Veterans Affairs: Sustained Management Attention Needed to Address Numerous IT Challenges
Published: 2016-06-22T00:00:00

Fast Facts:

Highlights:
section_title: Why GAO Did This Study
paragraphs: VA relies on IT to meet its mission and effectively serve the nation's veterans. Over the past several years, the department has expended billions of dollars to manage and modernize its information systems. However, VA has experienced challenges in managing its IT, raising questions about the effectiveness of its IT operations. GAO has previously reported on a number of the department's IT initiatives.
This statement summarizes results from key GAO reports issued between 2010 and 2014 highlighting IT challenges that have contributed to GAO's designation of VA health care as a high risk area. It also describes additional challenges that GAO more recently identified in 2015 and 2016 that are related to increasing the electronic exchange of VA's health records with those of DOD, development and use of VBMS, and the department's modernization of its health care claims processing system.
section_title: What GAO Found
paragraphs: In February 2015, GAO designated Veterans Affairs (VA) health care as a high-risk area based on its concerns about the department's ability to ensure the quality and safety of veterans' health care in five broad areas, one of which was information technology (IT) challenges. Of particular concern at that time was the failed modernization of an outpatient appointment scheduling system, suspended development of a system that was to electronically store and retrieve information about surgical implants, and the extent of system interoperability—the ability to exchange information—with the Department of Defense (DOD), which present risks to the timeliness, quality, and safety of VA health care.
Subsequent to the designation of VA health care as high risk, GAO completed evaluations that identified additional IT management challenges at VA.
In August 2015, GAO reported on VA's efforts to achieve electronic health record interoperability with DOD and noted that (1) the two departments had engaged in several near-term efforts to expand interoperability and (2) VA and DOD had moved forward with plans to separately modernize their electronic health record systems. However, of significant concern was that VA (and DOD) had not identified outcome-oriented goals and metrics that would clearly define what it aims to achieve from its efforts. GAO recommended that VA develop goals and metrics, among other things. VA concurred with the recommendations and stated that it has initiated actions in response.
VA had made progress in developing and implementing its Veterans Benefits Management System (VBMS), with deployment of the initial version of the system. However, in September 2015, GAO reported that the development and implementation of the system was ongoing and noted three areas that could benefit from increased management attention: cost estimating, system availability, and system defects. The report also noted that VA had neither conducted a customer satisfaction survey nor developed goals for improving the system. GAO recommended that VA develop a plan with a time frame and a reliable cost estimate for completing VBMS, establish goals for system response time, minimize the incidences of high and medium severity system defects for future VBMS releases, assess user satisfaction, and establish satisfaction goals to promote improvement. VA agreed with the recommendations and noted steps it was taking to address them.
Due to recent increases in utilization of VA care in the community, the department has had difficulty processing claims in a timely manner. In May 2016, GAO reported that VA officials and claims processing staff indicated that IT limitations, manual processes, and staffing challenges had delayed claims processing. The department had implemented interim measures to address some of the system's challenges, but did not expect to deploy solutions to address all challenges, including those related to IT, until fiscal year 2018 or later. Further, VA did not have a sound plan for modernizing its claims processing system, which GAO recommended it develop. The department concurred with this recommendation and stated that it intended to address the recommendation through the planned consolidation of its care in the community programs.
section_title: What GAO Recommends
paragraphs: GAO has made numerous recommendations to VA to improve the modernization of its IT systems. Among other things, GAO has recommended that VA address challenges associated with its efforts to modernize its electronic health record system to increase interoperability with DOD, develop goals and metrics as a basis for determining the extent to which VA's and DOD's modernized electronic health records systems are achieving interoperability, address shortcomings with VBMS planning and implementation, and develop a sound written plan for deploying its modernized claims processing system. VA has concurred with these recommendations and has some actions ongoing.

section_title: Letter
paragraphs: I am pleased to be here today to testify on the Department of Veterans  Affairs’ (VA) efforts to modernize its information technology (IT). As you  know, the use of IT is crucial to helping VA effectively serve the nation’s  veterans and, each year, the department expends billions of dollars on its  information systems and assets.
However, over many years, VA has experienced challenges in managing  its IT resources, raising questions about the effectiveness of its IT  operations and its ability to deliver intended outcomes needed to help  advance the department’s mission. We have previously reported on a  number of the department’s IT initiatives.
As you requested, my testimony today summarizes results from a number  of our key reports issued between 2010 and 2014 highlighting IT  challenges that have contributed to our designation of VA health care as  a high-risk area. It also describes additional challenges that we more  recently identified in 2015 and 2016 that are related to increasing the  electronic exchange of VA’s health records with those of the Department  of Defense (DOD), development and use of the Veterans Benefits  Management System (VBMS), and the department’s modernization of its  health care claims processing system.
For this testimony, we relied on our body of work that led to our  designation of VA health care as a high risk area in 2015. In addition, we  relied on our more recent reports issued since the high risk designation.  We also obtained and reviewed information on the department’s actions  in response to our previous recommendations and the current status of IT  management activities. The reports cited throughout this statement  include detailed information on the scope and methodology for our  reviews. The work upon which this statement is based was conducted in  accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards.  Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain  sufficient, appropriate evidence to provide a reasonable basis for our  findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives. We believe that  the evidence obtained provides a reasonable basis for our findings and  conclusions based on our audit objectives.
subsections: section_title: Background
paragraphs: VA’s mission is to promote the health, welfare, and dignity of all veterans  in recognition of their service to the nation by ensuring that they receive  medical care, benefits, social support, and lasting memorials. It is the  second largest federal department and, in addition to its central office  located in Washington, D.C., has field offices throughout the United  States, as well as the U.S. territories and the Philippines.
The department’s three major components—the Veterans Benefits  Administration (VBA), the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), and the  National Cemetery Administration (NCA)—are primarily responsible for  carrying out its mission. More specifically, VBA provides a variety of  benefits to veterans and their families including disability compensation,  educational opportunities, assistance with home ownership, and life  insurance. VHA provides health care services, including primary care and  specialized care, and it performs research and development to improve  veterans’ needs. Lastly, NCA provides burial and memorial benefits to  veterans and their families.
Collectively, the three components rely on approximately 340,000  employees to provide services and benefits. These employees work in  167 VA medical centers, approximately 800 community-based outpatient  clinics, 300 veterans centers, 56 regional offices, and 131 national and 90  state or tribal cemeteries situated throughout the nation.
subsections: section_title: VA Relies Extensively on IT
paragraphs: The use of IT is critically important to VA’s efforts to provide benefits and  services to veterans. As such, the department operates and maintains an  IT infrastructure that is intended to provide the backbone necessary to  meet the day-to-day operational needs of its medical centers, veteran- facing systems, benefits delivery systems, memorial services, and all  other IT systems supporting the department’s mission. The infrastructure  is to provide for data storage, transmission, and communications  requirements necessary to ensure the delivery of reliable, available, and  responsive support to all VA staff offices and administration customers,  as well as veterans.
Toward this end, the department operates approximately 240 information  systems, manages 314,000 desktop computers and 30,000 laptops, and  administers nearly 460,000 network user accounts for employees and  contractors to facilitate providing benefits and health care to veterans.  These systems are used for the determination of benefits, benefits claims  processing, patient admission to hospitals and clinics, and access to  health records, among other services.
For example, VBA relies on VBMS to collect and store information such  as military service records, medical examinations, and treatment records  from VA, DOD, and private medical service providers. IT also is widely  used and critically important to supporting the department in delivering  health care to veterans. VHA’s systems provide capabilities to establish  and maintain electronic health records that health care providers and  other clinical staff use to view patient information in inpatient, outpatient,  and long-term care settings. Specifically, the Veterans Health Information  Systems and Technology Architecture, known as VistA, consists of many  computer applications and modules that collect, among other things,  information about a veteran’s demographics, allergies, procedures,  immunizations, and medical diagnoses.
However, a number of VA’s systems are old. For example, our recent  report on legacy systems used by federal agencies identified 2 of the  department’s systems as being over 50 years old and among the 10  oldest investments and/or systems that were reported by 12 selected  agencies.
Personnel and Accounting Integrated Data (PAID)—This 53-year old  system automates time and attendance for employees, timekeepers,  payroll, and supervisors. It is written in Common Business Oriented  Language (COBOL), a programming language developed in the late  1950s and early 1960s, and runs on IBM mainframes. VA plans to  replace PAID with a project called Human Resources Information  System Shared Service Center in 2017.
Benefits Delivery Network (BDN)—This 51-year old system tracks  claims filed by veterans for benefits, eligibility, and dates of death. It is  a suite of COBOL mainframe applications. VA has general plans to  roll the capabilities of BDN into another system, but there is no firm  date associated with this transition.
To address these obsolete systems that are in need of modernization or  replacement, we recommended that the Secretary of Veterans Affairs  direct the department’s Chief Information Officer (CIO) to identify and plan  to modernize or replace legacy systems, as needed, and consistent with  draft OMB guidance, including time frames, activities to be performed,  and functions to be replaced or enhanced. VA concurred with our  recommendation and stated that it is planning to retire PAID and BDN in  2017 and 2018, respectively.
In 2014, VA issued its 6-year strategic plan, which emphasizes the  department’s goal of increasing veterans’ access to benefits and services,  eliminating the disability claims backlog, and ending veteran  homelessness. According to the plan, the department intends to improve  access to benefits and services through the use of improved technology  to provide veterans with access to more effective care management. The  plan also calls for VA to eliminate the disability claims backlog by fully  implementing an electronic claims process that is intended to reduce  processing time and increase accuracy. Further, the department has an  initiative under way that provides services, such as health care, housing  assistance, and job training, to end veteran homelessness. Toward this  end, VA is working with other agencies, such as the Department of Health  and Human Services, to implement more coordinated data entry systems  to streamline and facilitate access to appropriate housing and services.
VA reported spending about $3.9 billion to improve and maintain its IT  resources in fiscal year 2015. Specifically, the department reported  spending approximately $548 million on new systems development  efforts, approximately $2.3 billion on maintaining existing systems, and  approximately $1 billion on payroll and administration. For fiscal year  2016, the department received appropriations of about $4.1 billion for IT.
Further, for fiscal year 2017, the department’s budget request included  nearly $4.3 billion for IT. The department requested approximately $471  million for new systems development efforts, approximately $2.5 billion for  maintaining existing systems, and approximately $1.3 billion for payroll  and administration. In addition, in its 2017 budget submission, the  department requested appropriations to make improvements in a number  of areas, including:  veterans’ access to health care, to include enhancing health care- related systems, standardizing immunization data, and expanding  telehealth services ($186.7 million);  veterans’ access to benefits by modernizing systems supporting  benefits delivery, such as VBMS and the Veterans Services Network  ($236.3 million);  veterans’ experiences with VA by focusing on integrated service  delivery and streamlined identification processes ($171.3 million);
VA employees’ experiences by enhancing internal IT systems ($13  information security, including implementing strong authentication,  ensuring repeatable processes and procedures, adopting modern  technology, and enhancing the detection of cyber vulnerabilities and  protection from cyber threats ($370.1 million).
section_title: VA’s CIO Has Initiated a Transformation of the IT Organization
paragraphs: VA’s CIO has recently initiated an effort to transform the focus and  functions of the Office of Information and Technology (OI&T), in  response to the Secretary’s goal of achieving a more veteran-focused  organization. The CIO’s transformation strategy, initiated in January 2016,  calls for OI&T to focus on stabilizing and streamlining processes,  mitigating weaknesses highlighted in GAO assessments, and improving  outcomes by institutionalizing a new set of IT management capabilities.
As part of this transformation, the CIO began transitioning the oversight  and accountability of IT projects to a new project management process  called the Veteran-focused Integration Process in January 2016, in an  effort to streamline systems development and the delivery of new IT  capabilities. The CIO also intends to establish five new functions within  OI&T:
The enterprise program management office is to serve as OI&T’s  portfolio management and project tracking organization.
The account management function is to be responsible for managing  the IT needs of VA’s major components.
The quality and compliance function is to be responsible for  establishing policy governance and standards and ensuring  adherence to them.
The data management organization is expected to improve both  service delivery and the veteran experience by engaging with data  stewards to ensure the accuracy and security of the information  collected by VA.
The strategic sourcing function is to be responsible for establishing an  approach to fulfilling the agency’s requirements with vendors that  provide solutions to those requirements, managing vendor selection,  tracking vendor performance and contract deliverables, and sharing  insights on new technologies and capabilities to improve the  workforce knowledge base.
According to the CIO, the transformation strategy is expected to be  completed by the first quarter of fiscal year 2017, although the vast  majority of the plan, including establishing the five new functions, is to be  executed by the end of fiscal year 2016.
section_title: IT Challenges Contributed to Designation of VA Health Care as High Risk
paragraphs: In February 2015, we designated VA health care as a high-risk area.  Among the five broad areas contributing to our determination was the  department’s IT challenges. Of particular concern was the failed  modernization of a system, suspended development of another system,  and the extent of system interoperability—the ability to exchange  information—with DOD, which present risks to the timeliness, quality, and  safety of VA health care.
We have reported on the department’s failed attempts to modernize its  outpatient appointment scheduling system, which is about 30 years old.  Among the problems cited by VA staff responsible for scheduling  appointments are that the system requires them to use commands  requiring many keystrokes and that it does not allow them to view multiple  screens at once. Schedulers must open and close multiple screens to  check a provider’s or a clinic’s full availability when scheduling a medical  appointment, which is time-consuming and can lead to errors.
In addition, we reported in May 2010 that after spending an estimated  $127 million over 9 years on its outpatient scheduling system project, VA  had not implemented any of the planned system’s capabilities and was  essentially starting over by beginning a new initiative to build or purchase  another scheduling system. We also noted that VA had not developed a  project plan or schedule for the new initiative, stating that it intended to do  so after determining whether to build or purchase the new application. We  recommended that the department take six actions to improve key  systems development and acquisition processes essential to the second  outpatient scheduling system effort. The department generally concurred  with our recommendations, but as of May 2016, had not addressed four  of the six recommendations.
Further, in January 2014, we reported that the inability to electronically  share data across facilities had led VA to suspend the development of a  system that would have allowed it to electronically store and retrieve  information about surgical implants (including tissue products) and the  veterans who receive them nationwide. Having this capability would be  particularly important in the event that a manufacturer or the Food and  Drug Administration ordered a recall on a medical device or tissue  product because of safety concerns. In the absence of a centralized  system, at the time of our report, VA clinicians tracked information about  implanted items using stand-alone systems or spreadsheets that were not  shared across VA facilities, which made it difficult for the department to  quickly determine which patients may have received an implant that was  subject to a safety recall.
Additionally, we reported in February 2014 that VA and DOD lacked  electronic health record systems that permit the efficient electronic  exchange of patient health information as military service members  transition from DOD to VA health care systems. Since 1998, VA and  DOD have undertaken a patchwork of initiatives intended to allow their  health information systems to exchange information and increase  interoperability. Among others, these have included initiatives to share  viewable data in existing (legacy) systems, link and share computable  data between the departments’ updated heath data repositories, and  jointly develop a single integrated system.
In March 2011, the secretaries of the two departments announced that  they would develop a new, joint integrated electronic health record  system (referred to as iEHR). This was intended to replace the  departments’ separate systems with a single common system, thus  sidestepping many of the challenges they had previously encountered in  trying to achieve interoperability. However, in February 2013, about 2  years after initiating iEHR, the secretaries announced that the  departments were abandoning plans to develop a joint system, due to  concerns about the program’s cost, schedule, and ability to meet  deadlines. The Interagency Program Office (IPO) reported spending  about $564 million on iEHR between October 2011 and June 2013.
In place of the iEHR initiative, VA stated that it would modernize VistA,  while DOD planned to buy a commercially available system. The  departments stated that they would ensure interoperability between these  updated systems, as well as with other public and private health care  providers. Our February 2014 report noted that the departments did not  substantiate their claims that it would be less expensive and faster than  developing a single, joint system. We have also noted that the  departments’ plans to modernize their two separate systems were  duplicative and stressed that their decisions should be justified by  comparing the costs and schedules of alternate approaches. We  therefore recommended that the departments should develop cost and  schedule estimates that would include all elements of their approach (i.e.,  modernizing both departments’ health information systems and  establishing interoperability between them) and compare them with  estimates of the cost and schedule for the single-system approach. If the  planned approach were projected to cost more or take longer, we  recommended that they provide a rationale for pursuing such an  approach.
VA and DOD agreed with our prior recommendations and stated that  initial comparison indicated that the current approach would be more cost  effective. However, as of June 2016, the departments have not provided  us with a comparison of the estimated costs of their current and previous  approaches. Moreover, with respect to their assertions that separate  systems could be achieved faster, both departments have developed  schedules that indicate their separate modernizations are not expected to  be completed until after the 2017 planned completion date for the  previous single-system approach.
section_title: Recent Evaluations Have Identified Additional IT Challenges
paragraphs: To further highlight the department’s IT challenges, our most recent report  in August 2015 on VA’s efforts to achieve electronic health record  interoperability with DOD noted that the departments have engaged in  several near-term efforts focused on expanding interoperability between  their existing electronic health record systems. For example, the  departments analyzed data related to 25 “domains” identified by the  Interagency Clinical Informatics Board and mapped health data in their  existing systems to standards identified by the IPO. The departments also  expanded the functionality of their Joint Legacy Viewer—a tool that allows  clinicians to view certain health care data from both departments in a  single interface.
In addition, VA and DOD have moved forward with plans to modernize  their respective electronic health record systems. For its part, VA has  developed a number of plans for its VistA modernization effort (known as  VistA Evolution), including an interoperability plan and a road map  describing functional capabilities to be deployed through fiscal year 2018.  According to the road map, the first set of capabilities was to be delivered  in September 2014, and was to include access to the Joint Legacy  Viewer, among other things. VA’s CIO has asserted that the department  has continued to improve VistA. However, the CIO also recently indicated  that the department is taking a step back in reconsidering how best to  meet VA’s future electronic health record system needs and has not  determined whether to modernize VistA or to replace it with an off-the- shelf system.
Nevertheless, a significant concern that we identified is that VA (and  DOD) had not identified outcome-oriented goals and metrics that would  more clearly define what they aim to achieve from their interoperability  efforts and the value and benefits these efforts are intended to yield. As  we have stressed in our prior work, assessing the performance of a  program should include measuring its outcomes in terms of the results of  products or services. In this case, such outcomes could include  improvements in the quality of health care or clinician satisfaction.  Establishing outcome-oriented goals and metrics is essential to  determining whether a program is delivering value.
In our August 2015 report, we stressed that using an effective outcome- based approach could provide VA with a more accurate picture of its  progress toward achieving interoperability with DOD and the value and  benefits generated. Accordingly, we recommended that the departments,  working with the IPO, establish a time frame for identifying outcome- oriented metrics, define related goals as a basis for determining the  extent to which the departments’ modernized electronic health record  systems are achieving interoperability, and update IPO guidance  accordingly. VA concurred with our recommendations and has told us that  it has initiated actions in response to them.
subsections: section_title: Efforts to Develop and Use the Veterans Benefits Management System Can Be Improved
paragraphs: In September 2015, we reported that VBA had made progress in  developing and implementing VBMS, its system that is to be used for  processing disability benefit claims. Specifically, it had deployed the  initial version of the system to all of its regional offices as of June 2013.  Further, after initial deployment, VBA continued developing and  implementing additional system functionality and enhancements to  support the electronic processing of disability compensation claims. As a  result, 95 percent of records related to veterans’ disability claims are  electronic and reside in the system.
Nevertheless, we found that VBMS was not able to fully support disability  and pension claims, as well as appeals processing. Specifically, while the  Under Secretary for Benefits stated in March 2013 that the development  of the system was expected to be completed in 2015, implementation of  functionality to fully support electronic claims processing was delayed  beyond 2015. In addition, VBA had not produced a plan that identified  when the system will be completed. Accordingly, holding VA management  accountable for meeting a time frame and for demonstrating progress  was difficult.
As VA continues its efforts to complete the development and  implementation of VBMS, we reported in September 2015 that three  areas could benefit from increased management attention.
Cost estimating: The program office did not have a reliable estimate of  the cost for completing the system. Without such an estimate, VA  management and the department’s stakeholders had a limited view of  the system’s future resource needs, and the program risked not  having sufficient funding to complete development and  implementation of the system.
System availability: Although VBA had improved its performance  regarding system availability to users, it had not established system  response time goals. Without such goals, users did not have an  expectation of the system response times they could anticipate and  management did not have an indication of how well the system  performs relative to performance goals.
System defects: While the program had actively managed system  defects, a recent system release included unresolved defects that  impacted system performance and users’ experiences. Continuing to  deploy releases with large numbers of defects that reduce system  functionality could adversely affect users’ ability to process disability  claims in an efficient manner.
We also found in our September 2015 report that VA had not conducted a  customer satisfaction survey that would allow the department to compile  data on how users view the system’s performance, and ultimately, to  develop goals for improving the system. GAO’s 2014 survey of VBMS  users found that a majority of them were satisfied with the system, but  decision review officers were considerably less satisfied. Although the  results of our survey provided VBA with data about users’ satisfaction  with VBMS, the absence of user satisfaction goals limited the utility of  survey results. Specifically, without having established goals to define  user satisfaction, VBA did not have a basis for gauging the success of its  efforts to promote satisfaction with the system, or for identifying areas  where its efforts to complete development and implementation of the  system might need attention.
In our September 2015 report, we recommended that VA develop a plan  with a time frame and a reliable cost estimate for completing VBMS,  establish goals for system response time, minimize the incidence of high  and medium severity system defects for future VBMS releases, assess  user satisfaction, and establish satisfaction goals to promote  improvement. As we stressed in our report, attention to these issues can  improve VA’s efforts to effectively complete the development and  implementation of VBMS. Fully addressing our recommendations, as VA  agreed to do, should help the department give appropriate attention to  these issues.
section_title: Modernization of Health Care Claims Processing System Requires Additional Planning to Ensure Weaknesses Are Addressed
paragraphs: As we reported in May 2016, VA’s expenditures for its care in the  community programs, the number of veterans for whom VA has  purchased care, and the number of claims processed by VHA have all  grown considerably in recent years. The substantial increase in  utilization of VA care in the community programs poses staffing and  workload challenges for VHA, which has had ongoing difficulty processing  claims from community providers in a timely manner.
VHA officials and staff at three of the four claims processing locations we  visited told us that limitations of the existing IT systems, including the Fee  Basis Claims System (FBCS) that VHA uses for claims processing, have  delayed processing and payment of claims for VA care in the community  services. Officials at the sites we visited described the following  limitations.
VHA cannot accept medical documentation electronically.
Authorizations for VA care in the community services are not always  readily available in FBCS.
FBCS cannot automatically adjudicate claims.
System weaknesses have delayed claims payments.
The officials we interviewed said that if the agency is to dramatically  improve its claims processing timeliness, comprehensive and  technologically advanced solutions must be developed and implemented,  such as modernizing and upgrading VHA’s existing claims processing  system or contracting out the claims processing function. In October  2015, VHA submitted a plan to address these issues as part of a broader  effort to consolidate VA care in the community programs. The agency  estimated that it would take at least 2 years to implement solutions that  would fully address all of the challenges now faced by its claims  processing staff and by providers of VA care in the community services.
However, VHA has not yet provided to Congress or other external  stakeholders a plan for modernizing its claims processing system. In  particular, VHA has not provided (1) a detailed schedule for developing  and implementing each aspect of its new claims processing system; (2)  the estimated costs for developing and implementing each aspect of the  system; and (3) performance goals, measures, and interim milestones  that VHA will use to evaluate progress, hold staff accountable for  achieving desired results, and report to stakeholders the agency’s  progress in modernizing its claims processing system.
That VHA has not yet provided a detailed plan but has stated that it  expects to deploy a modernized claims processing system as early as  fiscal year 2018 is cause for concern. Thus, to help provide reasonable  assurance that VHA achieves its long-term goal of modernizing its claims  processing system, we recommended in May 2016 that the Secretary of  Veterans Affairs direct the Under Secretary for Health to ensure that the  agency develops a sound written plan that includes: a detailed schedule for when VHA intends to complete development  and implementation of each major aspect of its new claims processing  system;  the estimated costs for implementing each major aspect of the  system; and  the performance goals, measures, and interim milestones that VHA  will use to evaluate progress, hold staff accountable for achieving  desired results, and report to stakeholders the agency’s progress in  modernizing its claims processing system.
The department concurred with our recommendation and said that VHA  plans to address the recommendation when the agency develops an  implementation strategy for the future consolidation of its VA care in the  community programs.
In conclusion, effective IT management is critical to the performance of  VA’s mission. The department faces challenges in key areas, including  the development of new systems, modernization of existing systems, and  increasing interoperability with DOD. While we recognize that the  transformation of VA’s IT organization is intended, among other things, to  mitigate the IT weaknesses we have identified, sustained management  attention and organizational commitment will be essential to ensuring that  the transformation is successful and that the weaknesses are fully  addressed.
Chairman Isakson, Ranking Member Blumenthal, and Members of the  Committee, this completes my prepared statement. I would be pleased to  respond to any questions that you may have.
section_title: GAO Contact and Staff Acknowledgments
paragraphs: If you or your staff have any questions about this testimony, please  contact Valerie C. Melvin at (202) 512-6304 or melvinv@gao.gov. Contact  points for our Offices of Congressional Relations and Public Affairs may  be found on the last page of this testimony statement. GAO staff who  made key contributions to this statement are Mark T. Bird (Assistant  Director), Jennifer Stavros-Turner (Analyst in Charge), Kara Epperson,  Rebecca Eyler, and Jacqueline Mai.
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