WASHINGTON, D.C. – The 220,000 employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) will take part in an intense, one-day effort November 3 to highlight the need for computer security.
We need to bring to the computer age the same values and commitment that VA employees have always shown when it comes to protecting the confidentiality of information about our veterans, said Acting Secretary of Veterans Affairs Hershel W. Gober.
VA Information Security Stand Down events will include a closed-circuit broadcast to all VA facilities featuring Gober, Acting Deputy Secretary Ned Powell, plus VA experts on computer and Internet security. Gober is expected to announce that some VA senior managers will be rated on their performance of computer security issues as part of their annual evaluations.
Computer security needs to become embedded within the culture of VA, said Edward F. Meagher, special assistant for information technology to the Acting Secretary. Everyone within the department must take on a personal responsibility to safeguard electronic information.
Computerized information and the Internet are increasingly used by VA programs available to nearly 25 million veterans. A major initiative is underway to computerize the 150 million pieces of paper VA processes annually when veterans apply for disability compensation, pensions and other benefits. VA's 172 medical centers are turning to computerized patient records to document the care given to 3.6 million people every year.
