Focus on the BIG picture.
Sunday, Nov 23, 2025
Outside the box.
Washington State readies unified Resident Portal to streamline access to government services
New digital hub launching in early 2026 will centralise sign-in across over 140 agencies using AI-powered tools
Washington residents will soon log into a single online gateway to access state services, as the state’s new Resident Portal transitions from pilot to public rollout.
Managed by Washington Technology Solutions (WaTech), the initiative builds on a June 2025 pilot that tested personalised profiles, AI-powered chatbots and tailored service recommendations for licensing, benefits and workforce support.
The project aims to retire the older Secure Access Washington login system and launch the public version in early 2026; full feature deployment and further agency integrations are expected through 2029.
State Chief Technology Officer Gretchen Peri described the portal as “an exercise in efficiency and effectiveness,” saying that government must constantly strive to deliver a user experience comparable to modern private-sector platforms while maintaining public accountability.
A pilot phase completed in June 2025 demonstrated key capabilities for identity and access management (IAM), consent-based data sharing and a unified services dashboard across state agencies.
The platform design centres on a “profile once, use many” approach: residents will create a verified account, save preferences, delegate access (for example to accountants or caregivers), and receive service suggestions based on their profile and eligibility.
The Identity and Access Management system has been integrated with Okta and a Customer Identity and Access Management framework for secure sign-in, and early versions of the Service Finder and dashboard are live in pilot mode.
Privacy and security are also front and centre.
Khay Ruckle, Washington’s Chief Privacy Officer, emphasised the difference between ‘security’ (protecting data) and ‘privacy’ (carefully limiting what data is collected and for what purposes).
Her office has established guardrails limiting data collection to lawful, necessary purposes and is developing a statewide framework for the ethical deployment of automated and AI-driven tools.
The rollout will be phased: following the public launch in early 2026, additional agencies and advanced features such as payments, document upload, notifications and predictive service routing will be added through 2029. The roadmap published in October 2024 laid out a sequenced implementation of portal capabilities, including unified navigation, personalised recommendations and AI-driven automation.
As Washington reviews its legacy digital infrastructure and enhances its digital government posture, officials say the Resident Portal marks a key leap toward more accessible, equitable service delivery.
The state expects that a friction-free, inclusive portal experience will save time and reduce frustration for residents, while giving agencies tools to support proactive engagement and better outcomes.
Managed by Washington Technology Solutions (WaTech), the initiative builds on a June 2025 pilot that tested personalised profiles, AI-powered chatbots and tailored service recommendations for licensing, benefits and workforce support.
The project aims to retire the older Secure Access Washington login system and launch the public version in early 2026; full feature deployment and further agency integrations are expected through 2029.
State Chief Technology Officer Gretchen Peri described the portal as “an exercise in efficiency and effectiveness,” saying that government must constantly strive to deliver a user experience comparable to modern private-sector platforms while maintaining public accountability.
A pilot phase completed in June 2025 demonstrated key capabilities for identity and access management (IAM), consent-based data sharing and a unified services dashboard across state agencies.
The platform design centres on a “profile once, use many” approach: residents will create a verified account, save preferences, delegate access (for example to accountants or caregivers), and receive service suggestions based on their profile and eligibility.
The Identity and Access Management system has been integrated with Okta and a Customer Identity and Access Management framework for secure sign-in, and early versions of the Service Finder and dashboard are live in pilot mode.
Privacy and security are also front and centre.
Khay Ruckle, Washington’s Chief Privacy Officer, emphasised the difference between ‘security’ (protecting data) and ‘privacy’ (carefully limiting what data is collected and for what purposes).
Her office has established guardrails limiting data collection to lawful, necessary purposes and is developing a statewide framework for the ethical deployment of automated and AI-driven tools.
The rollout will be phased: following the public launch in early 2026, additional agencies and advanced features such as payments, document upload, notifications and predictive service routing will be added through 2029. The roadmap published in October 2024 laid out a sequenced implementation of portal capabilities, including unified navigation, personalised recommendations and AI-driven automation.
As Washington reviews its legacy digital infrastructure and enhances its digital government posture, officials say the Resident Portal marks a key leap toward more accessible, equitable service delivery.
The state expects that a friction-free, inclusive portal experience will save time and reduce frustration for residents, while giving agencies tools to support proactive engagement and better outcomes.
