{"id":70440,"date":"2026-01-30T20:42:27","date_gmt":"2026-01-30T23:42:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tech.einnews.com\/article\/888097802"},"modified":"2026-01-30T20:42:27","modified_gmt":"2026-01-30T23:42:27","slug":"arizona-modernizes-human-services-processes-with-tech-ai","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/2026\/01\/30\/arizona-modernizes-human-services-processes-with-tech-ai\/","title":{"rendered":"Arizona Modernizes Human Services Processes With Tech, AI"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>                               <title>Arizona Modernizes Human Services Processes With Tech, AI<\/title>  <!-- Tiny Rich Text Editor --> <!-- Load the site id in order to track the insider locales --> <!-- this will add webcomponent polyfills based on browsers. As of 04\/29\/21 still needed for IE11 and Safari --> <!-- Start of HubSpot Embed Code --> <!-- End of HubSpot Embed Code --> <!-- Google Tag Manager --> <!-- End Google Tag Manager --> <!-- OneTrust Cookies Consent Notice start for govtech.com --> <!-- OneTrust Cookies Consent Notice end for govtech.com -->  <!-- Putting icons here, so we don't have to include in a bunch of -body hbs's --> <\/p>\n<div class=\"BrowserCompatibility\" data-dialogue data-show-on-internet-explorer data-show-dialogue>\n<div class=\"BrowserCompatibility-container\">\n<div class=\"BrowserCompatibility-body\">\n<h2 class=\"BrowserCompatibility-title\"> IE 11 Not Supported <\/h2>\n<div class=\"BrowserCompatibility-text RichTextBody\">\n<p>For optimal browsing, we recommend Chrome, Firefox or Safari browsers.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p> <!-- Microsite Header --> <\/p>\n<div class=\"Page-content\">\n<div class=\"Page-twoColumn\"> <main id=\"readArticle\" class=\"Page-main\" data-module data-padding=\"none\"> <\/p>\n<div class=\"ArticlePage-lede\">\n<div class=\"ArticlePage-lede-content\">\n<div class=\"Page-breadcrumbs\"> <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.govtech.com\/health\" data-cms-ai=\"0\">Health &amp; Human Services<\/a> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"Page-subHeadline\">The state\u2019s Department of Economic Security is on a journey to modernize the ways in which it provides human services. Now, officials are looking to integrate AI to help staff more efficiently serve clients.<\/h2>\n<div class=\"ArticlePage-actions-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"Page-byline\">\n<p>January 30, 2026&nbsp;\u2022&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"Page-authors\"> <!-- one off byline --><a href=\"https:\/\/www.govtech.com\/authors\/Julia-Edinger.html\" data-cms-ai=\"0\"><span>Julia Edinger<\/span><\/a> <\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"Page-lead\">\n<figure class=\"Figure\">    <img data-opt-id=1606936066  fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"Image\" alt=\"A person holds a tablet in their right hand and, in their left, a customer relationship management icon with three silhouettes in white.\" width=\"840\" height=\"438\" data-lazy-load=\"true\" src=\"https:\/\/erepublic.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/b9098a6\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/5472x2853+0+296\/resize\/840x438!\/quality\/90\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Ferepublic-brightspot.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2Fdb%2Fa1%2F71a7a0b449398e8f92951dadb310%2Fadobestock-733013137.jpeg\">  <\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Page-article\">\n<div class=\"Page-articleBody RichTextBody\"> Technology is powering business process transformation in Arizona\u2019s child-care program, and now officials are on the path to integrate <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.govtech.com\/tag\/artificial-intelligence\" target=\"_blank\" data-cms-ai=\"0\">AI<\/a> into human services.<\/p>\n<p>AI is <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.govtech.com\/voices\/advancing-ai-adoption-in-state-and-local-government\" target=\"_blank\" data-cms-ai=\"0\">supporting modernization<\/a> efforts at the state government level, and in human services, the technology can help <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.govtech.com\/artificial-intelligence\/govt-considerations-for-adding-ai-into-human-services\" target=\"_blank\" data-cms-ai=\"0\">address staffing shortages<\/a>. Arizona has not shied away from AI. The state <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.govtech.com\/artificial-intelligence\/arizona-announces-members-of-its-ai-steering-committee\" target=\"_blank\" data-cms-ai=\"0\">established an AI steering committee<\/a> in 2025 to inform the technology\u2019s deployment in the Grand Canyon State, and Arizona\u2019s <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.govtech.com\/artificial-intelligence\/arizonas-tech-trio-is-driving-a-data-centric-vision-for-ai\" target=\"_blank\" data-cms-ai=\"0\">IT executives are leading the charge<\/a> for effective implementations.<\/p>\n<p>The Arizona Department of Economic Security (DES) has been on a modernization journey for several years, the department\u2019s CIO Mark Darmer said. The focus with a modernization project, he said, should center on a team or program\u2019s business needs. For DES, that need is to digitize assistance program forms and processes, Darmer said.<\/p>\n<p><span data-bsp-pv=\"4f8e492c-6f2f-390e-bc61-f176d3a37ab9\"><\/span><span data-bsp-pv=\"0000019c-0f65-d8c0-a7fd-efef57110000\"><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/main><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The agency focused on its child-care assistance program initially, which had never had an online application process for clients; instead, applicants had to print the form, fill it out by hand, and deliver it to a DES office by mail, fax or in person. The agency created a client portal, <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https:\/\/atoz.az.gov\/Arizona\/s\/landing-page?language=en_US\" target=\"_blank\" data-cms-ai=\"0\">A-to-Z Arizona<\/a>, through which the process could take place. The goal is that as officials add additional programs into the portal, it will further simplify interactions and enrollment. DES serves underemployed and unemployed populations, so making the process more available to clients outside of normal business hours and being self-service to the greatest extent possible were priorities, Darmer said.<\/p>\n<p>Governments are not always able to modernize as regularly as the private sector, he said, and processes are often powered by institutional knowledge. Private-sector partners can offer value to governments to explore \u201cthe art of the possible.\u201d A partnership with Salesforce has supported DES\u2019 modernization efforts.<\/p>\n<p>Modernizing legacy systems, and the limited resources governments have to do so, are key challenges in the public sector, according to Nadia Hansen. Hansen leads go-to-market strategy for Salesforce, and was previously <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.govtech.com\/workforce\/nadia-hansen-to-depart-from-cio-role-in-clark-county-nev\" target=\"_blank\" data-cms-ai=\"0\">CIO for Clark County, Nev.<\/a>, which she said shapes her ability to serve as a trusted adviser for governments in demonstrating potential use cases for technology.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think a superpower of people who have worked in both the public and private sector is being able to communicate in the language that government agencies speak,\u201d Hansen said.<\/p>\n<p>Arizona officials worked with existing and potential clients to assess and improve the prototype\u2019s usability. The portal includes a real-time feedback tool, which clients can use to provide data that is analyzed twice weekly. This has already led to functionality improvements, according to DES Director of Organizational Change Management Kellyanne Beck. As she put it, when it comes to product development and customer experience, seemingly small things can actually be big things \u2014 especially with the rate at which technology\u2019s advancing.<\/p>\n<p>The current technology evolution powering much modernization is AI, a path on which DES is now starting to advance, Darmer said.<\/p>\n<p>This entails integrating AI into a child support application that the state deployed on Salesforce, he said. Officials have created a virtual policy assistant, trained on child-care policy and procedure data, so that the child support staff can ask policy questions and get answers based on the applicable information. Notably, the assistant offers a policy reference so staff can verify and easily access additional information.<\/p>\n<p>Another AI piece officials are working to add is a case analysis assistant, which will synopsize case information and suggest next steps that should be done for an individual case.<\/p>\n<p>Looking ahead, DES will work with Salesforce to leverage the company\u2019s Agentforce platform to address a case backlog in its unemployment insurance program, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and in its Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program. Currently, to receive assistance, a state staffer must do a live interview. The goal is to use AI where possible, to bolster the limited capacity of staff for these interview processes while keeping humans available where needed. The goal, the CIO said, is to bring this AI component in towards the latter half of this calendar year.<\/p>\n<p>Governments are still cautious around AI, Hansen said, so the company offers education \u2014 including a free-to-use educational platform called <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https:\/\/trailhead.salesforce.com\/content\/learn\/trails\/get-started-with-ai-data\" target=\"_blank\" data-cms-ai=\"0\">Trailhead<\/a>. With education, the aim is to help officials understand what AI can and cannot do, \u201cbecause you can\u2019t use AI to solve every single problem.\u201d The focus, she said, should be on the outcome that needs to be reached.<\/p>\n<p>Data management is also part of the modernization process, Darmer said, as information is often replicated across the organization for the state\u2019s many human services programs. This could involve variations in a client\u2019s name \u2014 like the use of a middle initial or lack thereof \u2014 for different programs, which limits the ability to analyze this information.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are very data rich, but information poor, because of the inability to cross those data sets and really get a true picture of a client\u2019s journey through the department,\u201d Darmer said.<\/p>\n<p>As programs are added to this portal, they are undergoing a master data management process to clarify the client information in one \u201cgolden record\u201d for a client across multiple DES programs.<\/p>\n<p>As human services processes are modernized, DES leadership is working to ensure they are being simplified for staff as well. Submitting an online application versus a paper application can get the former in the queue for an eligibility specialist to see it within 10 minutes rather than the traditional 72 hours, Beck said. And notably, it reduces the manual labor needed by employees \u2014 resulting in faster eligibility determinations for clients.<\/p>\n<p>All of these improvements, Darmer emphasized, enable DES staff to be \u201cagents for change,\u201d better supporting clients to overcome the root cause of their need, so that ultimately, they can be self-sufficient. <\/p>\n<div class=\"Page-authorInfo \" data-with-image>\n<div class=\"Page-authorInfo-image\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.govtech.com\/authors\/Julia-Edinger.html\" data-cms-ai=\"0\">    <img data-opt-id=1922565608  fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"Image\" alt=\"Julia Edinger\" width=\"100\" height=\"100\" data-lazy-load=\"true\" src=\"https:\/\/erepublic.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/40991c5\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/813x813+0+0\/resize\/100x100!\/quality\/90\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Ferepublic-brightspot.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2F3d%2Fe4%2F44aad41446dd9b393ae21e0c1320%2Fheadshot-2023.png\">  <\/a> <\/div>\n<div class=\"Page-authorInfo-content\">\n<div class=\"Page-authorInfo-name\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.govtech.com\/authors\/Julia-Edinger.html\" data-cms-ai=\"0\">Julia Edinger<\/a> <\/div>\n<p> Julia Edinger is a senior staff writer for <i>Government Technology<\/i>. She has a bachelor&#8217;s degree in English from the University of Toledo and has since worked in publishing and media. She&#8217;s currently located in Ohio. <\/p>\n<div class=\"Page-authorInfo-seeMore\"> <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.govtech.com\/authors\/Julia-Edinger.html\" data-cms-ai=\"0\">See More Stories by Julia Edinger<\/a> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> <!-- Contributors --> <\/p>\n<aside class=\"Page-aside\"> <\/aside>\n<div class=\"Newsletter-container\">\n<p> Never miss a story with the GovTech Today newsletter. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>  <button class=\"GoogleDfpMobileAd-close\" data-close>  <\/button>    <\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/blockads.fivefilters.org\"> <\/a><\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/blockads.fivefilters.org\/acceptable.html\"> <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8230; in human services, the <span class=\"match\">technology<\/span> can help address staffing shortages &#8230; potential use cases for <span class=\"match\">technology<\/span>. \u00e2\u0080\u009cI think a &#8230; at which <span class=\"match\">technology<\/span>\u00e2\u0080\u0099s advancing. The current <span class=\"match\">technology<\/span> evolution powering &#8230; staff writer for Government <span class=\"match\">Technology<\/span>. She has a bachelor &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-70440","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","wpcat-1-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70440","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=70440"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70440\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=70440"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=70440"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=70440"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}