Modernization
Social Security occupational data update appears stalled after agency drops regulatory overhaul
The Social Security Administration has spent hundreds of millions of dollars trying to update the occupational data used in disability adjudications. When the agency will actually move to newer data is unclear.
How government leaders can balance the pros and cons of data center development
Policy and partnerships with tech companies can give state and local leaders a lever to ensure data centers are developed responsibly and sustainable, experts said during a recent webinar.
One-stop shopping for counter-drone gear is aim of joint task force
The Army-led effort is also working on policy for buying and deploying C-UAS systems stateside.
Government spending package includes money for House modernization efforts
Funding earmarked for the House of Representatives’ Modernization Initiatives Account can be used to accelerate the development of innovative constituent-focused tools.
Experts see promise, risk in Pentagon’s draft acquisition reforms
A draft memo is circulating ahead of SecDef Hegseth’s Friday speech.
Inside the Secret Service hunt for skimmers as outdated SNAP cards let thieves steal millions
The government still uses 1970s-era technology to deliver SNAP, leaving beneficiaries vulnerable to transnational crime rings that have taken hundreds of millions of dollars in benefits in recent years.
Post-9/11 veterans group’s project to modernize VA healthcare includes suicide prevention focus
The initiative from the nonprofit Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America is helmed by former VA Secretary David Shulkin and is looking into seven preliminary areas of care.
Dave Powner returns to GAO, this time to advocate for its bipartisan, cost-saving work
“We are the watchdog for the Congress, and it's really important that they collectively know our value,” congressional relations official Dave Powner told Nextgov/FCW.
VA to focus on EHR deployment first, then innovative additions, official says
Dr. Neil Evans, who is currently overseeing VA’s deployment of a new EHR system, said one benefit of rolling out the Oracle Health software is “we can, in the future, more easily orchestrate and deliver an integrated technological experience.”
DOGE caucus co-chair says the cost-cutting unit’s work will continue
Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, said he is focused on using data to weed out fraud across the government.
Salesforce launches new business unit for national security customers
Missionforce represents a “deepening” of services and relationships with defense, intelligence and aerospace agencies, according to Kendall Collins, who has been appointed CEO of Government Cloud, including the new business unit.
Exclusive
Stephen Ehikian says GSA is primed for a ‘build back’ phase after his departure
The former acting head of GSA is now working at enterprise AI company C3 AI, which sees growing opportunity for federal, state and local business.
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Change Healthcare attack delayed EHR testing at Chicago site, VA watchdog says
A joint VA-DOD rollout of a new Oracle Health electronic health record system occurred around the same time that UnitedHealth Group subsidiary Change Healthcare was targeted by a ransomware attack in February 2024.
GSA doubles FedRAMP authorizations compared to last year
GSA overhauled FedRAMP in the spring to streamline the process and introduce more automation.
Funding for further EHR deployments ‘vitally important,’ VA secretary says
VA Secretary Doug Collins said failing to modernize the agency’s electronic health record system “hurts our community care process because our doctors cannot communicate with the community [or] our doctors internally.”
VA needs to better plan appointment scheduling modernization, watchdog says
The Government Accountability Office said VA “has not yet determined how the modernized and updated products used for scheduling will interface and be used to pull and combine the data” from its current VistA electronic health record system and the new Oracle Health software.
Democrats press Palantir about reported creation of IRS ‘mega-database’
The possible creation of a shareable, governmentwide database of Americans’ personal information would be a “surveillance nightmare,” 10 House and Senate Democrats wrote in a letter to the tech company.
VA official touts progress on EHR modernization project
The agency is undertaking “a no-fail mission to deliver a Federal EHR at every VA medical center by 2031,” VA Deputy Secretary Paul Lawrence said.
Workforce cuts could complicate IRS goal to modernize in the next two years
Agency leaders say they want to complete the “vast majority” of its modernization efforts within the next couple of years.
Draft proposal looks to put EHR reform measures back on the table
Draft legislation put forward by GOP members of the House Veterans’ Affairs panel reconsiders EHR oversight and governance proposals that were removed from the Dole Act before it was signed into law in January.
