The VA is the second-largest federal department and employs more than 340,000 individuals in a nationwide network of 144 medical centers, 1,203 community-based outpatient clinics, 300 vet centers and 56 regional offices. The VA also oversees a network of cemeteries, 131 of them national and 90 of them state or tribal. The VA administers its work through three major organizations: the Veterans Health Administration, the Veterans Benefits Administration and the National Cemetery Administration Services. The Department of Veterans Affairs’ budget for fiscal 2018 is over $185 billion.
The assistant secretary oversees and manages the day-to-day activities of more than 8,000 employees, and an additional 8,000 contractor personnel, as well as a fiscal 2017 budget of approximately $4 billion.
The following officials report to the assistant secretary for information technology:
• Principal deputy assistant secretary and deputy CIO
• Deputy assistant secretary, Data Management Office
• Deputy assistant secretary, Enterprise Program Management Office
• Deputy assistant secretary for information technology resource management
• Deputy assistant secretary for information security
• Deputy chief information officer for architecture, strategy and design
• Deputy chief information officer for customer advocacy
• Deputy chief information officer for information technology operations and services
• Deputy director, DOD/VA Interagency Program Office
• Deputy director, Office of Quality, Privacy and Risk
• Deputy CIO account manager for corporate
• Deputy CIO account manager for health
• Deputy CIO account manager for benefits
The primary responsibilities of the assistant secretary for information and technology is to exercise management of the department’s information technology (IT) assets and resources and ensure technology services are provided across the department so employees can carry out their mission to support veterans and their families.
The OIT operates engineering, data center and field operations at more than 2,000 locations worldwide 24 hours a day, seven days a week to support the department’s one million technology devices, from printers and conference lines to laptops, medical devices, servers and leading-edge technologies that connect veterans to care.
Under the direction of the assistant secretary, the OIT:
• Exercises management of all IT resources, direction of financial and IT asset management and policies, and strategic planning activities
• Advises the secretary and deputy secretary of IT on resource requirements
• Develops and maintains the VA Enterprise Architecture
• Exercises stewardship of resources and maintains transparent operations
• Ensures the privacy, security, confidentiality, integrity, protection and availability of information and information systems infrastructure
• Conducts analysis and evaluation of a variety of IT programs, processes, functions and facilities
• Monitors performance measures and metrics related to the full range of IT program responsibilities and strategic objectives
• Anticipates, identifies, prioritizes, manages and monitors enterprise risks and provides assurance regarding the achievement of IT objectives
• Provides a framework of strategies, architecture, policies, procedures, guidance, processes and governance to ensure that IT programs and projects are designed and executed to satisfy the department’s current and future business needs and increase operating efficiency
• Leads a combined VA and Department of Defense effort to identify, adopt and, where necessary, assist in the development of national and international health data standards that allow for full information interoperability between the departments
• Works across the VA to identify and facilitate the resolution of any IT issues relating to VA mission support