IT Modernization

VA secretary: Automation will help agency ‘make better, faster, more informed decisions’

VA Secretary Denis McDonough said the department is poised “to deliver a completely new, fully integrated experience” for veterans as officials expect a further increase in PACT Act claims.

  • By Edward Graham

Inside DHS’ quest to streamline customer experience and ease public burden

The Department of Homeland Security’s CIO detailed how his agency saved the public 20 million hours accessing agency services in a move that signals a major culture change.

  • By Frank Konkel

Government tech – What’s sustainability got to do with it?

As it turns out, a lot, according to a recent best practices guide for agency CIO’s, and to Energy Department CIO Ann Dunkin.

  • By Natalie Alms

VA official expects Oracle Cerner to deliver on $10B EHR contract despite layoffs

While lawmakers and officials expect work to continue as planned, an insider warned that layoffs at Oracle Cerner targeted a clinical team that worked to implement new electronic health record systems.

  • By Edward Graham

NASA steps closer to perfecting super-fast internet in deep space

Until very recently, NASA did not have a good solution for building extra bandwidth into the Deep Space Network.

  • By John Breeden II

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.

  • By Edward Graham

VA CIO warns against sacrificing 'consistency' for more contractor diversification 

VA is engaging more with smaller vendors to fulfill some of its projects, but the department’s CIO warned that calls for the agency to break large contracts into smaller pieces would not ensure that “there's consistency across the key places.”

  • By Edward Graham

As disability claims mount, VA needs to ramp up automation, lawmakers say

The Department of Veterans Affairs needs to rely on more advanced automation tools in its processing of veterans’ benefits to meet an expected “tidal wave” of PACT Act-related claims.

  • By Edward Graham

DHS faces slow disaster response burdened by legacy systems, officials warn

Officials told a Senate committee on Wednesday that the Department of Homeland Security had severely outdated information technology systems across various components. 

  • By Chris Riotta

Debt ceiling politics could derail plans for modernizing unemployment benefits delivery

The department has a plan to build on modular modernization advances piloted in New Jersey, but provisions in the debt ceiling compromise legislation could claw back funding pledged in the American Rescue Plan Act.

  • By Natalie Alms

Budget and tech challenges loom over IRS's direct file pilot

The news of the forthcoming pilot was followed this week by a compromise debt ceiling bill that includes reallocating $20 billion of the funding the IRS got as part of the Inflation Reduction Act.

  • By Natalie Alms

FCW Insider Chat: The top winners of the Fed100

The fifth and final episode of the FCW Insider Chat podcast highlights the work of the top three winners of this year’s Federal 100, the original and most prestigious awards program for the federal IT community. 

  • By Chris Riotta

Four federal departments have not fully implemented cloud security practices, GAO says

The departments of Agriculture, Homeland Security, Labor and Treasury have made varying amounts of progress in applying crucial cloud security practices, but remain far from fully executing them, the watchdog found.

  • By Carten Cordell

Tech experts say federal government needs more AI leadership positions at agencies

Federal agencies are lacking critical points of contact for the government to coordinate on responsible oversight and use of artificial intelligence tools, experts said Tuesday. 

  • By Chris Riotta
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VA puts Oracle Cerner on a short leash in $10B health records contract

The agency extended the contract for its EHR provider by one year, and put performance conditions in place.

  • By Adam Mazmanian

Lawmakers tackle VA pharmacy tech woes at hearing

The new commercial health record in use at five sites requires time-consuming workarounds that are taxing resources and depleting morale.

  • By Adam Mazmanian

FCW Insider Chat: Cyber and Tech Policy

Technology Modernization Fund Executive Director Raylene Yung and Christian Hoehner of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee join the podcast to talk TMF, FedRamp Authorization and more.

  • By Natalie Alms and Chris Riotta

Accelerated FAA modernization will suffer under stopgap funding, says agency head

A full year continuing resolution would hamper needed tech upgrades, according to the FAA's top official.

  • By Adam Mazmanian

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.”

  • By Edward Graham

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.

  • By Edward Graham

Taxpayer data at risk due to cybersecurity deficiencies at IRS, report warns

An annual assessment of the IRS' information technology program alleges critical cybersecurity deficiencies in the agency's handling of taxpayer data privacy.

  • By Chris Riotta