Six Idaho agencies honored for IT innovation

Programs help public and save Idaho tax dollars

Six state agencies were recognized this week for making services easier for the public to access through the use of technology.

Julie Howard
The Idaho Statesman

An electronic pay stub program for state employees and online filing of continued unemployment benefits were two of the winning programs that received Information Technology Achievement Awards.

The awards were presented by the Information Technology Resource Management Council, a board charged with reviewing, evaluating and establishing information technology and telecommunications policies and systems for state agencies.

With budget shortfalls a concern, projects that use technology to contain costs were most likely to win this year´s awards, a council spokesman said.

“Information technology is being used effectively to maximize the investments state agencies have already made,” said Rich Elwood, the council´s statewide IT coordinator.

The winning programs are:

• An electronic pay stub program for state employees that allows them confidential and secure access to view their paychecks online. In addition, the program works with audible screen-reading applications and Braille printers so sight-impaired employees can read their pay stubs for the first time. The state estimated that printing pay stubs costs about 30 cents each, so the electronic program results in an annual savings of more than $72,000 for the 9,275 participating employees.

• Online court access to driver´s license records, allowing users such as insurance carriers access 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The system saves clerks time and adds to customer convenience, according to the Idaho Transportation Department, which won the award.

• A new applicant tracking system that simplifies the employee recruiting process for the state. The project was developed jointly by the state´s Division of Human Resources and the Department of Labor. The system involves applicants submitting electronic applications and resumes, reducing paperwork and filing.

• An online system via which agencies or groups can acquire state-owned surplus property. The system, developed by the state Board of Examiners, replaced a paper-intensive system in which 90 copies of information on surplus was distributed to agencies, taking about three weeks to accomplish. The electronic system is paperless and immediately accessible.

• The electronic W-2 download program allows state employees to receive W-2 information electronically. The system was developed by the office of the state controller.

• Online filing of continued employment benefits. Developed by the Department of Labor, the system allows unemployed workers to file claims online, making filing possible any time.

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