The Veterans Administration has a history of problems, including neglect of patients and computer systems that don’t communicate with each other.
Indiana Congressman Frank Mrvan is on a House subcommittee that’s working to help fix that problem.
“Accurate and complete data is extremely important to ensure we are investing in resources that our veterans need and that all veterans are accounted for,” said Mrvan, in a virtual meeting of that subcommittee this week.
During that meeting a new head of technology for the VA was introduced. Mrvan pointed out that one of the problems with the plan to build a new information technology plan has been that technology heads at the VA don’t stick around. The last one was there for 17 months.
“VA has historically been challenged to manage IT programs,” he acknowledged.
Updates that are planned include the electronic health record and supply programs, part of a long-term modernization plan that could help veterans by keeping more complete information on them, to help ensure that they don’t slip through the cracks, along with their health care.
4 comments
This congressman will spend more money and not fix the problem. It cannot be fixed. Incompetent people within the VA bureaucracy will make sure the gravy train never ends for them. Trump tried but until there is a wholesale reform nothing will happen.
The government as a whole has problems with consistent leadership in IT. It’s what caused the Baltimore ransomware incident (among many others) and it has made a patchwork mess of things. When you get new leadership every 4 years, it’s hard to chart a course that will take years to come to fruition and the next guy can just scrap it all and go in a new direction anyway (and that happens all the time).
Funny thing about government: it never polices itself like it will do to private citizens…
Supervisers/ management work their position until their time in grade is complete, then move up. Its a constant flurry of changes and no consistency with replacement managers. Lower grade employees basically do what they want with no accountability.
The VA healthcare system needs to prioritize cleaning house of lazy, incompetent, un-caring, and rude employees! Its no secret that employees know that after their 1 year probation period, its virtually impossible for them to be fired. They cant hire or keep good providers who actually care. I dont care about IT issues. Without a staff that cares, other issues should take a back seat! Go to one of the big VA medical center hospitals and just wander around, watching employees.