Management

VA hopes new antifraud tools will help veterans identify, report common scams

Veterans lost $350 million in scams targeting former service members in 2023, according to a government report.

Tech

VA launches a new platform to help veterans identify and report scams

Scammers have increasingly targeted veterans and their beneficiaries, particularly after the PACT Act expanded benefits and health services for retired service members.

Defense

DARPA hires Twitter whistleblower to serve as its CIO

Peiter “Mudge” Zatko — the former security head of then-Twitter who alleged that the platform was overlooking critical security flaws — will be returning to DARPA after almost a decade away in the private sector.

News

VA launches revamped burn pit registry with automatic enrollment

The upgraded database of veterans exposed to toxic pollutants and trash burn pits came after “extensive feedback” showed the platform was difficult for many retired service members to navigate.

Tech

Congressional agencies report progress on AI adoption

The House Administration Committee said in the new report that it is also focused “on applying the House’s AI guardrails to the acquisitions process.”

Tech

Treasury’s funding request for IRS cloud tech far outpaces other civilian agencies, report says

Treasury’s request is the largest out of a combined federal civilian total of almost $9 billion for cloud-related programs in their fiscal year 2025 IT budget requests.

Tech

HHS reorg seeks to streamline tech and cyber policy

A new assistant secretary post will consolidate management of technology, data, AI and health IT.

Management

Cost overruns and delays plague VA’s new integrated financial management system

The rollout of VA’s modernized financial management and acquisition system has been affected by delays in the department’s new electronic health record system, since “multiple deployments” depend on the EHR’s launch at medical facilities.

Tech

VA’s planned restart of its electronic health record system rollouts draws lawmaker concern

“I think we are far from ready to endorse further go-live activities,” Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Fla., said about VA’s plan to resume deployments in fiscal year 2025.

Tech

Biden looks to preserve his tech and cyber legacy with veto threat

Experts see continuity in tech policy from the Biden administration to a possible Kamala Harris presidency, with possible divergence on some national security and antitrust issues.

Tech

White House details almost $100M investment to boost tech hiring

Arati Prabhakar, the director of the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy, said the government’s adoption of emerging capabilities “hinges on getting terrific people to come do this work.”

Management

Diverting TSA funds harms deployment of new tech, lawmakers warn

A bill to keep all 9/11 security fee collections at TSA would help the agency more quickly deploy facial recognition capabilities, but its supporters say privacy still needs to be prioritized.

Tech

Lawmakers want VA to report on its use of automation to process benefits claims

The legislative proposal seeks to enhance VA’s adoption of new technologies, including providing lawmakers with “a timeline for modifying and implementing the use of such automation tools” in the benefits claims process.

Workforce

DHS hires its initial cohort of 10 to join its AI Corps

The Homeland Security Department’s AI Corps is designed to deploy tech-savvy experts across its operations to drive the adoption of AI capabilities within its various mission areas.

Management

Lawmakers press VA to report on the delays in its burn pit registry revamp

An October 2022 report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine said VA should “initiate a new phase” of its Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry to make it “a user-friendly, efficient and effective resource.”

Tech

Biden nominates a new director for the Defense Information Systems Agency

Maj. Gen. Paul Stanton, who currently leads the Army’s Cyber Center of Excellence, has been picked to replace Air Force Lt. Gen. Robert Skinner.

Tech

House panel advances bill to study TSA’s embrace of digital IDs

Travelers from nine states can now use mobile driver’s licenses to verify their identities at 27 U.S. airports.

Tech

Lawmakers look to restore TSA funding to speed screening tech deployment

The measure is one of three bipartisan proposals rolled out this week that seek to bolster funding for TSA’s deployment of new technologies and to limit invasive pat-downs of travelers.

Tech

HHS launches an online tool to identify communities hit hardest by extreme heat

The heat and health index tool provides zip code level data to flag neighborhoods that are the most at risk of experiencing harmful health outcomes as a result of high temperatures.

Management

VA's tech training program for vets is up for renewal, but backers want more accountability

A provision in a recently introduced legislative package would extend VA’s VET-TEC training program through September 2026 while seeking to address employment disparities.