...for as long as it takes
Washington, D.C. -- The Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA),
Togo D. West Jr., announced today that VA has completed the
Year 2000 renovation of its entire mission critical computer
software applications, including all payment-related applications
and applications supporting health care.
In its regular report to the Office of Management and Budget, VA
also noted 97% of these applications have been implemented into
production and are successfully processing Year 2000 dates. VA
has implemented applications support for health care,
compensation and pension, insurance, vocational rehabilitation,
education, loan guaranty, financial management, personnel and
national cemeteries and corporate administrative functions.
Said Secretary West, "This is a major step that will ensure our
nation's veterans will continue to receive their benefits on time and
the highest quality of health care in the Year 2000."
According to Harold F. Gracey, Acting Assistant Secretary for
Information and Technology, while VA is on track to resolve
Year 2000 problems, the department is taking the additional step
of developing business continuity and contingency plans to reduce
risks due to other potential Year 2000 interruptions, such as loss
of power supplies, water and telecommunications. These plans
will ensure that VA's critical core business processes, benefits
delivery and health care, will continue in the event other potential
Year 2000 interruptions do occur, Gracey added.
VA has completed business continuity and contingency plans for
benefits delivery. Similar plans will be in place in each medical
center by April 1999.
In addition to completing the Year 2000 renovation of software
applications, regular recurring benefit payments, including
compensation and pension, most education programs, vocational
rehabilitation, Restored Entitlement Program for Survivors, and
those for Vietnam veterans' children with spina bifida, will be
posted to beneficiaries' accounts and be available on the morning
of December 30, 1999. Early posting of these payments should
"greatly relieve" any fear veterans may have about Year 2000
interruptions of benefit payments, Gracey said.
VA has renovated 100 percent of more than 300 applications
supporting 11 mission critical system areas reflecting VA business
functions, including compensation and pension, loan guaranty,
insurance, and medical computer and corporate administration
systems. The department also has validated (tested) 99 percent
and has implemented into production 97 percent of the
applications.
Renovation, which concerns the modification of an application to
make it Year 2000 compliant, is the second of a simultaneous
four-phase program VA has undertaken to resolve Year 2000
problems. The third phase validates new or changed code for
date handling and functionality.
The implementation of all applications (the fourth phase) into
production is scheduled by March 1999. VA completed the first
phase, known as assessment, in January 1998.
VA has also completed implementation and closed out seven of
the 11 mission critical areas: compensation and pension,
insurance, vocational rehabilitation, administrative, financial
management, personnel and National Cemetery Administration.
The other four are VistA (health care IT system), education
programs, corporate system and loan guaranty.
Sent in by Veterans News and Information Services
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