Department of Veterans Affairs

Hitting The Reset Button In Federal IT

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For the fourth straight year, federal IT spending was about even with the prior year’s budget – and it seems very clear that trend will come to an abrupt halt in 2013. The Professional Services Council (PSC) stated the “Addressable IT Budgets” in Fiscal Year 2012 added up to $121.7 billion – a total the Council estimates will drop to $115.5 in FY13, with budgets for IT equipment expected to drop 19% in FY13.

With the so-called “fiscal cliff” looming, the new year began promptly with a deal that largely addressed the tax portion of the so-called “fiscal cliff” equation, but delayed measures addressing the spending portion of the “cliff” that include raising the debt ceiling and sequestration spending cuts. Keep reading →

 /  Published January 14, 2013 at 7:00 AM

Government Seeing Big Savings From Green Buildings

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The U.S. Treasury has always been a place where people could find something green, but this time the term is not referring to money. The U.S. Treasury building has obtained a green environmental designation, probably the oldest federal building to earn one. It has reduced its operating costs by $3.5 million annually as a result.

If the Treasury, built first in 1836, can go green and utilize smarter systems management, then most of the rest of government should be relatively easy, according to experts in the field. All it takes is a little ingenuity, a great deal of effort and a desire. And a presidential executive order helps too. Keep reading →

 /  Published January 11, 2013 at 9:00 AM

CDC Opens Door To Web Content Syndication

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The Centers for Disease Control has spearheaded a program available to other agencies that automatically updates website content, making it easier and more cost-effective to keep information current.

The content syndication tool eliminates the cumbersome and time-consuming practice of emailing updates and changing website content manually. Keep reading →

 /  Published January 3, 2013 at 11:00 AM

Third Party Monitoring Of Apps Saves Money

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A new survey suggests apps lose value and become costly if they perform slowly, fail altogether or are overwhelmed with users. But third-party monitoring could be the solution for to save money and ensure reliability of increasingly essential government agency apps.

The Government Business Council’s “Industry Insights” survey noted that agencies such as the Office of Personnel Management and the Department of Veterans Affairs ran into trouble when apps were overwhelmed and shut down. Such instances, GBC notes, undermines the agency’s mission and public trust. Keep reading →

 /  Published January 2, 2013 at 7:00 AM

Video Of The Week: VITAL Helping Veterans Succeed In College

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This feature showcases one video each Friday that captures the essence of innovation, technology and new ideas happening in government today.

This week’s video is courtesy of the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Description: Today’s veterans face numerous obstacles in their path of attaining a college degree, ranging from missing camaraderie to a lack of understanding by university students and faculty. However, a partnership between the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Student Veterans of America seeks to help.

The Veterans Integration To Academic Leadership program, or VITAL, is a program hosted by the VA that works to help Veterans in the transition from life on the field to life on a college campus. The program, currently in place at over 50 U.S. colleges, matches VA offices with their local colleges to help student veterans have better access to the benefits and support provided by the agency.

 /  Published December 7, 2012 at 4:00 PM

Congressmen Tie Federal IT Reforms To Economy

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Reps. Darrell Issa and Gerry Connolly say federal IT mismanagement has not only cost taxpayers billions, but has a dire effect on the economy.

The two congressmen with a history of butting heads agree sweeping federal IT reforms and giving CIOs budget authority would fix the problem. They talked about why on a stage in the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, D.C. on Monday. Keep reading →

 /  Published December 4, 2012 at 1:00 PM

Building a Federal AEC Pipeline: What to Consider in 2013

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The uncertainty of 2012 has many pondering how to plan their federal Architecture, Engineering and Construction pipeline for the coming year. By getting back to basics, companies can balance trends found in three sources – historic federal spending , budget requests, and what potential opportunities are to be released in the next 12 to 18 months – to develop a business development plan for 2013. Keep reading →

 /  Published November 28, 2012 at 7:00 AM

Understanding Continuing Resolutions and Government Shutdowns

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Chicken Little squawked about the sky falling. Pundits warn about the Fiscal Cliff. But federal agencies nearly every year hold up the sky while walking on the edge of a cliff. This is the world of Continuing Resolutions and Government Shutdowns.
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This article originally appeared on the IBM Center for the Business of Government’s blog.
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 /  Published November 14, 2012 at 2:00 PM

VA Contracts To Move 600,000 Email Accounts To The Cloud

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The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has awarded a five-year contract to HP Enterprise Services to provide a department-wide, cloud computing based email and calendaring infrastructure to the VA’s 600,000 users, using Microsoft Office 365 for Government, HP announced today.

The agreement, valued at $36 million, was awarded under the Veterans Administration Transformation Twenty-One Total Technology (VA T4) program, the department’s information technology modernization contract. The modernization effort will begin with 15,000 people and expand agencywide to 600,000 people when all contract options are executed. Keep reading →

 /  Published November 13, 2012 at 10:30 AM

Innovation At VA: App Offered To Hurricane Sandy Victims

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This is one in a series of articles about innovation at the Department of Veterans Affairs and part of a larger series on innovation at agencies across the federal government.

A mobile app originally developed to aid veterans has been offered to mental health personnel helping Hurricane Sandy’s victims, an example of how innovation and technology within the federal government can have a broader reach than ever before. Keep reading →

 /  Published November 7, 2012 at 7:00 AM
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