Digital Government

IRS to request more modernization funds

The Internal Revenue Service next month plans to ask Congress for more money to begin work on specific projects for the tax agency's modernization contract. IRS chief information officer Paul Cosgrave said the agency nearly has completed its request to fund five business systems modernization proje

Digital Government

Administration gets B-minus for Y2K

Despite the progress the Clinton administration has made in fixing computers for the Year 2000 date change problem, the federal government is critically behind in ensuring that federal services administered on the state level will continue uninterrupted next year, Rep. Stephen Horn (RCalif.) said

Digital Government

Y2K global warning

International travelers venturing abroad to celebrate the millennium should be aware that Russia, China, Japan and Italy top a list of countries that the State Department views as vulnerable to widespread failures because of the Year 2000 problem, according to department sources.

Digital Government

Horn: Fed Y2K efforts lagging in key service programs

Despite the progress the Clinton administration has made with its Year 2000 efforts, the federal government remains critically behind in ensuring that federal services administered on the statelevel will go uninterrupted next year.

Digital Government

Senator says Y2K compliance is not risk free

me=abstract content=In his second appearance last week at the National Press Club, Sen. Robert Bennett (RUtah) said yesterday that American businesses and the federal government, even if they believe their computer systems are Year 2000compliant, should still cross their fingers.

Digital Government

IRS creates new IT division

The Internal Revenue Service will open Oct. 10 an Information Systems Division to consolidate its information technology resources from IRS offices nationwide.

Digital Government

Feds not worried about Sept. 9 date problem

The federal government plans to do very limited testing'' of its computer systems as a practice exercise to determine potential glitches when the date Sept. 9 arrives next week.

Digital Government

LOC Web site to offer access to holdings

The Library of Congress plans by October to complete installing its integrated library system, called Voyager, that will allow the public to use PCs to conduct comprehensive searches of the extensive collections available at the world's largest library. Voyager, from Des Plaines, Ill.based Endeavo

Digital Government

Socially minded

As director of electronic services at the Social Security Administration, Tony Trenkle works in an office that is responsible for using the Internet as a tool to help improve business practices at SSA. Trenkle, a 13year veteran of the federal government, this year accepted his position with SSA af

Digital Government

HCFA revamps Medicare site

The Heath Care Financing Administration has beefed up its World Wide Web site for Medicare recipients by adding information that will enable beneficiaries to shop for the best health care plans and nursing homes throughout the United States. Medicare.gov, which made its debut in March 1998, was des

Digital Government

IBM wins State mainframe pact

The State Department recently awarded IBM Corp. an $85 million contract to lead a team of information technology vendors to support the department's data processing and communications centers. Bob Wissman, a contracting officer at State, said the Mainframe Resources Acquisition contract will help t

Digital Government

OMB refines Y2K reporting requirements

As the federal government heads into the final months of fixing systems for the Year 2000, the Office of Management and Budget has revised the requirements for the quarterly reports agencies file on their Year 2000 progress.

Digital Government

Rep. mulls grading agencies on security

The head of a technology lobbying group last week suggested that Rep. Stephen Horn (RCalif.) should apply the same grading system used to evaluate agencies on fixing computers for the Year 2000 problem to agencies' efforts to protect their computer systems from hackers. Harris Miller, president of

Digital Government

State taps IBM for IT products, services

The State Department this week awarded an $85 million contract to a team lead by IBM Corp. for information technology products and services to support the agency's data processing and communication centers.

Digital Government

IRS expands support for disabled

The Internal Revenue Service recently beefed up its support for a program that will enable more of its employees with disabilities to join the information technology work force. The IRS expanded the mission of the Information and Resources Accessibility Program (IRAP) to ensure that employees with

Digital Government

DriveSavers turns data recovery into a science

Several months ago, Jeffrey Colvin, a senior physicist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, came into his office after a planned power outage at the agency to discover that somehow he had lost vital data on his computer. Colvin's hope to retrieve the information began to fizzle after he learn

Digital Government

SSA cuts its losses on disability claims system

After earmarking $71 million to develop an automated system for processing disability claims, the Social Security Administration has decided to scrap its original program and salvage half the funding to field a scaledback project, SSA commissioner Kenneth Apfel said last week. SSA originally inten

Digital Government

SSA rethinks disability claims processing

After earmarking $71 million to develop an automated system for processing disability claims, the Social Security Administration has decided to scrap its original program and salvage half the funding to field a scaled back project, SSA commissioner Kenneth Apfel said today.

Digital Government

Labor upgrades work-related legal advice site

The Labor Department recently redesigned and expanded its World Wide Web site by making it more userfriendly and informative for people seeking expert legal advice on workrelated issues. Labor recently beefed up its Employment Laws Assistance for Workers and Small Businesses (elaws) Web site, whi

Digital Government

With new Y2K grade, State feels vindicated

Critics predicted early on that the State Department, one of the agencies that was considered woefully behind in its Year 2000 efforts, would not have all of its critical computer systems fixed until 2034.