Modernization
VA to lean on automation, better IT to tackle wave of benefits claims
The component responsible for overseeing veterans’ benefits programs at the Department of Veterans Affairs believes that automation and modernized IT systems will enhance its processing of PACT Act-related claims.
Digital Government
House Passes Bill to Permanently Authorize VA’s Tech Training Program
VA’s VET-TEC pilot ran out of funding last month, but lawmakers in the House and Senate are moving to permanently authorize the technology education program.
Digital Government
10 Vendors Receive Over Half of VA's IT Contracts, Drawing Lawmaker Concern
A Government Accountability Office representative told House lawmakers that Veterans Affairs’ IT obligations have been “increasingly concentrated with a small group of vendors.”
Modernization
VA Lacks Goals to Assess Satisfaction With New EHR, Watchdog Finds
The report from the Government Accountability Office found that the absence of such goals has limited the agency’s ability to “objectively measure progress toward improving EHRM users’ satisfaction.”
Cybersecurity
‘Continuing Significant Deficiencies’ Hamper VA’s Information Security Controls, Audit Finds
An audit released by the VA Office of Inspector General found that the department “needs to implement improved controls” to address persistent gaps in its information security program.
Modernization
House Lawmakers Lambast EHR Rollout Over Pharmacy Problems
Both witnesses and lawmakers agreed that the Oracle Cerner EHR system at its current state is not satisfactory—but disagreed over how to fix it.
Digital Government
Inter-Agency Effort Targets the Half of Veterans Who Never Engage With VA
The resource hub out of the departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs is part of a larger White House initiative to better respond to the life experiences of Americans.
Digital Government
Permanent Funding for VA’s Tech Training Program Heads to House Floor
VA’s VET-TEC pilot ran out of funding last week, but lawmakers on the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee have approved bipartisan legislation that would permanently reauthorize the program.
Digital Government
6 Major Multibillion Dollar Tech Procurements to Watch in 2023
Contracts range in potential estimated value from $5 billion to $100 billion, according to government spending data and Deltek analysis.
Modernization
House Lawmakers Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Reform VA’s EHR Program
The bipartisan proposal would require VA to prioritize system improvements at the five medical facilities currently using the new software before deploying it at any additional sites.
Modernization
VA Pauses Future EHR Deployments Under ‘Larger Program Reset’
The Department of Veterans Affairs said it plans to delay future rollouts of the new EHR system until it is confident that the software “is highly functioning at current sites and ready to deliver for veterans and VA clinicians at future sites.”
Modernization
House Lawmakers Coalesce Around Bipartisan Fixes to VA’s EHR System
The top Democrat and Republican on the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee have started bipartisan negotiations to address the Department of Veterans Affairs’ troubled rollout of its new electronic health record system.
Modernization
Congress's Competing Proposals to Fix VA's Ailing EHR Program
Top lawmakers tasked with overseeing the Department of Veterans Affairs have introduced competing bills to enhance oversight of VA’s new electronic health record system.
Digital Government
VA’s New Cyber Apprenticeship Program Will Focus on Training for Underserved Veterans
The VA’s initiative, set to begin this summer, “is really designed to attract that diverse and inclusive cybersecurity talent,” a department official told Nextgov.
Modernization
VHA's $8.5M Emergency Comms System Largely Inoperable, OIG Finds
An audit conducted by VA’s Office of Inspector General found that an estimated 80% of the emergency communications systems deployed at 184 VA medical facilities are “not fully operational.”
Modernization
VA Again Delays Rollout of New Electronic Health Record System
The Department of Veterans Affairs, which announced last October it was pausing rollouts of its new EHR system until June 2023, said it “is not yet ready” to move forward with the software’s scheduled deployment at the VA Saginaw Healthcare System.
Modernization
Top Republican Moves to Block VA’s EHR Deployment Until Improvements Are Made
A dozen GOP senators—including the ranking member of a key committee—signed on to the bill.
Digital Government
Lawmakers Need to Enhance VA’s Oversight of Oracle EHR Rollout or ‘Move On,’ Top Republican Says
House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chair Mike Bost, R-Ill., said Republicans and Democrats in both chambers of Congress are largely aligned “on what we know we want to fix and the problems that we’re seeing” with the deployment of VA’s new EHR system.
Digital Government
Veteran Deaths Lead Lawmakers to Call for VA to Renegotiate Oracle EHR Contract
Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Jon Tester said that VA should “negotiate an entirely new contract” with Oracle Cerner following the revelation that the EHR system has resulted in the deaths of four veterans.
Modernization
Official: VA’s Legacy EHR Must Be Maintained, But Not a Long-Term Solution
The official cautioned that “modernization would require VistA be rewritten almost from scratch.”
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