Navigating the intersection of complex federal policy and state-level technology requires a specific type of strategic bridge. As the National Healthcare and Human Services Practice Lead at CSG Government Solutions, Sean Kasten oversees the modernization of the infrastructure that supports the nation’s social safety net—from Medicaid and integrated eligibility to child welfare.
With states currently facing the sweeping compliance requirements of the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" (H.R. 1), Kasten’s work focuses on translating these shifting mandates into actionable roadmaps. In this conversation with The Consulting Report, Kasten discusses the "CSG Tech" model of productivity, the unique challenges of modernizing child welfare systems, and how state agencies are deploying pragmatic AI tools to support their workforce and the communities they serve. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
"I’m proud of the work we do to help our clients strengthen public assistance and social services for our most vulnerable communities."
The Consulting Report: Can you provide an overview of your firm's areas of specialization, whether based on sectors or functional areas?
Sean Kasten: CSG Government Solutions is a national leader in state government IT management consulting. We help modernize the technology and business processes of some of the largest and most complex government programs, including Medicaid, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Child Support, Child Welfare, Unemployment Insurance, and others. CSG’s project-related services include modernization planning and strategy, program and project management, organizational change management, independent verification and validation, quality assurance, testing, and federal compliance.
We help our clients secure federal funding to replace aging technologies; manage the design, development, and implementation of industry-leading solutions; and achieve federal compliance and certification required to efficiently maintain and operate these systems for those who depend on them. We also bring expertise in helping states navigate changing federal requirements, such as the recently enacted H.R. 1, also known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act”, providing policy expertise, strategy and planning, and project management services to help states prepare for compliance with this new law.
The Consulting Report: How does your firm differentiate itself from competitors?
Sean Kasten: The CSG difference is our experience, our people, and our productivity.
We are one of only a few national consulting firms that are exclusively focused on state government, bringing nearly 30 years of experience working with more than 200 government organizations in 50 states and territories. This specialization helps us better serve our clients by drawing on lessons learned and best practices from similar engagements across the country.
Our consultants are well respected in the industry, combining public sector experience with consulting skills. More than 75% of our consultants have more than a decade of state government consulting experience and many also previously held leadership positions for the government programs we serve, bringing a unique understanding of our clients’ perspectives and needs.
A big differentiator is our substantial investment in maximizing the quality of our services and the productivity of our project teams. We have a well-established and high-functioning organization, CSG Tech, which performs research, technology development, knowledge management, and training that guide the delivery of our consulting services. The impact of CSG Tech throughout our firm is great, deploying high-value knowledge and automated tools that promote consistently excellent performance in all our teams.
These differentiators have earned us recognition as a national industry leader, including nine consecutive years on Forbes list of America's Best Management Consulting Firms serving the public sector, and recognition by The Consulting Report as a Top Consulting Firm for the past several years.
The Consulting Report: Are there one or two major client projects that you are particularly proud of and that help demonstrate your firm's capabilities?
Sean Kasten: I’m proud of the work we do to help our clients strengthen public assistance and social services for our most vulnerable communities.
One area of particular pride is our work helping states navigate a rapidly evolving HHS landscape impacted by H.R. 1. The legislation introduces significant changes to Medicaid, SNAP, and eligibility systems, creating operational and financial pressure for state agencies to meet compliance deadlines. CSG is currently supporting seven states with policy analysis, compliance support, and implementation activities, helping them adapt quickly while maintaining access to essential services.
In recent years, I’ve also had the privilege of helping establish our national Child Welfare Practice. Child welfare agencies face growing complexity in delivering critical services, and many are modernizing their technology to better support caseworkers and improve outcomes for children and families. CSG is helping states evaluate, procure, and implement solutions using human-centered design and advanced tools like AI to improve decision-making, data sharing, and federal compliance. We recently supported the successful child welfare system go-live in Connecticut and are also supporting five other states with their modernization efforts.
The Consulting Report: How would you describe your firm's culture?
Sean Kasten: CSG’s culture is defined by The CSG Way, an environment that emphasizes common understanding, teamwork, clear communication, clarity of roles and responsibilities, and consistently high-quality work. This foundation creates a strong culture, where dedicated professionals with complementary talents encourage one another to do their best work in an environment focused on integrity, growth, and excellence.
“Our focus is helping clients adopt AI in practical and responsible ways.”
The Consulting Report: Has the increasing prevalence of AI dramatically changed the types of client mandates you are hired for?
Sean Kasten: Every large state government agency in the country is at least exploring the impact and opportunities of AI for their systems and processes. Our focus is helping clients adopt AI in practical and responsible ways.
We help states identify high-value use cases that drive efficiency, support their workforce, and improve outcomes for the people they serve. We help our clients assess risks and apply industry best practices and federal standards, informed by our own developing experience and participation in leading industry groups such as the National Association of State Chief Information Officers AI Workgroup and the Safe AI in Medicaid Alliance.
Internally, our CSG Tech organization is embedding federal AI frameworks, including NIST standards, into our operations, services, and client-facing tools. This ensures we are equipping our clients to make sound, strategic investments in these rapidly evolving technologies. For example, we recently assisted New Mexico in launching an AI-powered testing tool that reduced test case development time and will accelerate user acceptance testing ahead of their new system go-live later this year.