Several announcements from the VA

VA Awards 14 Major Technology Contracts

Setting the Stage for Long-term IT Solutions to Serve Veterans

Washington, D.C. (July 1, 2011) - Fourteen major contracts to transform
information technology in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) have
been awarded for an estimated program ceiling of $12 billion. The
Transformation Twenty-One Total Technology program, known as T4, will
consist of 15 prime contracts, including seven awards reserved for
service-disabled Veteran small businesses and Veteran-owned small
businesses.

"This five-year program will help VA transform into a 21st century
organization and enable us to deliver the high-quality health care,
benefits, and services Veterans have earned," said Secretary of Veterans
Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. "In addition, it opens an opportunity for
Veterans in business to grow and claim a share of VA's business."

Calling the program T4, VA awarded 14 prime contracts together as a tool
to close gaps in acquiring IT services to integrate systems, networks
and software. A fifteenth contract is pending resolution of a protest
filed with the Government Accountability Office. The companies
selected will have a fair opportunity to compete for work under T4 over
five years. Their services and products may cover the life cycle of a
computer system, and include program planning and management, systems
and software engineering, cyber security, operation and maintenance, and
support to facilities.

One of VA's main goals is to provide timely access to benefits and
high-quality health care to Veterans over their lifetimes, from the day
they enter military service until the day they are laid to rest. T4
will be a major tool enabling VA to meet those goals by closing gaps in
transforming programs.

The combined contracts will allow the most efficient use of technology
to reduce the backlog of benefit claims and deliver real value to
America's taxpayers.

The T4 program will be a single focal point for managing the multiple
contracts; give VA access to the best industry capabilities without the
traditional long acquisition lead time; and help the department meet its
Veteran small-business goals.

Unsuccessful competitors will be notified once the fifteenth, final
award is made. They will be given the opportunity to receive a
debriefing about their respective proposals and learn how they might
improve their future submissions.

VA Issuing First Payments to Caregivers



WASHINGTON (July 1, 2011) - The Department of Veterans Affairs will send
out more than $430,000 in stipend payments to nearly 200 Family
Caregivers of Veterans in July. These Family Caregivers were the first
to complete their Caregiver training under the program of Comprehensive
Assistance for Family Caregivers. The first payments to 96 recipients
were issued today.

"This is a long-awaited day for many Family Caregivers who diligently
worked to achieve this landmark legislation to enhance services for
Family Caregivers," said VA Secretary Eric K. Shinseki. "I am proud VA
can now offer direct support to the loved ones who give the Veterans we
serve a greater quality of life by allowing them to remain at home
surrounded by family and friends."

Family Caregivers will receive an average $1,600 in monthly stipend
payments. The initial payments will average $2,500 because the first
stipend checks are retroactive to the date of application. The amount
of the stipend is based on the condition of the Veteran and the amount
of care they require as well as the geographic location where the
Veteran resides. An additional 80 stipend payments will be released
from the U.S. Treasury on July 8 bringing the total to 176 Family
Caregivers receiving the stipend in July.

"We continue to process and approve applications on a daily basis" said
Deborah Amdur, VA's Chief Consultant for Care Management and Social
Work. "It has been profoundly gratifying to receive messages from Family
Caregivers about the value of this program."

Since May 9, nearly 1,250 Caregivers of Veterans who were seriously
injured in the line of duty on or after September 11, 2001, have applied
for the Program. A core caregiver training curriculum is a required
component of the program. This comprehensive training, which was
developed by Easter Seals in collaboration with VA clinical experts, has
received many positive comments from Family Caregivers. In addition to
the training, eligible Family Caregivers can also access mental health
services and are provided health care insurance, if they are not already
entitled to care or services under a health plan.

Veterans may review the criteria for eligibility and download the Family
Caregiver program application (VA CG 10-10) at www.caregiver.va.gov.
The application enables the Veteran to designate a primary Family
Caregiver and secondary Family Caregivers if needed. Caregiver Support
Coordinators are stationed at every VA medical center to assist with
coordinating the training or assist Caregivers in locating available
services.

Support for all Caregivers is also available via the national Caregiver
Support Line at 1-855-260-3274. Caregivers of Veterans from all eras are
encouraged to use the Website and Support Line to learn about more than
two dozen supportive services VA offers to Family Caregivers.


VA Begins Implementation of Open Source Program

TIAG Selected to Build Custodial Agent



WASHINGTON (June 30, 2011)- The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
today announced that it has begun the implementation of an open source
community based on its electronic health record (EHR), selecting The
Informatics Applications Group (tiag) to create the Custodial Agent that
will serve as the community's central governing body. VA will contribute
its current EHR, known as VistA (Veterans Integrated System Technology
Architecture), to seed the open source effort.

"Our EHR is central to the quality of care we provide to Veterans," said
Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. "As we continually
advance the health care we deliver, so too must we advance the
capability of EHR software. Moving to an open source model invites
innovation from the public and private sectors. It is an important
element of our EHR collaboration with the Department of Defense and an
important part of our strategy to ensure that VA clinicians have the
best tools possible, and that Veterans receive the best health care
possible."

In April, VA announced its intent to establish a Custodial Agent (CA) to
serve as the central governing body for an open source community. The CA
will provide important communication, organizational, and administrative
functions that enable community members to share information and
software and to collaborate on the improvement and the use of EHR
systems. tiag, an innovative technology services company, has been
selected to design and launch the Custodial Agent.

"We have a tremendous opportunity to create the next generation of EHRs,
which is so important to our EHR collaboration with DoD and to many
current and future users of electronic health records," said VA Chief
Technology Officer Dr. Peter Levin. "In order to achieve the highest
level of utility and safety, we must engage as broad a base of EHR users
and developers as possible. We are working closely with tiag to design a
robust Custodial Agent that enables this level of community engagement."

VA expects the Custodial Agent to launch in August and to commence full
operation in the fall. For more information, see today's entry on VA's
VAntage Point blog (blogs.va.gov) and the Open Source EHR Custodial
Agent website (www.osehrca.org).