People

SSA testing Microsoft HealthVault

SSA has made an agreement with Microsoft HealthVault to link to patient medical data to improve the determinations of disability.

People

SSA to award contracts for NHIN links

The SSA is on track to award $24 million in contracts to help health care providers link to the Nationwide Health Information Network.

Cybersecurity

Witnesses: E-Verify system can't detect ID theft

Former agency officials told a Senate subcommittee that the E-Verify system for employment verification cannot detect identity theft.

Modernization

Agencies seek social-media contractors

Even though social-media tools are easy to use, some agencies want contractors to help anyway.

Modernization

Cobol remains old standby at agencies despite showing its age

As mainframe programming language Cobol marks 50 years of service, dedicated government users make plans for keeping the reliable old applications humming along.

Cybersecurity

Senate passes E-Verify provision for contractors

The Senate passed a provision to require federal contractors to use the E-Verify program on the same day DHS announced that contractors must use the program starting Sept. 8.

Modernization

SSA to monitor social media sites

The Social Security Administration wants to monitor what the public says about the agency on social media Web sites.

Digital Government

Napolitano backs E-Verify

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said she is a big supporter of E-Verify, the Web-based employment eligibility verification tool.

People

SSA data center to go green

The Social Security Administration intends to incorporate green IT solutions in its new $800 million data center.

People

Official: SSA needs four ingredients for IT center's success

Replacing a massive data center, the Social Security Administration needs good coordination and careful management to keep the project on schedule and within its budget, GAO official says.

Digital Government

5 secrets of leading-edge technology adopters

Despite the public sector’s reputation as an innovation laggard, there are some government outfits that find that life on the leading edge of technology adoption is the place to be. Their willingness to find and use the latest solutions or existing tools in new ways can give them a jump on delivering benefits to employees and citizens.

Modernization

SSA plots more cuts in disability claims backlog

A faltering economy, an aging population and a shortage of money are making it difficult to significantly reduce the backlog of disability claims, agency says.

Modernization

National network to speed disability benefits

The Social Security Administration will soon begin using the Nationwide Health Information Network to reduce the time needed to determine eligibility for disability benefits.

Cybersecurity

E-Verify rule governing contractor employees postponed

Federal have officials agreed to postpone enforcing the E-Verify program for federal contractors until May 21 so it can be reviewed by the Obama administration, a business group said. The program was set to start Feb. 20.

Cybersecurity

President-elect Barack Obama names a chief performance officer? Yawn.

The move generated a fair amount of buzz last week, but nothing compared with the ongoing speculation and debates about Obama’s eventual appointment of a governmentwide chief technology officer.

Digital Government

GAO More needed to cement success of SSA data exchange

The demand keeps growing for the agency's data resources, auditors say.

People

SSA to use health network to evaluate disability claims

The Social Security Administration will trim the decision-making process by days or weeks for 2.6 million disability applicants annually.