Notice ID: 36C10D24Q0038
Through its three (3) administrations, National Cemetery Administration (NCA), Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA), and Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Veterans Affairs (VA) administers vital services to America’s Veterans. VA provides health care services, benefits programs, and access to national cemeteries for former military personnel and their dependents. The fundamental mission of VBA is to provide Veterans, transitioning service members, and their families with benefits and services including education benefits, home loans, life insurance, and disability compensation or pension benefits. Award of these benefits often requires information gathering from a multitude of third parties, government agencies and digital repositories as well as the application of complex rules.
Prior to 2012, VBA processed most benefits utilizing paper claim folders. In September 2012 VBA began scanning claim folders and uploading the files into the Veterans Benefits Management System (VBMS) for claims processors to view electronically as searchable Portable Document Files (PDFs). Scanning efforts expanded to mail in 2014 and scanning of historical file banks in 2016. The success of VBA s scanning program supported the reduction of rating claim backlogs from over 600,000 in early 2012 to less than 90,000 by the end of Fiscal Year (FY) 2019.
Although the COVID-19 period limited the pace of reducing the backlog, progress continued until COVID limitations were lifted and the pace of claims increased such that the current inventory is more than 300,000. The scanning program also enabled the opportunity to further reduce the claim cycle by extracting data from images to automate business processes.
The VBA continues to need contractor support for reducing the inventory. In today s process, mail arrives at the Evidence Intake Center from Veterans, or their representatives, to support a Veteran s, or their family member s, claim for benefits and services. This mail is tracked and converted into searchable PDF (PDF Image plus Text) format in compliance with the VBMS PDF specification. Also, as records are located or generated during claim development activities, they are retrieved and added to the body of evidence supporting the claim in the systems of records for the claimant. These materials typically support one or more business processes, primarily related to Veterans benefits claims processing, using other input material provided by other entities (such as VHA, NCA and other federal partners).
The Veterans Intake, Conversion and Communication Services (VICCS) Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) was established in 2019 to continuously improve benefits processing efficiency and cycle-time. VBA has partnered with industry leaders to provide a host of managed-service contracts but the period of performance for the VICCS expires in September 2024, the VA will need a replacement IDIQ.
This VA Processing and Automation Services (VPAS) IDIQ provides a successor replacement to the VICCS IDIQ to provide managed services for all elements of VA to provide the following categories of services:
- Source Material Processing Services, such as
- Intake
- Source Material Tracking
- Source Material Management
- Digitization and data extraction
- Upload and Routing
- Inbound Mail Management Support
- Rule-Based Processing (such Optical Character Recognition, Iterative Fusion based Recognizer, Natural Language Processing)
- Centralized Outbound
- Data Transfer
- Graphical Self-Service Report Generation
- Inbound Calls
- Outbound Calls
- Automation Development and Operations
- Business Process Automation
- Claims / Application processing
- Private medical records processing
- Mail automation
- Veteran transition support
- Records Research
- Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) / Privacy Act request processing
- Operations and Maintenance
- Integration Services, such as
- Organizational Integration
- Connectivity, Access, and Security
- Data Integration
- Automation Integration
- Integration Library
- Data Storage, Sharing and Analysis Services
- Customer/Employee Experience Services
- Enabling and Support Services, such as
- Business Processing
- Professional services
- Organizational Change Management
- Marketing/Outreach
- Communications Strategy, Planning, and Implementation
- Customer Relationship Services
- Case Management Services
- System Modernization and Retirement Services
- Training Services
- Integration, Setup, Test and Validation Services
- Service Updates
- Transition In/Out
- Help Desk / Call Center Services
Requirements may fall within one specific service area but in many cases, the requirements will encompass and apply across and within multiple service areas. VBA anticipates continuing, enhancing and expanding the above referenced services through contractor support by means of ultimately competing this work among highly qualified and capable contractors. However, this RFI does not represent a solicitation nor is it a guarantee of a future solicitation.
The VA/VBA plans to hold a virtual RFI Industry Day in support of this RFI and will provide an overview presentation. The Virtual Industry Day will be held on February 21, 2024, between 2:00 pm 3:00 pm eastern time. Please view the following information for attending the event:
https://veteransaffairs.webex.com/veteransaffairs/j.php?MTID=md9910927e2b26e42cd5b593c3c9bc7d9
Webinar number: 2824 841 4002
Webinar password: YWrZaPv@247 (99792781 from phones and video systems)
Join by phone: 1-404-397-1596 USA Toll Number
Access code: 282 484 14002 3.0/
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