Modernization
FCC adopts georouting rules for national suicide and crisis lifeline
The Federal Communication Commission's new rules will require U.S. wireless providers to automatically route calls and text messages to the 988 lifeline to local crisis centers based on the callers’ physical locations.
Officials describe rosy future for problem-plagued background check system overhaul
One interagency official said a long-awaited implementation strategy for the National Background Investigation Services system would be released this week.
HHS to crack down on providers blocking access to electronic medical records
The Department of Health and Human Services has received more than a thousand claims of blocked or stymied access to electronic health record information in recent years.
Inside VA’s drive to offer rideshare services to vets
Since its launch in January 2022, the Veterans Health Administration’s rideshare program for veterans in need of medical-related transportation has provided more than 438,000 rides.
IRS delay on key system could cost up to $70 million
The IRS had been considering switching to a new system for core, individual tax processing, but it’s waiting to do so until after the coming tax season.
VA officials say they can finish the digital GI Bill platform without more delays, cost overruns
Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., said the Department of Veterans Affairs is “batting zero” when it comes to finishing major IT modernization projects on time and within budget.
VA's EHR clocks more than 800 'major performance incidents' since go-live, watchdog finds
VA’s Office of Inspector General identified 826 outages, degradations and functionality gaps that meet the definition of a major performance incident outlined in the EHR modernization project’s contract.
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TMF at the tipping point
The government’s revolving fund to help agencies jumpstart IT modernization and cybersecurity projects is at a “critical juncture,” in terms of funding and congressional support, according to the General Services Administration, which administers the fund.
Nearly 40% of FAA air traffic control systems need urgent updates, GAO reports
Several systems, some which aid in navigation and communications, did not have modernization efforts in place, the GAO said.
Agencies score record number of A's on latest FITARA scorecard
GAO Information Technology and Cybersecurity Director Carol Harris said the biannual review has saved the government a total of roughly $31.4 billion since it first began in 2005.
Why Iowa’s 2020 caucus flop still haunts the civic tech world
The caucus stands as a model for how not to integrate tech into elections.
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NSA’s secret Amazon-developed cloud environment progressing ‘very well’
The agency's $10 billion cloud program dubbed “WildandStormy" is benefiting from the intelligence community's dozen years of experience in commercial cloud, an AWS official said.
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Lawmakers mull a fraud-focused scorecard for oversight
Agency watchdogs warned lawmakers that their centralized fraud analytics capacity could end next year without congressional action.
Inside the IRS push for digital transformation
IRS employees at an Austin, Texas processing center must still sort through heaps of paper documents. But digitization tools are being powered on to help.
VA needs stricter oversight for EHR deployment, top Republican says
Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Mont., who chairs the House Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Technology Modernization, said he appreciated VA’s engagement with Congress “about establishing some metrics that Oracle has to abide by in order to keep this moving forward.”
Exclusive
IRS will stick with legacy processing system for the upcoming tax season
The IRS is waiting to switch away from the old Individual Master File “out of an abundance of caution,” despite hopes to potentially convert to the new one this year, IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel told Nextgov/FCW.
Could an easy radio fix have prevented the Trump assassination attempt?
“Being able to talk to other agencies real-time certainly would assist in that response,” one official said.
Space missions rely on private sector engagement, NASA official says
The space agency needs to work more closely with its commercial providers to meet critical flight requirements.
What the next president should do to maintain global tech leadership
A report from MITRE recommends new oversight and continued external partnerships for the next presidential administration to strengthen U.S. science and technology leadership.
IRS is flying blind without plans to modernize legacy tech, watchdog says
This isn’t the first time the IRS has been called out by oversight officials for a lack of detailed technology planning.
