The Department of Veterans Affairs has awarded CACI International a $14 million contract to provide core development support on the VA’s Virtual Lifetime Electronic Record  program. The 18-month contract – one base year plus a six-month option – is one of 25 CACI has received under the $91 million VLER prime contract, according to a CACI news release.

CACI announced it had won the prime contract in October 2010.

[See also: Veterans Affairs CIO Roger Baker on VLER progress.]

VLER is an across-the-board solution that consolidates electronic health and benefits records of Armed Forces members for exchange within the VA and externally to the Department of Defense and other federal agencies. Under the VLER Core Development task order, CACI will build the data access service – a key component of VLER that will electronically move data throughout various VA and external systems, helping veterans receive their benefits faster. The company's use of flexible, modular technology to build the data access service will enable VLER to easily, quickly and cost-effectively connect disparate systems, according to CACI.

[See also: Military awards $55M IT contract.]

John Mengucci, CACI's Chief Operating Officer and President of U.S. Operations, said in a statement, "This latest task order on the Virtual Lifetime Electronic Record program leverages CACI's expertise in electronic medical and benefits records integration and data interoperability. Our support will enable servicemen and women to quickly and accurately access their health and benefits records as they transition into civilian life."
 
CACI President and CEO Ken Asbury added, "The continuing expansion of CACI's business with the Department of Veterans Affairs demonstrates the success of our strategy to focus on the high-growth healthcare market area. Our work for the VA opens up tremendous growth potential by positioning us to support greater interoperability for electronic health record systems – a priority for the federal government."