Twenty Things
You Can Do and Learn
On
U.S. Government Web Sites
President
Clinton is the first president of the Internet Age; Vice President Gore
has moved the U.S. government on-line. Government web sites make information
and services available at the touch of a button, helping Americans keep
in touch with their government and making government work better for people.
Here are 20 examples. There are many more.
- Get tips on choosing
a health plan, a doctor, a course of treatment, or a long-term care
facility from the Department of
Health and Human Service's Healthfinder service. Healthfinder also
provides information on the latest health research, different illnesses,
and a host of medical resources designed to help families stay healthy.
- Teachers, parents,
and students can access lessons and educational materials on any topic
at the Department of Education's
new Gateway to Educational Materials. The Gateway makes finding
materials on the Internet easy by connecting users to over 140 web sites.
- Start your own
business with help from the Small Business
Administration, which offers everything from loans to outreach initiatives
for women and minority-owned businesses. The site also provides e-mail
counseling and mentoring, online educational courses, and a database
of federal, state and private contracts available to small firms.
- Protect yourself
and your children from environmental hazards by finding out about drinking
water quality, toxic and air releases, and hazardous waste in your neighborhood
by signing on to the Environmental Protection
Agency's Enviromapper site. You can also find out about water discharge
permits and Superfund sites.
- Find your dream
job through America's Job Bank,
on the Department of Labor's web page. America's Job Bank features on-line
resumes posted by more than 1.3 million job seekers, and job listings
by nearly 1.4 million employers.
- Is it possible
that you or someone you know may be owed pension benefits without knowing
it? The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation
reunites people with missing pensions, and features an online Pension
Search Directory that allows you to find benefits that may be owed to
you.
- Learn how to
get health insurance for your children through the Children's
Health Insurance Program. CHIP's web page offers state-specific
information on who is eligible and how to enroll to make sure children
grow up healthy.
- Begin planning
for retirement by computing your estimated Social Security benefits
online at the Social Security Administration.
SSA's home page also provides information on obtaining a Social Security
number as well as information for employers on reporting earnings.
- Agencies from
across the Federal government joined forces to provide Federal
Resources for Academic Excellence, which makes hundreds of education
resources available on the web for teachers, students, or parents. Subjects
range from an architectural tour of the National Gallery of Art's East
Building to a mutual fund cost calculator from the Securities and Exchange
Commission.
- Buy your first
home with help from the Department of Housing
and Urban Development. HUD's web page provides a comprehensive homebuyer's
kit, complete with searchable databases of HUD homes for sale, condominiums
and developments approved for FHA financing, and HUD approved lenders.
- Eliminate hassle
and find needed forms on the web: finance a college education with financial
aid forms available from the Department
of Education; find tax forms (and have your tax questions answered)
from the Treasury Department; or
online housing discrimination forms from the Department
of Housing and Urban Development.
- Learn food safety
and handling tips, proper cooking temperature for food, and how to test
to see if your kitchen is safe from foodborne illness from the Department
of Agriculture.
- Find a fuel-efficient
car with help from the Department of Energy.
- Kids, parents
and coaches can get tips from the U.S. Women's Soccer Team (and other
experts) on good reasons not to smoke -- like, not being able to run
down the soccer field -- on the Smoke-Free
Kids web site.
- Curious about
online trading? Learn how to invest wisely and avoid fraud on the Internet
from the Securities and Exchange Commission.
- Plan your trip
abroad, download a passport application, get travel tips, and find out
where it's unsafe to travel from the State
Department. The State Department also provides country-specific
Y2K information.
- Find help after
a natural disaster from the Federal Emergency
Management Agency. FEMA's web site provides information on where
to find temporary shelters, crisis counseling, or legal counseling.
FEMA also provides help in applying for assistance for help in rebuilding
your home. In addition, FEMA is changing the way America deals with
disasters. Project Impact helps communities protect themselves from
the devastating effects of natural disasters by taking actions that
dramatically reduce disruption and loss.
- Find the Veterans
Medical Center nearest you, and find out what benefits you may qualify
for, with help from the Department of Veterans
Affairs.
- Learn about your
Medicare benefits, get information about nursing homes in your area,
or report suspected Medicare fraud through the Health
Care Financing Administration's web page. HCFA also provides an
on-line version of the Medicare & You 2000 handbook.
- Learn how you can pay back student loans and volunteer in your community through the Corporation for National Service.