Twenty Things You Can Do and Learn
On U.S. Government Web Sites
President Clinton is the first president of the Internet Age, and with the
leadership of 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.
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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
(www.healthfinder.gov).
Healthfinder also provides information on the latest health research, different
illnesses, and a host of medical resources designed to help families stay healthy.
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Teachers, parents, and students can access lessons and educational materials on any
topic at the Department of Education's new Gateway to Educational Materials
(www.thegateway.org).
The Gateway makes finding materials on the Internet easy by connecting users to over
140 web sites.
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Start your own business with help from the Small Business Administration
(www.sba.gov),
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.
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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
(www.epa.gov)
Enviromapper site. You can also find out about water discharge permits and
Superfund sites.
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Find your dream job through America's Job Bank
(www.ajb.dni.us),
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.
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Is it possible that you or someone you know may be owed pension benefits without
knowing it? The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation
(www.pbgc.gov)
reunites people with missing pensions, and features an online Pension Search
Directory that allows you to find benefits that may be owed to you.
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Learn how to get health insurance for your children through the Children's Health
Insurance Program
(www.insurekidsnow.gov).
CHIP's web page offers state-specific information on who is eligible and how to
enroll to make sure children grow up healthy.
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Begin planning for retirement by computing your estimated Social Security benefits
online at the Social Security Administration
(www.ssa.gov).
SSA's home page also provides information on obtaining a Social Security number as
well as information for employers on reporting earnings.
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Agencies from across the Federal government joined forces to provide Federal
Resources for Academic Excellence
(www.ed.gov/free),
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.
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Buy your first home with help from the Department of Housing and Urban
Development
(www.hud.gov).
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.
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Eliminate hassle and find needed forms on the web: finance a college education with
financial aid forms available from the Department of Education
(www.ed.gov);
find tax forms (and have your tax questions answered) from the Treasury
Department
(www.treas.gov);
or online housing discrimination forms from the Department of
Housing and Urban Development
(www.hud.gov).
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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
(www.foodsafety.gov).
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Find a fuel-efficient car with help from the Department of Energy
(www.doe.gov).
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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
(www.smokefree.gov).
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Curious about online trading? Learn how to invest wisely and avoid fraud on the
Internet from the Securities and Exchange Commission
(www.sec.gov).
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Plan your trip abroad, download a passport application, get travel tips, and find out
where it's unsafe to travel from the State Department
(www.state.gov).
The State Department also provides country-specific Y2K information.
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Find help after a natural disaster from the Federal Emergency Management Agency
(www.fema.gov).
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
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Find the Veterans' Medical Center nearest you, and find out what benefits you may
qualify for, with help from the Department of Veterans' Affairs
(www.va.gov).
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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
(www.hcfa.gov/medicare/medicare.htm)
web page. HCFA also provides an on-line version of the Medicare & You 2000
handbook.
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Learn how you can pay back student loans and volunteer in your community through the
Corporation for National Service
(www.cns.gov).
To comment on this service,
send feedback to the
Web Development Team.
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