FederalDaily - August 9, 2006

More VA Data Missing

A computer containing sensitive personal information on as many as 38,000 patients has disappeared from the offices of a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) subcontractor, the VA said in a release Aug. 7. VA believes that the missing desktop computer may contain the personal files of 5,000 patients treated in Philadelphia, approximately 31,000 patients treated in Pittsburgh, Pa., and 2,000 deceased patients. Information such as patients’ names, addresses, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, insurance carriers, billing information, dates of military service and claims data may have been stored in the files. Unisys Corp., which was hired to assist in insurance collections for VA’s medical centers in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, notified VA on Aug. 3 that a computer was missing from its Reston, Va., offices. The VA’s Office of Inspector General, the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security’s Computer Emergency Response Team are investigating the matter.

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Many in Acquisition Workforce Nearing Retirement Age

The Federal Acquisition Institute (FAI) announced Aug. 7 that more than half of the federal acquisition workforce will be eligible for retirement in less than 10 years. Data compiled in the organization’s Annual Report of the Federal Acquisition Workforce show that 45 was the average age of internal hires for FY 2005, and that the number of supervisors and managers increased between FY 2004 and FY 2005. FAI, which provides training to federal acquisition personnel, organized the data by grade and education and employment level to highlight trends in the acquisition workforce, which includes occupations such as contracting, property disposal, purchasing, procurement clerical assistance, property management and other areas. The report revealed that “54 percent of contracting professionals are eligible to retire in 2015,” according FAI director Karen Pica.

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Army FCS Modernization Program Faces Challenges

The Army’s Future Combat Systems (FCS) program – a major modernization effort that seeks to develop and purchase lighter, more easily deployable vehicles for its heavy forces – is facing growing financial and logistical obstacles, according to a new report published by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). The report, entitled “The Army’s Future Combat Systems Program and Alternatives,” concludes that the program “must surmount substantial technical and funding challenges if it is to develop and initially field all of the individual FCS components as currently scheduled – that is, by December 2014.” The report said any reduction in the procurement rate for the project also would force the Army to keep its aging armored vehicles in service longer, and at greater expense. CBO also said that if the Army’s original annual cost estimates grow as others have for past programs, annual costs to buy FCS components could grow from the originally projected $10 billion a year to $16 billion. In addition, CBO said, if the Army sticks to its current schedule for fielding FCS vehicles, it could need an additional $1 billion or more a year from 2010 through 2016 to maintain its aging fleet of ground combat vehicles. For more, go to: www.cbo.gov/showdoc.cfm?index=7461&sequence=0.

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