VA halts 45 IT projects totaling $200 million

The Department of Veterans Affairs said it is temporarily suspending 45 technology projects that are either behind schedule or over budget to see if they should be canceled or can be saved. The projects have a combined value of $200 million. One project was 17 months behind schedule and 110 percent more expensive than planned.

The VA said it intends to audit all the projects. Those that can get back on track will continue. Others will be dropped. The projects were identified as part of OMB's newly installed IT dashboard program, initiated by Federal CIO Vivek Kundra. The dashboard keeps an up-to-date view of the status of IT projects, tracking the performance of projects across the federal government.

VA Secretary Eric Shinseki recently ordered a review of the department's 300 IT projects, and said he wanted a heightened sense of accountability.

For more on the VA:
- see this techdailydose.nationaljournal.com article