Technology Modernization Fund announces investments modernizing federal retirement and immigration systems

December 03, 2024

WASHINGTON - The Technology Modernization Fund (TMF) announced its latest round of investments totaling $19.67 million, aimed at modernizing public services at two federal agencies. These investments will support the modernization of federal retirement systems at the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and improve immigration case processing at the Department of Justice (DOJ)'s Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR). With these investments, the TMF continues to spearhead government modernization efforts, ensuring critical systems are both more secure and more efficient while improving the experience for millions of users.

"Every investment we make at TMF is about improving the experience of real people who interact with government services," said Jessie Posilkin, TMF Acting Executive Director. "At OPM, we're transforming retirement services that impact millions of federal employees and retirees. At DOJ, we're helping streamline immigration court operations that affect thousands of cases daily. Together, these projects show how targeted technology investments can help the government work better for everyone."

"When just 13% of IT projects funded in a traditional manner are successful, the Technology Modernization Fund's 80% success rate demonstrates its value as a funding model of choice," said Clare Martorana, Federal CIO and TMF Board Chair. "The TMF was established to help agencies secure systems and modernize legacy IT. Today's investments in the Office of Personnel Management and Department of Justice recognize that accelerating this transformation is key to delivering a government that meets the needs of the American people. These investments will be transformative for the public, as well as the federal workforce, enabling them to work smarter and deliver greater impact with taxpayer dollars."

"The TMF is a great example of the government using innovation to achieve better outcomes while getting the best value for taxpayer dollars," said Robin Carnahan, General Services Administration (GSA) Administrator. "TMF investments are helping agencies adopt modern, secure systems that reduce costs while delivering the essential services people need. That's an important way that we can make sure government is working for everyone and improving the lives of the people we serve."

Office of Personnel Management: Modernizing federal retirement systems

OPM manages human resources for the federal government, including retirement benefits for millions of federal employees, retirees, and their families. However, the agency's current retirement systems rely on outdated software that is expensive to maintain and presents security risks.

The $18.3 million TMF investment will support OPM's transition away from legacy systems, enabling a comprehensive modernization of the agency's core infrastructure. This transformation is expected to significantly reduce annual maintenance costs while providing an enhanced customer experience for 2.8 million federal annuitants and survivors.

"The federal government employs the largest workforce in the country, yet the technology supporting that workforce is aging and slowing us down. Modernizing the OPM mainframe is central to supporting both today and tomorrow's job seekers, employees, and retirees," said Guy Cavallo, OPM Chief Information Officer. "This TMF funding is an investment in all federal employees' and annuitants' futures. It will accelerate the modernization of legacy systems, strengthen our cybersecurity posture, enable better outcomes for the retirement process, and help cut costs. These improvements will help attract and develop top IT talent and provide an enhanced customer experience for federal employees and annuitants. Importantly, it will provide a blueprint for future modernization across government."

Department of Justice: Modernizing legacy case management system

DOJ's EOIR's current systems rely heavily on manual processes for critical tasks such as document intake and address changes.

With $1.34 million in TMF funding, EOIR will modernize parts of its legacy case management system and backend databases. The agency plans to automate document intake and explore the creation of an integrated address change system that shares information across key Department of Homeland Security agencies. These improvements are expected to improve efficiency while delivering cost savings to both DOJ and DHS.

"By embracing document ingestion automation, we empower our team to reclaim precious time, allowing them to focus on high-impact tasks that drive our mission forward," said Joshua Lashbrook, Chief Information Officer, EOIR. "Efficiency fuels innovation."

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About the TMF: The Technology Modernization Fund is working to transform the way the government uses technology to deliver for the American public in an equitable, secure, and user-centric way. The TMF invests in technology projects across government, providing incremental funding, technical assistance, and oversight throughout execution to ensure the success of its investments.

The TMF is overseen by the Technology Modernization Board, which is composed of government IT leaders representing proven expertise in technology, transformation, and operations. TMF investments have supported projects ranging from modernizing the payment system used by the government's second largest revenue-collecting agency to helping to develop a new customer relationship management platform to maintain crucial international partnerships. For more information, visit tmf.cio.gov.

About GSA: GSA provides centralized procurement and shared services for the federal government, managing a nationwide real estate portfolio of nearly 370 million rentable square feet, overseeing over $100 billion in products and services via federal contracts, and delivering technology services that serve millions of people across dozens of federal agencies. GSA's mission is to deliver the best customer experience and value in real estate, acquisition, and technology services to the government and the American people. For more information, visit GSA.gov and follow us at @USGSA.

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