Digital Government
Federal HR Officials: Get Rid of Most Hiring Authorities
Officials at the Homeland Security and Veterans Affairs departments said having too many avenues for hiring a federal employee causes paralysis at agencies.
Modernization
VA Migrates 23.5 Million Veteran Patient Records To Cerner Data Center
All new patient data will go into the shared Veterans Affairs-Defense Department data center as the two agencies move forward with the massive electronic health records overhaul.
Modernization
VA Doesn’t Really Know What It Costs To Run VistA
Lowball estimates for operating the current electronic health records system through the transition to Cerner cast doubt that overall projections are accurate.
Artificial Intelligence
VA Appoints First-Ever Artificial Intelligence Director
The move represents a broader push to improve veteran care through AI-enabled solutions.
Policy
White House Wants to Know How Tech Can Help Prevent Veteran Suicides
The Office of Science and Technology Policy is asking for the public to weigh in on its veteran suicide prevention strategy.
Modernization
Congress Questions Leadership of VA Health Record Overhaul
Veterans Affairs officials said their upgraded health record platform will start rolling out in March, but lawmakers worry they might be jumping in too soon.
Modernization
VA Expects 'Hiccups,' but an Otherwise Seamless Health Overhaul This Week
Some lawmakers and veterans groups are nervous about VA's implementation process for the new private care program.
Digital Government
How the Veterans Affairs Department is ‘Hardwiring’ Customer Service into Everything
VA is on a mission to improve the veteran experience across every service it provides.
Modernization
VA To Codify Customer Experience As Part of Core Values
The need to consider ease, effectiveness and emotion in all decisions will become part of the department’s Code of Federal Regulations.
Modernization
VA’s EIS Telecom Transition Starts With New Accounting Platform
The agency is looking to buy a holistic financial management system to manage as much as $445 million in telecom spending a year.
Emerging Tech
Adaptive Gaming Offers Disabled Veterans a New Way To Connect
A partnership between the Veterans Affairs Department and Microsoft is opening video games and esports up to vets with limited mobility.
Modernization
Innovation From Within: How One Employee-Built Tool is Revolutionizing VA
An open source tool called LEAF is saving the Veterans Affairs Department time, resources and perhaps millions in taxpayer dollars.
Emerging Tech
VA Looks to 3D-Printing to Improve Veteran Care
The agency is funding efforts to 3D-print hand braces, foot insoles, prosthetic limbs and artificial organs.
Modernization
VA Turns to App Developers to Overcome Legacy Tech
The agency is already working with Apple to connect medical records to veterans’ iPhones, and there are more projects on the horizon, according to CIO James Gfrerer.
Modernization
VA Won’t Delay Launch of Private Care Software Tool Despite Reported Flaws
The tech will go live on June 6 even if it’s operating “at 70 percent or 50 percent,” said Secretary Robert Wilkie.
Modernization
After CIO No-Show, Congress Not Confident in VA’s IT Shop
The Veterans Affairs Department earned no goodwill when it declined to testify before a House Veterans’ Affairs subcommittee.
Modernization
Management, Not Money, Will Make or Break VA Modernization, Lawmakers Say
“We are no longer on the cusp of transformation, we are in the middle of it,” Secretary Robert Wilkie told senators.
Digital Government
VA Botched GI Benefits Modernization Because Nobody Was in Charge, Watchdog Says
The project, which started in August 2017, didn’t have a designated leader until November 2018, the VA inspector general found.
Digital Government
Lawmaker Wants VA to Explain a Software Tool USDS Flagged as Flawed
A ProPublica report exposed serious issues in a Veterans Affairs Department software tool.
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