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Two Arkansas Government Programs Recognized for Outstanding Achievements in State ITTwo Arkansas digital government programs-Gov2Go and ClaimItAR.com-developed in partnership with the Information Network of Arkansas (INA) have been named finalists in the 2016 National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) State IT Recognition Awards competition. The prestigious award program honors outstanding information technology achievements in the public sector and recognizes states with exceptional programs that have made an important contribution to the operation of state government. "Arkansas has long been a digital government leader in creating innovative ways to connect citizens to government," State Chief Technology Officer, Director of the Arkansas Department of Information Systems, and INA Board Member Mark Myers said. "It is an honor to once again be recognized for innovation in using technology to make it easier for citizens to access public services through these two programs." Selected as a finalist in the Emerging and Innovative Technologies category, Gov2Go is the nation's first digital government assistant that offers a personalized way for more than 145,000 Arkansans to interact with government. Gov2Go learns about its users, keeps track of their deadlines-such as property tax payments, car tag (News - Alert) renewals, and property assessment-and sends important reminders to their computers, mobile devices, and Apple watches. For example, when a driver shares her license plate number, Gov2Go looks up the expiration date, reminds her when her registration is about to expire, and helps her quickly renew. Arkansans can visit GetGov2Go.com to download the mobile app or enter an email address to start using Gov2Go. Selected as a finalist for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Information Technology, Arkansas Auditor of State's (AAOS) ClaimItAR.com helps Arkansans find and claim lost property in minutes on their mobile phones, and receive checks in a few short days. The system automates a previously paper-based unclaied property filing process that enables AAOS to pay most claims without staff intervention. After two full years of electronic filing, AAOS paid 18,873 claims worth $12,332,843 in 2015, representing a 150 percent increase in filings and a 70 percent increase in dollars paid to claimants-a direct result of efficiencies created through the system. "We are extremely proud of the mobile-friendly unclaimed property search we have created with our partner INA, and the conveniences we are delivering to citizens because of it," Arkansas Auditor of State Andrea Lea said. "It is an honor to be recognized for our use of technology to serve citizens with unprecedented efficiency, and it is rewarding to know that thousands of Arkansans are using ClaimItAR.com to find their property in minutes and collect what's theirs in a matter of days." This marks the second NASCIO finalist award for ClaimItAR.com, which was also recognized in 2015 in the Government to Citizen category. Arkansas Auditor of State has won more awards for the system including the Center for Digital Government's Digital Government Achievement Award in 2015 and a StateScoop 50 State IT Project of the Year award in 2014. Gov2Go has won several other national awards for innovation including finalist in the 2015 Amazon Web Services (News - Alert) City on a Cloud Innovation Challenge, StateScoop 50 State Innovation of the Year in 2016, and top eight finalist in the American Council of Technology's Industry Advisory Council (ACT-IAC (News - Alert)) 2016 Igniting Innovation Award challenge. NASCIO's official announcement of the award finalists can be viewed at http://www.nascio.org/newsroom/. Twelve award recipients will be named from the 36 finalists at an official awards ceremony on September 19. About Information Network of Arkansas The Information Network of Arkansas (INA) is a public-private partnership between the state of Arkansas and the Arkansas Information Consortium (AIC) that helps state government entities Web-enable their information services. Little Rock-based AIC is part of eGovernment firm NIC's (News - Alert) (EGOV) family of companies. INA operates Arkansas.gov, the official website of the state of Arkansas, which offers more than 750 state and local online services. About NIC Founded in 1992, NIC (NASDAQ: EGOV) is the nation's leading provider of innovative government solutions and secure payment processing, which help make government more accessible to everyone through technology. The family of NIC companies provides digital government solutions for more than 4,500 federal, state, and local agencies in the United States. Forbes has named NIC as one of the "100 Best Small Companies in America" six times and the company has been included four times on the Barron's 400 Index. Additional information is available at http://www.egov.com. About DIS The Arkansas Department of Information Systems is the information technology provider for the state of Arkansas. DIS provides IT solutions, services, and support to state agencies, boards and commissions, the K-12 public school system, and business functions of higher education. DIS is also responsible for the security, disaster recovery, and Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) functions for the state. About Arkansas Auditor of State (AAOS) As Auditor, Andrea Lea is putting her experience to work as the chief executive responsible for keeping track of the fund and appropriation balances of all state agencies. She is partnering with small businesses to establish efficiencies and elevate technology to improve the way unclaimed property is reported in the state, implementing improvements in the process of returning the property to the rightful owners, working to reduce office operating expenses, along with establishing transparency as the foundation of the Auditor's office. About NASCIO Founded in 1969, the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) is a nonprofit, 501(c)3 association representing state chief information officers and information technology executives and managers from the states, territories, and the District of Columbia. NASCIO provides state CIOs and state members with products and services designed to support the challenging role of the state CIO, stimulate the exchange of information, and promote the adoption of IT best practices and innovations. From national conferences, peer networking, research and publications, briefings and government affairs, NASCIO is the premier network and resource for state CIOs.
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