VA: Web 2.0 will lead to better management

The Veterans Affairs Department will be developing Internet applications to replace non-electronic processes, as well as implementing social networking programs and cloud computing, according to Nextgov.com.

Among the most important of these projects is the Virtual Lifetime Electronic Record initiative, which will facilitate the flow of medical records between the Defense and VA Departments through a joint electronic health record system, an effort endorsed by President Obama in April. According the Nextgov.com article, the first step of the VLER production has already been completed, after the Defense and Veterans Affairs departments made their computers interoperable.

A separate initiative involves the use of social networking to more efficiently catalog and reduce backlog of benefits claims filed by veterans. The department has used advice solicited from employees through an internal website, and has so far received about 3,000 suggestions for improved processing. Online options are also being considered for a more efficient enrollment process for veterans, as the current enrollment time is about 75 minutes, according to Roger Baker, assistant secretary for information and technology at VA.

"This is what social networking is all about--how do we get the organization to help improve itself," Baker said to Nextgov.com about such initiatives.

The use of cloud computing, or the storage and sharing of software applications over the Internet rather than through in-house computer servers, was another innovation cited by Baker.

For the more on this initiative:
- read this Nextgov.com article

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