va response

8/4/2019 VA Response

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DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRSASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR MANAGEMENT

WASHINGTON DC 20420APR 15 2011

The Honorable Darrell E. IssaChairmanCommittee on Oversight and Government ReformU.S. House of RepresentativesWashington, DC 20515Dear Mr. Chairman:

The Committee has requested information from the Department of VeteransAffairs (VA) regarding electronic systems that support business and accountingfunctions, grants and loans management, contracts management, and reporting togovernment-wide systems such as USAspending.gov and Recovery.gov. Theenclosed responses address the Committee's request.

If you need additional information, please contact me at (202) 461-6600 or yourstaff may call Mr. Edward J. Murray, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Finance, at (202)461-6180. Similar letters are being sent to the other co-signers of your letter.Sincerely yours,

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DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS (VA)Response to Requests fo r Information on Electronic Systems Used at VAThe Honorable Darrell IssaChairman, Committee on Oversight and Government Reform1. Identify and briefly describe each of your agency's business and accountingsystems. If separate divisions, bureaus, or offices of your agency use separatesystems, identify which divisions, bureaus, or offices use each system.Response:The Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) core financial management system has over 50interfaces. To respond in the allotted timeframe, VA is limiting the scope of ourresponses to our major systems, which in total are responsible for approximately 85percent of outlays.

a. The Financial Management System (FMS) manages the disbursement andcollection systems and provides central accounting and financial reporting. FMS is thecore accounting system used by VA.b. Personnel and Accounting Integrated Data (PAID) is VA's legacy HumanResources system and was VA's legacy Payroll system prior to conversion to theDefense Finance and Accounting System (DFAS) for payroll services. PAID is used byall of VA.c. Integrated Funds Distribution, Control Point Activity, Accounting andProcurement (IFCAP) is a legacy small purchasing application used to initiateprocurements. IFCAP is used by all of VA except for the Veterans Benefits

Administration (VBA).d. The Insurance General Ledger System (IGLS) is used to manage life insurancepolicies for VA's Insurance Center in Philadelphia and the Office of Servicemembers'Group Life Insurance in Roseland, New Jersey. The life insurance system is used byVBA and includes Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance, Veterans' Group LifeInsurance, United States Government Life Insurance, National Service Life Insurance,Veterans' Special Life Insurance, Veterans' Reopened Insurance, Service DisabledVeterans Life Insurance, and Veterans' Mortgage Life Insurance.e. Veterans Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture AccountsReceivable (VistA AR) provides medical care collections fund (MCCF) revenue

accounting information for nonservice-connected first party Veteran copays and thirdparty insurance MCCF collections. This system is used by the Veterans HealthAdministration (VHA).f. The VistA Integrated Billing (VistA IB) system supports the MCCF revenue billingprocess for nonservice-connected care first party Veterans copays and third partyinsurance MCCF collections. The system is used by VHA.


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g. VistA Fee System (FEE) authorizes and tracks payments to private medicalproviders who provide for the treatment of Veterans outside of VA medical centers andclinics. In addition, FEE reimburses Veterans for associated travel and medicalexpenses. This system is used exclusively by VHA.h. Education - BDN (E-BDN) is a system that generates payments for eligible

Veterans under the various Education programs (Chapter 30, Chapter 33, etc.). It alsomanages accounts receivables and other finance accounting transactions at a detaillevel. It maintains the historical record of all payments and eligibility actions. Thissystem is used by VBA.i. Vocational Rehabilitation - The Benefits Delivery Network (VR-BDN) generatesthe monthly subsistence payments for eligible Veterans. It also manages accountsreceivables and other finance accounting transactions at a detail level. VR-BDNmaintains the historical record of all payments and eligibility actions. This system is used

byVBA.j. Vocational Rehabilitation - CWINRS is a system used to maintain and approve

payments for tuition, fees, books and supplies for Veterans who attend school under theChapter 31 program. This system is used by VBA.k. Compensation & Pension (C&P) - The Veterans Service Network (VETSNET)processes claims for VA benefits. Once eligibility has been determined, the Finance andAccounting Office module will generate monthly payments and manage receivables andall other finance or accounting activities at the detail level. This system is used by VBA.I. Management Information Exchange (MinX) is a system that VA uses inconjunction with its core financial management system (FMS) to generate financialstatements for financial reporting. This system is used by VA.m. Centralized Administrative Accounting Transaction System (C MTS) is a frontend accounting system for processing budget documents, Form 1358 obligations,procurement obligations worked by contracting staff in the Electronic ContractManagement System (eCMS), accounts receivable, expenditure transfers, and cashreceipts, etc. This system is used by the National Cemetery Administration (NCA) andVBA.n. Claims Processing and Eligibility Module (CPEM) is a system for payment andfinancial statement generation. This system is used by VHA.o. Enhanced Time & Attendance (ETA) is a system that tracks: (1) employees' tour

of duty, and (2) attendance and leave data. It also generates VA timecards. This systemis used by VA.2. Explain how the business and accounting systems identified in response toRequest No.1 interact with one another.

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Response:a. FMS has bidirectional interfaces with other systems that have financialtransactions. Subsidiary systems (such as IFCAP, IGLS, VistA AR, FEE, and VETSNET)that create transactions with financial implications send these transactions for recordinginto the FMS general ledger.b. PAID interfaces with FMS, DFAS, and ETA.c. IFCAP has a bidirectional interface for financial data with FMS.d. IGLS sends financial data to FMS daily with monthly bi-directional interfacerecording obligations and expenses.e. VistA AR has a unidirectional interface and sends financial data to FMS.f. VistA IB has a unidirectional interface with VistA AR.g. FEE has a bidirectional interface for financial data with FMS to record paymentsand adjustments to estimated authorizations.h. E-BDN interfaces with FMS at the summary level to update the general ledgers.i. VR-BDN interfaces with FMS at the summary level to update the generalledgers.j. VR-CWINRS has a daily interface with FMS. FMS generates the payment filesand updates the general ledgers. All other accounting transactions such as receivablesare directly inputted into and managed in FMS.k. C&P VETSNET sends financial data to FMS and interfaces with FMS at the

summary level to update the general ledgers.I. MinX interfaces with FMS. FMS sends financial data to MinX for financialstatement generation.m. CAATS has a bidirectional interface for financial data with FMS.n. CPEM has a bidirectional interface with FMS for payment and financialstatement generation.o. ETA sends timecard data to DFAS, and interfaces with PAID for employeeinformation.

3. For each system identified in response to Request No.1, state whetherinformation found in that system is regularly or periodically submitted to any of thegovernment-wide accounting systems maintained by the Department of theTreasury, e.g., GFRS, FACTS I, FACTS II, IFCS, etc., and explain how and at whatintervals those submissions occur, including descriptions of both manual andautomated processes.

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Response:a. FMS is the core financial system used by VA. FMS regularly submits financialpayment data daily to government-wide accounting systems maintained by theDepartment of the Treasury.b. PAID does not regularly or periodically submit data to any government-wideaccounting system maintained by the Department of the Treasury. PAID information issent via FMS.c. IFCAP does not regularly or periodically submit data to any government-wideaccounting system maintained by the Department of the Treasury. IFCAP information issent via FMS.d. IGLS does not regularly or periodically submit data to any government-wideaccounting system maintained by the Department of the Treasury. The insuranceaccounting system submits a comprehensive daily transaction file to FMS via automatedprocessing.e. VistA AR does not regularly or periodically submit data to any government-wideaccounting system maintained by the Department of the Treasury. VistA AR informationis sent via FMS.f. VistA IB does not regularly or periodically submit data to any government-wideaccounting system maintained by the Department of the Treasury. VistA IB information issent via FMS.g. FEE reports information annually to the Catalogue of Federal DomesticAssistance (CFDA). FEE information is sent via FMS.h. E-BDN does not regularly or periodically submit data to any government-wideaccounting system maintained by the Department of the Treasury. That information issent via FMS.i. VR-BDN does not regularly or periodically submit data to any government-wideaccounting system maintained by the Department of the Treasury. That information issent via FMS.j. VR-CWINRS does not regularly or periodically submit data to any governmentwide accounting system maintained by the Department of the Treasury. That informationis sent via FMS.k. C&P-VETSNET sends payment files directly to Department of the Treasury.I. MinX regularly submits financial information through an automated processmonthly, quarterly, and annually to government-wide accounting systems maintained bythe Department of the Treasury. The MinX system, after retrieving information from FMS,reports to the Government-wide Financial Report System (GFRS) and Federal AgenciesCentralized Trial Balance System I (FACTS I) annually. MinX reports to the Federal

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Agencies Centralized Trial Balance System II (FACTS II) and IntragovernmentalFiduciary Confirmation System (IFCS) quarterly.m. CMTS does not regularly or periodically submit data to any government-wideaccounting system maintained by the Department of the Treasury. CMTS information issent via FMS.n. CPEM regularly submits information to government-wide accounting systemsmaintained by the Department of the Treasury once payment and financial statementinformation is created via the CPEM:FMS bidirectional interface. That information is sentvia FMS.o. ETA does not regularly or periodically submit data to any government-wideaccounting system maintained by the Department of the Treasury.

4. For each system identified in response to Request No.1, state whetherinformation found in that system is regularly or periodically submitted to the Officeof Management and Budget's (OMB) MAX Information System, and explain howand at what intervals those submissions occur, including descriptions of bothautomated and manual processes.Response:

a. The information found in FMS, PAID, IFCAP, VistA AR, VistA IB, FEE, CAATS,CPEM, and ETA is not regularly or periodically submitted to the OMB MAX InformationSystem.b. Information found in the IGLS, C&P-VETSNET, E-BDN, VR-BDN, VR-CWINRS,and MinX systems are regularly or periodically electronically submitted to the OMB MAXInformation System. FACTS II reports from MinX are reported quarterly to OMB MAX.

5. For each system identified in response to Request No.1, describe recent,current, and planned migration or modernization projects.Response:

a. VA is in the early planning process to replace the human resources componentof PAID. The payroll portion of PAID was migrated to DFAS in FY 2009.

, ,b. There are no recent, current or planned migrations for FMS, IFCAP, IGLS, VistAAR, VistA IB, FEE, E-BDN, C&P-BDN, VR-BDN, VR-CWINRS, C&P VETSNET, MinX,CAATS or CPEM.

c. A replacement effort for ETA is underway. ETA will be replaced with a modern,Web-based, commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) timekeeping solution.6. In addition to your agency's submissions to government-wide accountingsystems maintained by the Department of the Treasury and OMB, as described inresponse to Request Nos. 3 and 4, does your agency publish any of the same

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information online fo r public viewing? If so, describe how and in what format thatinformation published.Response:

a. VA does not publish the same information that we transmit to the Department ofthe Treasury in any of the systems in response to Request Nos. 3 and 4 for on-line publicviewing.

b. IGLS submits monthly files to the USAspending.gov Web site as "DirectPayments for Veterans" and "Face Amount of New Life Insurance Policies."7. Identify and briefly describe each system that your agency uses to managegrants, direct loans, and/or loan guarantees. If separate divisions, bureaus, or

offices of your agency use separate systems, identify which divisions, bureaus, oroffices use each system.Response:VA's core financial management system has over 50 interfaces. To respond in theallotted timeframe, VA is limiting the scope of our responses to our major systems, whichin total are responsible for approximately 85 percent of outlays.

a. Web Based Loan Guaranty (WebLGY) is used by VBA for managing andprocessing entitlement, eligibility and loan guaranties.b. The Centralized Property Tracking System (CPTS) is used by VBA for managingacquired properties and processing invoices.c. Bank of America's Systems (BOA) is a system used by VBA and supportscontracted services.d. Funding Fee Payment System (FFPS) is used by VBA for the Department of theTreasury's pay.gov.e. The VA Loan Electronic Reporting Interface (VALERI) is a contracted service toprovide system support for loan servicing. This system is used by VBA.f. The Specially Adapted Housing Special Home Adaptation (SAHSHA) is used by

VBA and is a Loan Guaranty (LGY) system which supports processing and administrationof the SAHSHA Grant program and allows on-line applications.

g. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Payment ManagementSystem (PMS) is used by VA to issue grant payments.h. The State Home Per Diem Program uses the IFCAP system to manage funds. Itis used by VHA.

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i. The VA Multifamily Transitional Housing Loan Guarantee Program is a pilotprogram to guarantee up to 15 loans or $100 million for the development of MultifamilyTransitional Housing with Supportive Services for homeless and formerly homelessVeterans. It was established under 38 U.S.C. and Chapter 20, subchapter VI and isimplemented by VHA.j. VA's Grant and Per Diem Program uses an internal grants managementdatabase to award, track, and monitor projects. Capital Grant awards are obligated at VACentral Office, and grantees may draw down on these funds using the HHS PMS. Perdiem funding is paid by the local VA medical centers responsible for oversight andmonitoring of these projects, and authorized payments are made by Treasury andreflected in VA's FMS.k. Supportive Services for Veterans Families (SSVF) uses an internal grantsmanagement database to award, track and monitor projects in conjunction with auditingsupport for oversight and monitoring of these projects. Grant awards are obligated at VACentral Office, and grantees may draw down on these funds using the HHS PMS.

8. For each system identified in response to Request No.7, explain how itinteracts with any business or accounting system identified in response toRequest No.1.Response:

a. WebLGY manually inputs to the credit subsidy model. This system has anautomated daily feed of guaranteed loan data to/from VALERI to support supplementalservicing, claims and acquisitions.b. CPTS interfaces daily with FMS at the detail level for payments and receivables.

FMS then creates the payment files to the Department of the Treasury and updates thegeneral ledger.c. BOA has a daily interface with FMS at the summary level for loanestablishments, collections, and termination actions. FMS updates the general ledger.d. FFPS is manually inputted into FMS to update the general ledger.e. VALERI has a daily interface with FMS at the detail level for payments andreceivables. FMS then creates the payment files to the Department of the Treasury andupdates the general ledger.f. SAHSHA has no interface. FMS updates are manually processed.g. The HHS PMS and VA FMS systems do not have an automated interface.Updates to FMS are processed manually.h. The State Home Per Diem Program has a bidirectional interface with FMS torecord payments and adjustments to estimated authorizations.

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i. The VA Multifamily Transitional Housing Loan Guarantee Program is a singleoutstanding loan financed by the Federal Financing Bank (FFB).j. The Grant and Per Diem Program and Capital Grant payment systems areintegrated into FMS to track funding.k. SSVF grants are managed through HHS's Division of Payment Management.

9. For each system identified in response to Request No.7, state whetherinformation found in that system is regularly or periodically submitted to theCatalogue of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA), and describe how and at whatintervals those submissions occur, including descriptions of both automated andmanual processes.Response:

a. Manual updates are submitted annually for WebLGY and the State Home PerDiem Program.b. CPTS, BOA, FFPS, VALERI, SAHSHA, and HHS PMS do not regularly orperiodically submit information to the CFDA.c. The VA Multifamily Transitional Housing Loan Guarantee Program will notprocess loans through this program.d. The Grant and Per Diem Program is identified by CFDA 64.024. Currently,program funding is not submitted to the Catalogue of Federal Domestic Assistance.e. The SSVF final rule states that there is no CFDA number for this program.

10. For each system identified in response to Request No.7, state whetherinformation found in that system is regularly or periodically submitted to any of thegovernment-wide grants management and reporting systems, e.g., FAADS, FAADSPLUS, etc., and describe how and at what intervals those submissions occur,including descriptions of both automated and manual processes.Response:

a. Information found in WebLGY includes data from USAspending.gov and FederalAssistance Award Data (FAADS). WebLGY generates monthly reports from the VBAdata warehouse, which are manually loaded into USAspending.gov by VA's Data QualityService (DQS).

b. The State Home Per Diem Program submits data manually.c. CPTS, BOA, FFPS, VALERI, SAHSHA, and HHS PMS do not submit informationto the government-wide grants management and reporting systems.d. The VA Multifamily Transitional Housing Loan Guarantee Program has beensuspended.

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e. The Grant and Per Diem Program reports transfers of disbursing authority andthe required 52 data elements to DQS, which validates and manually uploads the data toUSAspending.gov. -f. The SSVF system is not yet operational. Reporting requirements are underreview.

11. For each system identified in response to Request No.7, describe recent,current, and planned migration or modernization projects.Response:

a. WebLGY is scheduled to transition to VA Identity Management Service in FY2012. Lender/service management/oversight functions are planned for FY 2012 and2013.b. CPTS has an improved interface, and a contractor and automated paymentprocess is planned.c. BOA, FFPS, VALERI, State Home Per Diem Program and HHS do not have anyrecent, current or planned migration or modernization projects.d. SAHSHA was replatformed to Java-based/portal technology in 2009/2010.e. The VA Multifamily Transitional Housing Loan Guarantee Program has beensuspended.f. VA is exploring options to identify an internal business/IT solution to automatethe reporting of per diem obligations made by local VA medical centers directly from VA'sfiscal system in order to comply with USAspending monthly reporting requirements for

the Grant and Per Diem Program.,g. The SSVF announced Notices of Funding Availability. Grant funding will beadministered through the HHS PMS online payment system.

12. In addition to your agency's submissions to government-wide grantsmanagement and reporting systems, described in response to Requests Nos. 9and 10, does your agency publish any of the same information online fo r publicviewing? If so, describe how and in what format that information is published.Response:

a. VA does not publish any of the same information online for public viewing for theWebLGY, CPTS, BOA, FFPS, VALERI, SAHSHA, and HHS systems.b. The VA Multifamily Transitional Housing Loan Guarantee Program has beensuspended.

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c. Capital grant awards, which typically occur only once a year, are publishedunder the News Release section of VA's Web site. Per diem payments are not publishedon VA's Web site.d. SSVF grant awards, which are expected to occur once a year, will be publishedunder the News Release section of VA's Web site.

13. Identify and briefly describe each system that your agency uses to managecontracts. If separate divisions, bureaus, or offices of your agency use separatesystems, identify which divisions, bureaus, or offices use each system.Response:VA' core financial management system has over 50 interfaces. To respond in the allottedtimeframe, VA is limiting the scope of our responses to our major systems, which in totalare responsible for approximately 85 percent of outlays.

a. eCMS is an enterprise-wide system designed to house all VA procurement andcontracting data. In addition, it provides VA with enterprise-level business intelligencereporting on procurement and contracting activities. This system supports a.! I of VA.eCMS interfaces support posting of announcements, solicitations, and awards via theFederal Business Opportunities (FBO) site; receiving vendor information for companiesregistered in the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) System; posting solicitations onthe General Services Administration's (GSA) e-Buy.com system; and reporting ofprocurement obligations to the Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS). In addition,eCMS is configured to transmit award information to FPDS in accordance with FederalAcquisition Regulation (FAR) requirements.b. IFCAP is a legacy small purchasing application and is used to initiate

procurements. IFCAP is used by all of VA except VBA.14. For each system identified in response to Request No. 13, explain how itinteracts with any business or accounting system identified in response toRequest No.1.

Response:a. eCMS is not currently integrated with IFCAP; however, a phased integration isplanned for FY 2011.b. IFCAP is a bidirectional financial system that sends financial data to FMS tocommit and obligate funds.

15. For each system identified in response to Request No. 13, state whetherinformation found in that system is regularly or periodically submitted to any of thegovernment-wide contract management and reporting systems, e.g., FPDS, FPDSNG, FAPIIS, etc., and describe how and at what intervals those submissions occur,including descriptions of both automated and manual processes.

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Response:a. eCMS feeds solicitation data to FBO.gov and eBuy.com using an interface that isautomatically launched. The solicitation data is then submitted by contracting staff.eBuy.com also feeds quotes and solicitation response data to eCMS using an automated

process at the end of the solicitation period. eCMS feeds award data to FPDS using acombination of automated and manual processes. All of these data exchanges occur ona real-time basis.b. IFCAP is integrated with FPDS to report actions not in eCMS.

16. For each system identified in response to Request No. 13, describe recent,current, and planned migration or modernization projects.Response:

a. System upgrades are installed twice annually with regularly scheduled updateson a monthly basis or as required. The IFCAP integration project is scheduled forphased installation in FY 2011.

b. VA has no recent, current, or planned migration or modernization projects forIFCAP.17. In addition to your agency's submissions to government-wide contractmanagement and reporting systems, described in response to Request No. 15,does your agency publish any of the same information online for public viewing?If so, describe how and in what format that information is published.Response:

a. In regard to Request No. 15, VA publishes the information on the vendor portalfor public viewing. The information posted to FBO is duplicated on the VA Vendor Portal.b. When required, eCMS users publish to FBO and Federal Procurement DataSystem - Next Generation (FPDS-NG). eCMS can also publish to the eCMS VendorPortal to conduct electronic procurements within the system.c. When applicable, IFCAP reports actions to FPDS.

18. Briefly describe your agency's efforts to comply with OMB's memorandum onthe Open Government Directive - Federal Spending Transparency, dated April 6,2010. In particular, describe whether and how your agency has begun to collectand report sub-award data, as required by the memorandum, and describe howyour agency's reports on OMB's data quality metrics, as required by thememorandum, are generated.

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Response:a. In June 2010, VA established the DQS as the central operational authority fordata quality reporting to Office of Management and Budget (OMB). DQS is primarilyresponsible for collecting and submitting data to USAspending.gov. DQS providestechnical support and guidance on reporting requirements to program offices to ensure

timely, accurate and complete monthly data submissions. Monthly submissions mustpass validation by DQS staff and the Data Submission Validation Tool (DSVT) test sitebefore being officially reported to USAspending.gov. DQS conducts quarterly reviews ofdata submissions and provides a written report to the program offices. To ensureaccurate subaward reporting, the Office of Acquisition, Logistics and Construction(OALC) added a FAR clause to all new contracts over $25,000 and to applicable existingcontracts. OALC is developing a monitoring plan and has established guidance toprovide oversight of subaward recipient and executive compensation reporting. Monthlyreports from the eCMS are provided to contracting officers to identify potential subawardrecipients against reports in the FFATA Subaward Reporting System. Any errors orinstances of non-compliance are identifieq and co.mmunicated to recipients for immediatecorrection. Additionally, VA's Internal Controls Service (ICS) conducts quarterly testing ofthe quality of financial spending information reported outside of VA as well as an annualassessment of internal control over data quality reported to USAspending.gov.

b. VA has undertaken several actions to comply with OMB's memorandum on theOpen Government Directive dated April 6, 2010. VA reports award data and assistanceaward data to the FPDS. This system feeds data directly to USAspending.gov.c. In July 2010, VA added clause language to eCMS that addresses sub-awardsand executive compensation (FAR 52.204-1O-Reporting Executive Compensation andFirst-Tier Subcontract Awards). eCMS automatically recommends the clause forconsideration by the contracting officer when the acquisition meets the criteria of theclause prescription. The actual reporting of sub-awards data and executivecompensation is recorded in the new Federal Funding Accountability and TransparencyAct (FFATA) Sub-award Reporting System (FSRS) directly by the contractor (primeawardee). Once the data is submitted by the contractor into FSRS, it later extractedfrom FSRS and exported into the USAspending system.d. All contracting personnel previously enrolled in the Electronic SubcontractingReporting System (eSRS) were automatically registered as users of FSRS. New usersmust register directly on the FSRS Web site at www.fsrs.gov. The VA Acquisition PolicyDivision issued a reminder regarding the contracting officer's responsibility to performquar:terly reviews of FSRS data entered by the contractor.e. VA works to comply with OMB's FPDS Data Accuracy and Data Completenessdata quality controls.

19. If your agency interacts directly with USAspending.gov, in addition tosubmitting information to the systems that feed USAspending.gov, describe thenature, frequency, and purposes of that interaction.Response:

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VA systems do not directly interact with USAspending.gov. Each month as databecomes available, VA reporting program offices submit standardized files to DOS,detailing spending for the most current period. DOS validates the data, and when the fileis confirmed to be 100 percent complete and accurate, DOS submits it toUSAspending.gov via the DSVT. To meet OMB's "timeliness" metric, DOS ensures datafiles for a given month are submitted to USAspending.gov by the 20th of the followingmonth. The files are posted to the site overnight and are available for query the nextbusiness day. Once the data is available for query and viewing, DOS reviews the postingto ensure it matches what was submitted.20. Describe the data quality controls and procedures that your agency hasimplemented fo r information that is submitted to USAspending.gov, includinginformation submitted directly and information submitted to one of the systemsthat feeds USAspending.gov.Response:

a. DOS develops, implements, and executes VA's data quality controls andprocedures for information submitted directly to USAspending.gov via the DSVT.Program offices submit their USAspending.gov files monthly to DOS for validation andtesting. DOS performs a series of validations on each program's file to ensure theconsistency, completeness, and accuracy of the data by completing a detailed checklistof validation steps. Completion of this checklist ensures each file received is validated inexactly the same manner. In addition to the checklist validations, DOS submits the file toUSAspending.gov's DSVT test environment. If the file successfully loads to the testenvironment, it will successfully load in the production environment. Files that do notpass all validations and do not successfully load to the test environment are returned tothe applicable program office for correction and resubmission. Once a file passes, DOSsubmits it to USAspending.gov using DSVT.b. As mentioned in the response to Request No. 19, once data is posted toUSAspending.gov, DOS reviews the posting and reconciles the total spending and recordcount reflected on the Web site to the original data file that was submitted. In addition tovalidating program office files before they are submitted to USAspending.gov, DOSmaintains validation tables for VA's reporting program offices to use when compiling theirfiles. These validation tables ensure VA's program offices use only valid combinations ofdata for the following USAspending.gov fields:

City (Names and Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) Codes); County (Names and FIPS Codes); State (Names and FIPS Codes); ISO 3166-1 Country Codes; Principal Place of Performance Codes; and Congressional Districts.

These validation tables ensure consistency of reporting across all VA programs whosedata is directly submitted to USAspending.gov by DOS.13


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c. VA works to comply with OMB's FPDS Data Accuracy and Data Completenessdata quality controls. The Department provides OMB with an annual report on thesemetrics. Since 2009, VA engaged a third-party independent validation and verification(IV&V) team to conduct quarterly audits of data entered or transmitted automatically fromeCMS to FPDS. These audits measure the completeness and accuracy of the data inFPDS in comparison to the data entered into eCMS by VA contracting personnel. Basedon quarterly and annual audit results, VA initiated several efforts to improve its dataaccuracy metrics including conducting additional training for contracting personnel.21. State whether all of your agency's current grants, contracts, and loans areaccurately reflected on USAspending.gov, and, if not, estimate the percentage ofcurrent grants, contracts, and loans that are not accurately reflected, using boththe number of transactions and dollar figures.Response:

a. Currently not all VA grants, contracts, and loans are accurately reflected onUSAspending.gov. VA is reviewing these programs to determine if they need to bereported on USAspending.gov. We cannot determine at this time the percentage that isnot accurately reflected.b. VA's Office of Business Oversight (OBO) has begun IV&V checks to ensure theaccuracy of VA data. State Home Construction Grant data validation results will beavailable by the end of April. Data for all other grant programs being validated by OBOwill be available by the end of June.

22. State whether your agency incurs any reporting burdens or costs as a resul tof its obligations under the Federal Financial Assistance Transparency Act("FFATA") that it does not incur as a result of other reporting obligations, andestimate those burdens and costs in worker-hours and dollars.Response:The total cost incurred for Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) employee and contractor supportfor USAspending.gov is 12,880 man hours totaling $1.4 million.23. Ident ify the individual(s) who serve(s) as Senior Accountable Official(s)("SAO") over federal spending data quality for your agency, as defined by OMB.Response:Mr. W. Todd Grams, Acting Assistant Secretary for Management and VA Chief FinancialOfficer, serves as VA's SAO.

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BOACAATSCCRCFDACFOCOTSC&PVETSNETCPEMCPTSDFASDQSDSVTeCMSE- BONeSRSETAFAADSFACTS IFACTS IIFARFBOFEEFFATA

ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS

Bank of America's SystemsCentralized Administrative Accounting Transaction SystemCentral Contractor Registration SystemCatalogue of Federal Domestic AssistanceChief Financial Officer'Commercial Off-The-ShelfCompensation and Pension - Veterans Service NetworkClaims Processing and Eligibility ModuleCentralized Property Tracking SystemDefense Finance and Accounting ServiceData Quality ServiceData Submission and Validation ToolElectronic Contract Management SystemEducation - Benefits Delivery SystemElectronic Subcontracting Reporting SystemEnhanced Time &AttendanceFederal Assistance Award Data SystemFederal Agencies Centralized Trial Balance System IFederal Agencies Centralized Trial Balance System IIFederal Acquisition RegulationFederal Business OpportunitiesVistA Fee SystemFederal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act

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FFBFFPSFIPSFMSFPDSFSCFSRSFTEGFRSHHSICSIFCAP

IFCSIGLSIV&VLGYMCCFMinXNCAOALCOBOOESMOMBPAID

Federal Financing BankFunding Fee Payment SystemFederal Information Processing StandardFinancial Management SystemFederal Procurement Data SystemFinancial Services CenterFFATASubaward Reporting SystemFull-Time Equivalent EmployeeGovernment-wide Financial Report SystemHealth and Human ServicesInternal Controls ServiceIntegrated Funds Distribution, Control Point Activity, Accounting andProcurementIntergovernmental Fiduciary Confirmation ServiceInsurance General Ledger SystemIndependent Validation and VerificationLoan GuarantyMedical Care Collections FundManagement Information ExchangeNational Cemetery AdministrationOffice of Acquisition, Logistics and ConstructionOffice of Business OversightOffice of Enterprise Systems ManagementOffice of Management and BudgetPersonnel and Accounting Integrated Data

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PMSRAEMSAHSHASHPDPSSVFVA

VALERIVAROIC

VBAVHAVistAAR

VistA IBVR-BDNVR-CWINRSWebLGY

Payment Management SystemRequirements Analysis and Engineering ManagementSpecially Adapted Housing Special Home AdaptationState Home Per Diem ProgramSupportive Services for Veterans FamiliesDepartment of Veterans AffairsVeterans Affairs Loan Electronic Reporting InterfaceVeterans Benefits Administration Life Insurance Program Office atthe VA Regional Office and Insurance CenterVeterans Benefits AdministrationVeterans Health AdministrationVeterans Health Information Systems and Technology ArchitectureAccounts ReceivableVistA Integrated BillingVocational Rehabilitation-Benefits Delivery NetworkVocational Rehab - CWINRSWeb Based Loan Guaranty

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