PAYDIRT: MyCareer@VA Part Of $12bil IT Project
As part of a $12bil IT project, SRA International is set to operate and maintain the Department Veterans Affairs jobs platform called MyCareer@VA. I wonder how much they are charging Uncle Sam for the website?
The MyCareer@VA program falls under the VA Transformation Twenty-One Total Technology (T4) IDIQ and cost American taxpayers a whopping $12 billion. In addition to MyCareer@VA, SRA also manages the VA Learning University responsible for VA employee training.
Isn’t it interesting how quickly VA hands out billions in contracts without a peep, while anti-veteran Chickenhaws slam programs that directly impact veterans?
RELATED: Senator Called Veterans Choice Fix A ‘Blank Check’ Entitlement
In light of how many tasks and projects VA outsources, what do you think VA actually does? Last year VA’s budget was around $150 billion with $100 going to government contractors. Some are starting wonder what VA actually does anymore.
As for the SRA MyCareer@VA project, I have no doubt VA employees will benefit from enhanced user experiences created by the company. Yet, the more VA outsources, the less institutional knowledge and experience VA employees have within the agency. The more these qualities are diminished, the more the agency becomes dependent on government contractors.
Yesterday, a press release explained the program as follows:
MyCareer@VA is a multifaceted online program run by the VA Learning University that creatively integrates career exploration, self-assessment, and a suite of career development tools to help individuals and VA employees manage their careers, explore career opportunities within the VA, and directly apply for VA jobs. Under the terms of the task order, SRA will operate and maintain the MyCareer@VA website and program, including refreshing website content, data, and web-based training courses. SRA will also develop new web-based training courses and materials for MyCareer@VA, support partnering with other agencies to create customized sub-sites for them, and provide overall marketing for the program.
I remember being charged a couple thousand for someone to build this website. Any guess how much VA paid SRA to make MyCareer@VA?
CONGRES @ US TAX PAYERS JUST DECLARE THE VA DC HQ A FEDERAL RICO CRIME RACKET @ SHUT THS NASTY FAT UGLY VA PIG DOWN !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
McDonald has all kind’s of enterprising ideas: for his millionaire and billionaire buddies. They should make a killing off of Uncle Sam and it’s handicapped Veterans. Where do we shop for good VA attorneys?
here’s an article I just found on an Oakland whistlebower:
https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Investigator-says-Oakland-VA-office-sat-on-claims-6217578.php#photo-7855203
So for $12 billion, do you suppose this web site will have training on Whistle blower rights and protection? Will it have training on reporting a complaint to the IG? Will it have training on harassment in the workplace from inept managers?
They will spend Billion$ to train the VA employees to hit the *DELETE BUTTON* and how to place multi-colored FLAGS on Veteran’s files…nothing more, nothing less.
I guess the VA is NOT going to use Sec. McDonald’s “Disney Model” after all? Or, is THAT yet more Billion$ at a future time?
This expenditure at a time of supposedly being under auspices of “Sequester”, is an outrage. Something tells me that only a FEW Already VERY RICH people that happen to own these sub-contractor companies are the only winners here.
It will FAIL like anything ESLE has with the VA and anything regarding IT. What’s that definition of insanity again…again….again…again?
How many BILLION$ has the VA already squandered at least twice on attempting to have all the VA/DOD records made electronic in past failed recent projects?
Is kind of like during The Cold War when audits would find $100,000. toilet seat for Air Force One?
I smell lots of rats and even the rats smell more rats.
And, now, for something completely different: how about an informal survey. Let’s say a vet gets falsely arrested by VA Police, gets a ticket for $275 in the process, then gets put on a list to be escorted by Police at all VA facilities and barred from their local Clinic. Then, when challenged by that vet’s Congressman’s staff and a VA Administrative Director about the whole thing, the VA Police apologize in writing, but quietly leave the Police escort flag in place out of spite. Is that a newsworthy story? Just a question. Please vote yes or no if you would like to hear the whole story, because this happened to me and my wife. There was more drama today on it, the Patient Advocate came out to the street across from the Clinic, at her suggestion, to get the paperwork the VA Cops dumped on us. It goes on and one, lots more details. Would you want are fearless leader, and I mean that, Ben Krause, to investigate and do a story on this?
Where do you live? You can contact the local newspapers or TV stations and tell them you are a disabled vet being falsely ticketed and harassed by the VA, that they apologized in writing but are still continuing that harassment by leaving the flag in place. A local newspaper or TV might be interested if you give them enough details to show you have proof of what is occurring.
Bruce Wallace, almost same thing happened to me. A complaint was filed against me and when I tried to get the police report it was never provided. This was to protect a CNA who was doing drugs, stealing veterans money and being rude and provoking veterans such as my husband into agitation and nothing was done about it and we did not ever get the police report. No record of it.
I say get a cheap and SMALL portable digital recorder and hide it well and document these events and contact your local media TV and Newspaper and if no luck there, directly contact the various big main stream news networks. This would require having something already CONCISELY written of events, and EVIDENCE so it does not end up at a VA brick wall of no accountability again.
I think the IT Program comes with unlimited Starbucks refills for life and all the $12 muffins you can eat, for VA staff.
Just the fact there’s the outrageously expensive Starbucks IN THE VA, when you all know that it’s NOT we Veterans that throw money away there (and I love my coffee), NO…it’s for the damn VA employees whom YOU ALWAYS SEE IN LINE there, which always made me wonder how many Veterans are left sitting in a waiting room because LaTishya wants her Starbucks and a smoke break….infuriates me every time I see the Starbucks there but YET, my brand new VA could and would not put an Infectious Disease Specialty Clinic, sending people on a VA Van for 70 miles instead, but yet, we HAVE A DAMN STARBUCKS! Remember when it was a HUGE coffee percolator and IT WAS FREE? Wonder how much the VA pays Starbucks to be there, because in crazy VA Speak, it would only make sense if VA was paying millions or billions for Starbucks and $12. muffins…all for our troops of course…errr…employees, I mean.
Rant over…it really does enrage me, all his hypocrisy.
This talk about contractor spending made me dig into the guy that did my last C & P. The “Opinion required to be signed by Examiner ” heading was ignored. The fellow that examined me was not listed, but the signer was registered in three states of which California was not one of them. I smelled a rat, and after checking, found the signer bragged on his C.V. that he had done over 2500 C & P Exams over an eight year period from the time of his residency.
He used the same references on my exam opinions, a BVA decision and a Medscape article, to support conclusions on four entirely different conditions.
Lucky for me, Ben lead me to get the exams and review them, after which I showed a VA doctor that treats me. He has agreed to file a complaint and to assist me by writing a rebuttal at my next appointment.
My point being, if Billions go to guys like that, some are getting fat off of the VA, cutting and pasting garbage, hurting vets in the process.
Must be “who you know”, not if you know anything.
I think I will retire and help Ben strike some fear of God into a few of these people. I can imagine how many of our fellow brothers and sisters are being excluded from what they have earned, only because no one wants to hold anyone accountable.
Need a forensic specialist Ben?
Bluewater Troubleshooter, you know it is always worth checking. The doctor that came to our house and slandered, defamed and vilified me in our home is believed to be a contractor. I checked and could not fine her listed as an employee for the VA. But that Director of the Fayetteville, NC VAMC, took her word for everything and denied both my husband and me benefits. My husband was denied benefits he had been approved for and was on the “wait list” for almost a year. So you have independent contractors working as doctors and mopping up on funds but denying veterans. We are all getting %$&*%% big time and many people in the loop are getting big payoffs.
They need to be fixing HealtheVet & eBenefits (“Some visitors may experience sporadic problems while using My HealtheVet. If a page does not load correctly, try refreshing the page by pressing F5. If you need to refill a VA prescription, please contact the VA Pharmacy at your local VA Medical Center. We apologize for any inconvenience.”) instead of worrying about a new website ro VA employees that treat most of us with disdain and utter disrespect. I have been having issues with both sites and I called the HealtheVet “tech support” and was basically told I was stupid for not using Internet Explorer & when I told him I was on a new Macbook Pro and IE is not an option he just reiterated in a hateful tone that the websites only work with Internet Explorer. Which, I know is false, since I have had no issues with accessing HealtheVet or eBenefits with Safari or Chrome. He hung up on me as I heard him mutter that I was an idiot!
That is so infuriating. How many veterans have given up on using the site, or the VA because of his attitude? If you know the date and time when this happened, I would call them again and ask to speak to a supervisor, get his name, then explain to the supervisor I was contacting the IG, McDonald and the House and Senate VA Committees over the abuse from someone who should be helping vets. A supervisor should be able to narrow down who was on duty on the date and time you called them, and there should likely be logs of their public contacts. I despise hacks like this who have the attitude that you are interrupting their friggin Solitaire game or watching TV.
Ben, I see this all the time.
I as a disabled veteran have tried to become a veteran own small business. They turned me down all the while I was awaiting a decision on a VA contract. But then I learned we were like very close to winning but it was awarded to someone else. Then we learned they had awarded the contract to someone who was not even a veteran owned small business and not a veteran. That solicitation was pulled and we never heard anything else. Then I received the denial on my company becoming a Service Connected Veteran Owned Small Business. It was a simple administrative error that could have been easily rectified. But I had to start the entire process all over again. I never did. Contractors were looking at the veteran’s applications and determining who qualified.
So contractors, especially the larger ones can get any of the VA contracts even if they do not have the past performance to qualify.
But again, we cannot get the benefits we are entitled to. Really? What is up with that?
To me this is about systemic fraud and corruption through and through our government. and when another program is invented, it’s just another cash cow to bilk Americans out of their tax money while lying to them. Once you are no longer productive in the crooks terms. It’s a parasitic system that those who control the insurance money or any other money to just have the ability to steal and injured or ill or those who were married to those who died are the targets., NEVER ENDING ATM machines
We need another FOURTH OF JULY march in D.C., BUT this time with the microphone on. Those who create these problems have disenfranchised too many for far too long. Making money off those who went into the service for the rest of us, is diabolical. .
With every vet I’ve spoken to and there are many, don’t have much good to say about any of it. I’m ashamed of those who claim to care about our vets but make life worse for them. Something wrong with the whole picture here. And the those of us outside of the vets aren’t getting treated much better either. Many of us lost a lot, even though we worked really hard and that is not coincidence..
I call it the American Ream.
I’ve got an idea for those WHO want to spend money on programs for the vets. HOW ABOUT THE 12 BILLION go to TRAINING VETS TO RUN THE VA.? AND actually with all of their previous training with real efficiency(less tax dollars spent on or with excessive rule making & changing) with experience in how the VA regs work and provide our vets who know what it is like to give real attention & care to each other.
THE VETS RUNNING THE VETS!
AND stantheman,. it’s “folks” like you who give humans a bad name. Is IT red blood cells running through your veins or is IT ice water?
AND as for SESSIONS is concerned, anyone who thinks the KKK is all right, is missing the human GNOME, just as those in the KKK..
Sessions is a creep who makes my skin crawl. Sadly for us though, there’s plenty more just like him in politics. I have to think about the Neanderthal mentality of the man who once stated he thought the KKK were okay!
Just more typical waste of taxpayers money. Meanwhile, veterans are still being placed on waiting lists for medical care just so the VA Exec’s can go on getting big bonuses every year. Veterans are always placed at the bottom of the Totem Pole. Veterans are meaningless to the bureaucrats and the politicians. They look on us as a liability and excess baggage that they would like to be rid of!
Just disgusting waste. Hey Sessions, here is something to complain about. $12 freaking BILLION for a web site? For VA careers? That is what USAJobs is for, and every VA employee can rest assured their career is safe as long as VA management will cover up your mistakes, move you elsewhere and give you a promotion. Training? It costs $12B to post a YouTube video? I understand medical professionals need continuing education, but VA employees cannot even get educated on and follow their own policies let alone doing their jobs. Seems the contractor is politically connected, and vets will be the losers once again.
Technically I think the project includes many other things beyond just that website. But I am curious how much VA has and will spend for the website over the next few years…
I don’t doubt that it does Ben, it’s just frustrating to see such a huge amount of money spent on this while the VA and Congress were trying, and continue to try, killing the Choice program. Its frustrating seeing huge amounts of money wasted on many VA boondoggles like the new Denver hospital while vets wait many months for a claim to be approved. I understand projects have to be completed, but priorities seem screwed up badly.
From an IT standpoint the website would require a greater amount of programing then the Obama Care Website. Cost est. for the that website are stated to be over $2 billion by Bloomberg New Service.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2014-09-24/obamacare-website-costs-exceed-2-billion-study-finds
@Jade Helm 15-
There’s a HUGE difference between $2 BILLION and $12 BILLION. A BILLION DOLLARS is already a really hard number to run through one’s brain, let alone Trillions, but these day, the BILLION NUMBER is tossed around so casually, when Disabled Veterans only wish to receive an infinitesimal amount that makes this recent IT Project a VA Trainwreck waiting to happen, or is a RUSE for $ being TAKEN for CHOICE PROGRAM and funneled to their OWN USE…again.
Remember the BILLION$ the VA squandered TWICE, AT LEAST, ON CONTRACTORS TO DIGITIZE ALL VA/DOD RECORDS???
From a Great Talking Heads song, from “Stop Making Sense”, [“Same as it always was….same as it ALWAYS WAS…”]
I smell a HUGE RAT…on the heals of yesterday’s Sen. Sessions’ hate-speak towards “veteran Entitlement such as Choice Program”…I have an entitled boot for his arse!
The rat I smell is hypocrisy and wasted opportunities.