Buyer's push for centralized info tech at VA led to "strong" CIO, Robert Howard, who let employees give away the store.

by Larry Scott, VA Watchdog dot Org

-------------------------

How did one person, Robert Howard, former Chief Information Officer (CIO) at the VA, get so much power?

So much power that his underlings were allowed to run rampant and virtually give away the store ... jobs to family ... bonuses ... and more.

The two previous stories on the VA's info tech scandal are here:

VA'S INFO TECH SCANDAL CAUSES MEDIA TIDAL WAVE (08-21-09)   Millions in bonuses, nepotism, inappropriate relationship and stench of corruption captures mainstream media attention.

VAOIG NAMES VA'S FORMER INFO TECH CHIEF IN SCANDAL (08-20-09)   Subordinate of Robert Howard benefited from inappropriate relationship. Howard at center of two reports detailing nepotism, abuse of authority, misuse of position and more.

It doesn't make me feel any better to let you know that I predicted this on December 14, 2006 with a story headlined:

BUYER'S LAST LAUGH: CENTRALIZED INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AT VA -- Rep. Steve Buyer (R-IN), outgoing Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, gets one last laugh at veterans. Under the guise of efficiency and with Buyer's direction, IT at the VA has become  centralized, giving one political appointee with strong ties to big business complete control over hardware, software, personnel, assets and development.

One person, Robert Howard, was given complete control over VA's information technology.

I wrote:

Rep. Steve Buyer (R-IN), outgoing Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, has long pushed for centralized Information Technology (IT) at the VA.

This would put the $2+ billion budget, all IT personnel, hardware, software, assets and development in the hands of ONE person.

That person is a political appointee with ties to big business, the VA's CIO, Robert Howard. Howard's bio here...
 http://www1.va.gov/opa/bios/biography.asp?id=67 

Now, that has happened. It is nothing more than a power grab...more here...
http://www.vawatchdog.org/milcom/ciopowergrabatva-rev2.htm 

Buyer's plan of having the VA run by political appointees has taken another step closer to reality...more here...
 http://www.vawatchdog.org/milcom/repstevebu
yerpushesforvarunbypoliticalappointees.htm 

Putting this much money and this much power into the hands of one man is a recipe for disaster.

Look for the "privatization" of the VA's open-source VistA software system as big business comes looking for their slice of the $2 billion pie.

And, this takes "local control" from the Veterans' Health Administration, Veteran' Benefits Administration and the Memorial Affairs Administration.

Also...anyone who stood in the way of this plan got the boot...like the VA's former General Counsel (#1 attorney) Tim McClain...that story here...
http://www.vawatchdog.org/old%20newsfl
ashes%20JUL%2006/newsflash07-19-2006-10.htm 

So, Buyer gets one last laugh at the expense of veterans before he leaves the Chair at the House Vets' Committee.

Of course, Buyer, aided by VA Secretary Jim Nicholson, are putting their best spin on this issue.

You can read the news articles associated with this story at this link.

Rep. Steve Buyer (R-IN), now Ranking Member on the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, pushed hard for a "strong" CIO, and got his wish.

Now, Buyer is backing away from Howard.  In a press release Buyer said:

"It is deeply disappointing that any governmental official would abuse authority entrusted to them by the public." and "VA must appoint honorable individuals to these critical positions..."

But, a strong CIO is what Buyer wanted and got ... someone who had complete control over every aspect of VA's info tech.

There's an old saying about absolute power ... now we know exactly what that can do.

So, Rep. Buyer ... about that "strong" VA CIO ... how did that turn out, anyway?

-------------------------

TOPICS: veterans, veterans' benefits, VA, Department of Veterans' Affairs, VAOIG, Robert Howard, nepotism, abuse of authority, misuse of position, Rep. Steve Buyer