Building on a solid foundation of success by Iron Mountain Government Solutions and the Global Digital Solution team for General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT) on behalf of programs for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Veterans Benefit Administration (VBA), two additional orders were awarded to Iron Mountain for digital transformation solutions. The orders total in excess of $23 million over a three-year period.
Known as the Supply Chain Zero (SCZ) Initiative, the VBA is initially focusing on obtaining claims-related evidence by proactively targeting an estimated 15 million Official Military Personnel Files (OMPFs). The agency is focusing on obtaining claims-related evidence by proactively targeting an estimated 15 million files most likely to be requested for future claims with a goal of making claims-related materials available, to the extent possible, in electronic format at the time of claim receipt. Iron Mountain will begin the rapid extraction of the initial 15 million files currently stored in an estimated 500,000 boxes from a National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) facility. We will manage the distribution of these records for electronic conversion or to a compliant storage facility. Following conversion, Iron Mountain will return the physical record files to NARA.
The pandemic added another layer of complexity to the VBA benefits claims process as offices were completely closed or only open on a limited basis, limiting the ability to retrieve and access physical files. Through digital transformation, the VA is taking a proactive approach to provide greater access to Veteran files as well as streamline the overall claims process in order to get Veterans the benefits they deserve. Iron Mountain is critical to this initiative
