IT Modernization

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Officials told a Senate committee on Wednesday that the Department of Homeland Security had severely outdated information technology systems across various components.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

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
Featured eBooks

VA delays rollout of new electronic health record system again

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.

  • By Edward Graham

OMB failing to set cross-agency IT management goals, report says

Administration officials disputed some of GAO's conclusions, noting that IT goals were embedded in other management agenda targets.

  • By Chris Riotta

IRS system doesn’t meet all cloud security requirements, watchdog says

The tax agency did not meet requirements like malicious code protection and timely risk mitigation, the department's internal watchdog reported.

  • By Kirsten Errick

IG: Social Security isn't moving fast enough on agile development

An Inspector General report published this month said the Social Security Administration is still struggling to mature its agile development processes and not yet transitioning away from costly outdated technology.

  • By Chris Riotta

IRS Taxpayer Advocate says Congress shortchanged IT modernization efforts

Lawmakers didn’t allocate the $80 billion provided to the IRS in the right way, claims National Taxpayer Advocate Erin Collins, adding that IT modernization and taxpayer services aren’t getting the money they need.

  • By Natalie Alms

White House seeks $74 billion for federal civilian IT in 2024

The administration is proposing a nearly $10 billion bump in federal spending to achieve its modernization goals, including several significant increases in spending on IT and cybersecurity at civilian agencies.

  • By Chris Riotta

IRS plans to approve use of Login-dot-gov as Tax Day nears

The tax agency intends to add Login-dot-gov this filing season—and as early as next week—as the integration is in final rounds of testing.

  • By Aaron Boyd and Natalie Alms