Two Years After Controversy, VA Finishes IT for Forever GI Bill Dec 16, 2020 | 9:44 am The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced the completion of all IT initiatives for the implementation of the Forever GI Bill – also known as the Colmery Act – and the full deployment of associated software and systems, finishing the implementation of a policy initiative that initially put VA’s IT in the headlines for the wrong reasons. […]
After Challenges Implementing Bill, VA Outlines IT Priorities Feb 27, 2020 | 4:07 pm After facing IT challenges with the implementation of the Forever GI Bill, Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) Robert Wilkie said during a Budget Request hearing for Fiscal Year 2021 that the department needed to look at its entire IT infrastructure’s readiness. […]
One Year On, VA Gets Forever GI Bill Right Dec 23, 2019 | 1:55 pm In November 2018, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and its CIO’s office were in the news for all the wrong reasons. […]
VA OIG Semiannual Report Notes IT as ‘Ongoing Obstacle’ May 31, 2019 | 3:28 pm The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of Inspector General (OIG) cited IT problems as an “ongoing obstacle” to the VA serving its mission in its semiannual report to Congress, publicly released May 30. […]
VA Secretary Outlines IT Modernization Plan to House Representatives Mar 27, 2019 | 4:38 pm The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) secretary outlined how it will use its proposed budget to improve veteran healthcare and modernize its largely outdated information technology (IT) systems at a hearing today before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies. […]
VA OIG: Early Software Problems Hurt Forever GI Bill Rollout Mar 20, 2019 | 3:37 pm The Department of Veteran Affairs’ (VA’s) Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) failure to modify its electronic systems to fully support the Forever GI Bill hampered efforts to implement the law early in the process and continue to the present day, according to a VA Office of the Inspector General (OIG) report released today. […]
Sen. Tester Sets Expectations for New VA CIO Jan 15, 2019 | 1:02 pm Sen. John Tester, D-Mont., ranking member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, is asking James Gfrerer, the newly confirmed CIO at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), for his list of priorities to improve the agency’s IT operations. […]
VA Targets December 2019 for GI Bill Housing Payment Fix Nov 28, 2018 | 3:21 pm The Department of Veterans Affairs said today it is targeting Dec. 1, 2019–a full year from now–to complete a technical fix to address problems that have plagued the agency’s ability to correctly calculate monthly housing allowance payments under the 2017 Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act, also known as the “Forever GI Bill.” […]
VA IT Faces Criticism on Delayed GI Bill Payments Nov 19, 2018 | 10:57 am The Department of Veterans Affairs faced congressional scrutiny on Thursday for delayed payments to veterans following the passage of the Colmery Act, also known as the Forever GI Bill, as House members called on VA IT officials to explain how the system could not handle the additional workloads and criticized the department’s response. […]
House Panel to Examine Recent Reports on VA IT Nov 12, 2018 | 1:27 pm This week, the House Veterans Affairs Committee will have its hands full with hearings on two major IT projects at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) that have both recently been subject to scrutiny in the press and in Congress. […]