Author Archive
Tech
HHS reorg seeks to streamline tech and cyber policy
A new assistant secretary post will consolidate management of technology, data, AI and health IT.
Management
Cost overruns and delays plague VA’s new integrated financial management system
The rollout of VA’s modernized financial management and acquisition system has been affected by delays in the department’s new electronic health record system, since “multiple deployments” depend on the EHR’s launch at medical facilities.
Tech
VA’s planned restart of its electronic health record system rollouts draws lawmaker concern
“I think we are far from ready to endorse further go-live activities,” Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Fla., said about VA’s plan to resume deployments in fiscal year 2025.
Tech
Biden looks to preserve his tech and cyber legacy with veto threat
Experts see continuity in tech policy from the Biden administration to a possible Kamala Harris presidency, with possible divergence on some national security and antitrust issues.
Tech
White House details almost $100M investment to boost tech hiring
Arati Prabhakar, the director of the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy, said the government’s adoption of emerging capabilities “hinges on getting terrific people to come do this work.”
Management
Diverting TSA funds harms deployment of new tech, lawmakers warn
A bill to keep all 9/11 security fee collections at TSA would help the agency more quickly deploy facial recognition capabilities, but its supporters say privacy still needs to be prioritized.
Tech
Lawmakers want VA to report on its use of automation to process benefits claims
The legislative proposal seeks to enhance VA’s adoption of new technologies, including providing lawmakers with “a timeline for modifying and implementing the use of such automation tools” in the benefits claims process.
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Workforce
DHS hires its initial cohort of 10 to join its AI Corps
The Homeland Security Department’s AI Corps is designed to deploy tech-savvy experts across its operations to drive the adoption of AI capabilities within its various mission areas.
Management
Lawmakers press VA to report on the delays in its burn pit registry revamp
An October 2022 report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine said VA should “initiate a new phase” of its Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry to make it “a user-friendly, efficient and effective resource.”
Tech
Biden nominates a new director for the Defense Information Systems Agency
Maj. Gen. Paul Stanton, who currently leads the Army’s Cyber Center of Excellence, has been picked to replace Air Force Lt. Gen. Robert Skinner.
Tech
House panel advances bill to study TSA’s embrace of digital IDs
Travelers from nine states can now use mobile driver’s licenses to verify their identities at 27 U.S. airports.
Tech
Lawmakers look to restore TSA funding to speed screening tech deployment
The measure is one of three bipartisan proposals rolled out this week that seek to bolster funding for TSA’s deployment of new technologies and to limit invasive pat-downs of travelers.
Tech
HHS launches an online tool to identify communities hit hardest by extreme heat
The heat and health index tool provides zip code level data to flag neighborhoods that are the most at risk of experiencing harmful health outcomes as a result of high temperatures.
Management
VA's tech training program for vets is up for renewal, but backers want more accountability
A provision in a recently introduced legislative package would extend VA’s VET-TEC training program through September 2026 while seeking to address employment disparities.
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Oversight
Watchdog calls out EPA for continued cybersecurity concerns
The EPA has still not implemented GAO’s 2019 recommendation to develop a process for conducting an organization-wide cybersecurity risk assessment.
Tech
DOD, VA need more data on how their toxic exposure tracking app is used, watchdog says
A report from the Government Accountability Office found that oversight of the joint system for centralizing toxic exposure records has fallen off, despite a growing influx of PACT Act-related claims.
Workforce
VA’s AI model to prevent suicides is a 'game changer,' official says
The REACH-VET program identifies roughly 6,700 retired servicemembers per month, according to a top lawmaker.
Tech
Senators call for VA to tighten performance standards in new health records contract
Three lawmakers on the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee are calling for the department to “add accountability and oversight provisions” in a renegotiated one-year contract with Oracle Cerner.
Management
NASA’s long-term missions could be hurt by budget caps, lawmakers warn
House Science Chairman Frank Lucas R-Okla., said Congress needs to provide NASA with “sufficient support” to carry out its work.
Tech
VA is warning veterans about Change Healthcare cyberattack, secretary says
“There’s no confirmation yet” that veterans’ data was leaked by the ransomware attack, according to the VA secretary, but the department is proactively alerting millions of veterans and beneficiaries to be safe.
