CIO AUTHORITY LEGISLATION PASSES FULL COMMITTEE MARKUP

Markup of H.R. 4061, H.R. 3665 and H.R. 1691

Washington, D.C. — The House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs held a markup of H.R. 4061, the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (VA) Information Technology Management Improvement Act, which will improve the management of IT within VA.  The bill will give the VA Chief Information Officer (CIO) authority over the VA’s IT budget, as well as control in the oversight of policies, procedures, personnel and assets.  H.R. 4061 will also require the VA Secretary to submit a report to Congress that details the IT funds requested by the Administration in any fiscal year budget submitted to Congress.   

“This bill will ensure accountability in VA IT spending, and reorganize VA’s IT infrastructure to improve the healthcare our veterans receive.  We have seen unfinished projects and billions of wasted dollars over the years on mismanaged VA IT efforts,” said Chairman Buyer.  

“After considerable oversight over the past 4 years, we have a bill to tighten VA’s information technology management. This bill strikes an excellent balance between preserving the business and mission needs of the respective administrations and streamlining and centralizing the information technology functions at VA,” said Ranking Member Lane Evans. 

Gartner Consulting, VA’s IT consultant, recently completed its review of VA IT infrastructure and reaffirmed many of GAO’s past criticisms of VA.  Specifically, VA’s IT budgets have lacked accountability regarding how and when funds are spent.  The GAO has testified since 1998 that VA has encountered numerous and consistent problems managing its IT programs.  Gartner Consulting concluded that savings could exceed $1.7 billion over the course of five years if the VA carries out the option to centralize the management of IT budgeting.  This centralization is a key component of the Buyer-Evans bill.  

Background:  VA has spent about $1 billion per year over the last decade to upgrade its IT infrastructure.  The VA’s FY 2005 budget request for IT is $1.6 billion.  In 2004, the VA received $1.4 billion for its IT program, and over the past decade has received close to a billion dollars each year for IT initiatives.  

While there have been improvements in VA’s IT modernization efforts, prominent failures stand out:

• $600 million plus for a decade of VETSNET – the automated compensation and pension claims processing system that still has not been implemented after 10 years of development.

• $342 million for CoreFLS – the failed financial management system.

• $300 million for the HR Links – the failed automated personnel system.

• $485 million annually to maintain VISTA, VA’s 25 year-old medical information system.

H.R. 3665, the Veteran’s Housing and Employment Improvement Act, includes additional flexibility in administering the specially adapted housing grants program to better accommodate our most severely injured veterans.  This new flexibility would authorize a five year pilot program to provide for adapted housing grants to disabled veterans residing temporarily in housing owned by a family member.  These grants are limited to $10,000 for the most severely disabled veterans and $2,000 for less severely disabled veterans.  This bill will also allow a severely disabled veteran to receive up to three separate specially adaptive housing grants within the allotted maximum amounts. The amendment to H.R. 3665 also extends a homeless veterans employment program, introduced by Congressman Boozman (H.R. 3279).  Lastly, H.R. 3665 includes provision from H.R. 419 which extends the President’s National Hire Veterans Committee, introduced by Congressman Mike Simpson, for up to one year and transition the duties to the Veterans Employment & Training Service.  

“This program is important because disabled veterans have specific needs that their homes need to be able to accommodate.  For instance, a younger veteran in a wheelchair may need to widen the hallways or add a wheelchair ramp to his or her parent's home.  This bill will allow that veteran to apply for funds to make the necessary modifications to that house even though they don't own it,” said Chairman John Boozman of the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity in regards to H.R.3665.

H.R. 1691, this legislation, supported and cosponsored by the entire Wisconsin delegation, would rename the Department of Veterans Affairs outpatient clinic in Appleton, Wisconsin after John H. “Doc” Bradley (July 10, 1923 – January 11, 1994).  John Bradley was a Navy Corpsman during World War II, and was one of the six men who took part in the famous flag raising on Iwo Jima.  John Bradley received a Navy Cross for rushing to a wounded man’s aid under heavy Japanese fire, and received several shrapnel wounds to his legs a few days later.