The Veterans Affairs Department has delayed the security scholarship program until 2011. The program will reimburse many employees for the doctoral studies costs. It was first enacted in 2006, and is now a year away from completion.According to Federal Computer Week, it was first put into place because there was a “computer drive that exposed personally identifiable information about millions of veterans and their dependents†in May of 2006.
It has been delayed due to the rule-making process. According the Federal Computer Week, GAO said, “VA officials estimate that, after the department addresses these comments and OMB performs another review, the final regulations could be issued in January 2011.â€
The goal of the program is to “encourage the recruitment and retention of department personnel who have the information security skills necessary to meet departments requirements†by giving “financial support for education in computer science and electrical and computer engineering at accredited institutions of higher education.â€
The program was placed in the Veterans Benefits, Health Care, and Information Technology Act of 2006. The program is set to end in 2017.
