ATLANTA – The Georgia Department of Human Services (DHS) this week received a major national IT award for its pioneering Child Support Services Mobile App.

Georgia was named the recipient of the National Association of State CIOs (NASCIO) IT Recognition Award in the “Digital Government: Government to Citizen” category. The award, presented Monday at the NASCIO Annual Conference in Austin, Texas, honors outstanding information technology achievements in state government. 

“Georgia leads the way in developing technology to better serve the needs of our citizens,” said Gov. Nathan Deal. “Our team at DHS works hard every day to ensure that children across the state receive the support they need. Congratulations to the Child Support team and the IT team at DHS for earning this national recognition.”

The department’s child support mobile app was selected by the NASCIO Awards Committee from a field of more than 100 nominees.

“I am so proud of the work of our IT and Child Support team in bringing the mobile app to our customers,” said DHS Commissioner Robyn A. Crittenden. “The mobile app is an example of the outstanding work by DHS staff to strengthen the children and families of our state. Through the app, more of Georgia’s children have the opportunity to receive much-needed support from both parents. “

DHS’s Division of Child Support Services (DCSS) launched the free GA DCSS app in September 2016, making Georgia one of the first states to provide a full-service app to assist customers with child support cases on their mobile devices.

“The GA DCSS Mobile App not only helped cut heavy call volume and long wait times at local child support offices, but was also convenient for our customers, allowing them to have secure access to their case information anytime, anywhere,” said DCSS Director Tanguler Gray.

Users of the app can:

  • Make child support payments
  • Review their payment history
  • View scheduled appointments, case activities, and details of child support orders
  • Chat with a DCSS representative
  • Receive notifications and alerts about important information regarding their cases

Also, the upcoming document-upload and signature-capture features will allow customers to sign documents without the inconvenience of visiting a Division of Child Support Services office.

“The DCSS Mobile app is a technological solution, making it easier for customers to engage with the division regarding their child support case,” said DHS Chief Information Officer Venkat Krishnan. “The mobile app is an example of what we can achieve when we work together for a common goal.”

The DHS Office of Information Technology (OIT) developed the app in-house and worked closely with the GeorgiaGov Interactive team at the Georgia Technology Authority, which tested the app’s functionality and recommended changes to make it easy to use and accessible for people with a range of disabilities.