gov/blob/bc-archive-content-3/content/news/2024/02/2024-02-09-balancing-priorities-and-values.md",
      "editpathURL" :"https://github.com/GSA/digitalgov.gov/edit/bc-archive-content-3/content/news/2024/02/2024-02-09-balancing-priorities-and-values.md","slug" : "balancing-priorities-and-values","url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2024/02/08/balancing-priorities-and-values/","weight" : "1","content" :"\u003cp\u003eWhen I received an offer to join the federal government as a \u003ca href=\"https://digitalcorps.gsa.gov/\"\u003eU.S. Digital Corps\u003c/a\u003e Fellow, I wrote a pros and cons list. Listed in the cons list was the word “slow.” Before joining the civil service, I thought the federal government was slow for no reason. Now that I have been here for over a year, I see how my focus on speed was missing the bigger picture.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBalancing other priorities and values simply takes time. Here are a few of the good reasons why.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"reducing-the-paperwork-burden-on-the-public\"\u003eReducing the paperwork burden on the public\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Paperwork Reduction Act, a 1995 federal law, seeks to reduce the paperwork burden on the public. To do so, a change in how any federal agency gathers information from the public must be reviewed by the Office of Management and Budget. Agencies must explain the purpose of the change, how the information will be used, and how the burden on the public can be minimized while still satisfying the agency’s goals. This clearance process can take a few months and includes a 60-day request for public comments. The timing is due to good intentions: agencies should be careful and thoughtful in how they gather information from the public so as to not haphazardly burden them with redundant questions and forms.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn these cases, \u003cstrong\u003ethe government thoughtfully considers the public’s time\u003c/strong\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e(See Digital.gov’s \u003ca href=\"https://pra.digital.gov/\"\u003eGuide to the Paperwork Reduction Act\u003c/a\u003e for information and resources about the Paperwork Reduction Act and approval process.)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"protecting-personal-information\"\u003eProtecting personal information\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the spirit of reducing burden to the public, I previously wondered why certain federal forms requested information that would be found elsewhere in the government. For example, the Department of Veterans Affairs \u003ca href=\"https://www.vba.va.gov/pubs/forms/vba-21p-534-are.pdf\"\u003eVA Form 21P-534 (PDF, 1.9 MB, 13 pages)\u003c/a\u003e, used by a veteran’s spouse or child to apply for benefits, asks about income information. The form states that “VA matches income information reported with federal tax information,” meaning it requires people to list information that is already known by other federal agencies. While there are other factors that lead to this situation, one source of this duplication is the \u003ca href=\"https://www.justice.gov/opcl/privacy-act-1974\"\u003ePrivacy Act\u003c/a\u003e. If you give your personal information to the IRS to file your taxes, the IRS is responsible for protecting your information. There is no monolithic “government” that has everything in one place, and for good reason! The IRS cannot share your personal information if you did not consent to it.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn this case, \u003cstrong\u003ethe government places a premium on protecting individual privacy\u003c/strong\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"serving-the-public-means-serving-everyone\"\u003eServing the public means serving everyone\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the private sector, identifying your customer segment is a core part of a successful business model, as addressing and serving a narrower audience is an easier feat. Finding “product-market fit” is a critical step for any new business, which involves deciding who will be your target audience and who will not. Federal agencies do not, and should not, operate the same way. Federal programs, services, and agencies are tasked with serving \u003cem\u003eeveryone\u003c/em\u003e, including populations that the private sector may intentionally omit. When designing a digitized federal service, how do you ensure people with disabilities are able to access your service? Or people without internet access? Or people with unstable housing? Working to ensure a program meets the needs of the public takes more time than leaving folks out of the picture.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn this case, \u003cstrong\u003eaccessibility and equity for all are of utmost importance\u003c/strong\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"serving-the-public-means-an-enormous-scope\"\u003eServing the public means an enormous scope\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe work and operating budgets in the federal government are mind-boggling. For example, the General Services Administration owns or leases over 363 million square feet of property. In 2022, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services processed over \u003ca href=\"https://www.cms.gov/files/document/cms-financial-report-fiscal-year-2022.pdf\"\u003eone billion Medicare claims (PDF, 5 MB, 132 pages)\u003c/a\u003e. Just a single office within a single division within a single department manages \u003ca href=\"https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ocs/fact-sheet\"\u003e$6.29 billion\u003c/a\u003e across seven grant programs (the Office of Community Services, within the Administration for Children and Families, within the Department of Health and Human Services). Coordinating this scope of resources and responsibility, simply put, takes time. An ocean liner will never be able to turn and pivot as quickly as a jet-ski.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn this case, \u003cstrong\u003ethe government’s scope and breadth means that time is a necessary element to good service\u003c/strong\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"conclusion\"\u003eConclusion\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI’ve found it helpful to take a step back and remind myself of the unique priorities and values facing the federal government that require moving more thoughtfully and purposefully. Overall, my time as a civil servant has been more rewarding and fulfilling than I could have imagined, leaving my initial pros and cons list in the dust.\u003c/p\u003e\n"}
  ]
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