Pooled Technology Program Funding -- Fiscal Year 2003

Under the proposed system, an applicant could complete and submit an electronic copy of the application and pay the license fee via credit card. The system would prompt each applicant to include all required information. The department would review the electronic application, and upon approval, the information could be automatically added to the database. The system would then generate and issue a license.

This project will allow the owners/operators of food and lodging establishments to complete or download food establishment or lodging license applications. It will provide a faster and more efficient means of applying for, and renewing a license.

Under the proposed system, a licensee could complete and submit electronically required quarterly tax reports and pay sales tax electronically via credit card. The electronic system would perform the mathematical tax calculations automatically and prompt licensees to correctly complete the form. Licensees' information could then be automatically entered into the Department of Inspections and Appeals (DIA) database, eliminating the need for the department to perform data entry.

This is a federally mandated system designed to track information on foster youth who "age out" of the system. The data collected through this initiative will be used to help ensure better outcomes for one of Iowa's highest risk populations-youth who are still in foster care at age 18 or who "age out" of the system.

This project meets a core and fundamental safety requirement by enhancing the system used by DHS field staff to assess allegations of abuse, various risk factors involving a child, and responding to suspected child abuse referrals.

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ICON will allow Department of Corrections employees to have complete information on all 55,000 offenders supervised. By combining and sharing information about the history of people in the system, ICON will allow public safety agencies, judges, and policy makers to know what works and what does not work with Iowa's rapidly expanding prison population.

This project continues the creation of a single, statewide, comprehensive electronic referral system for senior Iowans, Iowans with health and disability issues, and farm families in distress. The system will allow citizens and provider professionals to quickly and easily access community resource information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Begin implementation of an Enterprise Resource Planning System (ERP) for Iowa State Government. ERP is a software system that enables an organization to manage the effective and efficient use of its resources. Among the most important attributes of ERP are its ability to:

• Automate and integrate the majority of the State's administrative processes.
• Share common data and practices across the entire enterprise.
• Produce and access information in a real-time environment.

This is a group of projects that provide Iowans with access to government services through the Internet. Among the projects are electronic forms (e-forms); professional and business licenses and permits, making payments to the State electronically, and increasing the realm of electronic tax filing.

This project is intended to help integrate the criminal justice information systems from the courts, law enforcement, and corrections. An integrated criminal justice information system provides significant health and safety benefits for the public as well as criminal justice practitioners. For example, the Department of Corrections ICON Mercury project provides greatly enhanced security features for correctional officers, medical staff, counselors, dietary and maintenance workers, judges, police officers, sheriffs, and the general public. The FBI security policy, when adopted and implemented by DPS, will help meet the Governor's strategic goal of safe communities throughout Iowa by protecting the state's citizens by ensuring the integrity of law enforcement telecommunications operations through encryption, identification, and authentication of critical and sensitive information. The enhanced information network in the Board of Parole will increase the safety of the public by ensuring that only the "safest" offenders are paroled and that key decision-makers have all the accurate, timely, and relevant information they need.

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Continue funding for the Information Security Program. In the past, the Information Security Program has assisted agencies and the state in meeting federal security requirements, directives, and guidelines, and will continue to do so in the future. In particular, the program assists the Department of Revenue and Finance, Department of Human Services, and Information Technology Department with IRS security audits while clarifying and helping these departments meet federal security requirements (e.g., as for HIPAA). Also, the program continues to assist the Department of Public Safety in meeting requirements dictated by the FBI.

DHS qualifies for approximately $50 million annually in federal matching funds through participation in the Federal Financial Participation (FFP) program. The existing process for collecting, verifying, and submitting the necessary supporting data to the federal government is paper and time intensive. This project would automate a substantial portion of the process resulting in improved productivity and reduced FFP participation costs. Implementing this system would save the State an estimated $48,500 per year.

The 21st Century Learning Infrastructure will allow teachers and students (and ultimately all Iowans) to electronically receive digital educational material and professional development on demand. The 21st Century Learning Infrastructure utilizes a wide range of information technologies to provide learning opportunities within and beyond the bounds of the traditional classroom and supports life-long learning. It will be a combination of a digital library and a virtual open campus for all learners and institutions.

Project EASIER offers the opportunity to help school districts by tracking and exchanging student information electronically. The purpose of this submission is to expand the current project scope to: 1) include all public school districts by the 2003-04 school year; 2) expand the number of required annual state and federal reports that can be completed through Project EASIER; 3) expand the project data element base by identifying and including those existing data elements needed for immediate and appropriate placement of students when they move from one Iowa school district to another to begin the district-to-district information exchange phase of Project EASIER; 4) increase the number of school district and post secondary institution trading partnerships; 5) increase the number of Iowa community colleges capable of receiving electronic transcripts from Iowa secondary schools; 6) increase the Department's capacity for developing processes necessary to handle and process the flow of student records intended for various trading partners.

The project is intended to convert existing Board of Medical Examiners and Board of Dental Examiners licensing systems and databases to more appropriate technology. The project will utilize the Web Enabled Licensing System (WELS) currently under development for use by the Board of Nursing to re-engineer several of the medical licensing systems. In addition, existing license data will be transferred to a new system, which facilitates review of a practitioner's career.

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This project creates an inventory to comprehensively monitor the consumption of healthcare equipment and supplies, from acquisition to retirement. A system would also be developed to monitor preventive maintenance performed on equipment.

The medical and insurance records of Iowa Veteran's Home residents/patients are subject to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA).  The systems currently in place are not HIPAA compliant. The Vet's Home can be fined up to $25,000 annually per resident/patient at the Iowa Veterans Home (plus any civil penalties) for non-compliance. Implementation of this project will bring the Iowa Veterans Home into compliance and reduce the risk of being fined.

This project transfers military records from an unsecured environment to a secured environment, reduces the amount of paperwork required to access and receive records, thereby providing faster response to customers.

The purpose of this project is to comply with State and Federal requirements for keeping and reporting records of residents/patients at the Iowa Veterans Home. Resident/Patient data will be entered one time into one electronic record. This record will be the single, official record for admission/discharge, banking, billing, medical charting, and all other data used for documentation of each resident/patient. Designated employees will have access only to that portion of the record for which they have a need. Improved technology will assist clinicians in making better and more accurate decisions and in maintaining the resident records system.

A new Management Information System is intended to help DHS better utilize its limited child care funds. The project requests funding to develop a system which processes child care data faster, provides this information in a more timely manner, facilitates accurate and timely invoicing for services, and provides a single system interface for staff. Further, development of this new system permits DHS to electronically link to the Dept. of Public Health database (containing information related to immunizations, health and safety incident reports, child abuse, incidents in child care facilities, child care worker background).

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Replace the existing, half-paper/half-automated Unemployment Insurance Services Division Tax Functions with a new, automated system that will reduce and/or eliminate manual processing, and provide better service to customers.

The purpose of this project is to upgrade the voice and data network at the Iowa Juvenile Home facility in Toledo. This includes improving communication within the institution, improving quality of education for youth (appropriate Internet access), improving workflow for staff at the institution, and reducing redundant and hand written activities.

The Unified Front End project electronically combines the DHS eligibility and application processes used by Medicaid Program, Food Stamp Program, Family Investment Program (TANF), Child Welfare services, and other DHS programs and services into a single system.

Create a standard, secure, web enabled licensing system (WELS) for use by all on-line licensing activity for the state. By implementing a reusable system, agencies can more quickly provide citizens and business access to essential government transactions in a 24x7 environment when it is convenient for the customer.

The Federal Government has enacted the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) on August 17, 2000. The Act states that covered entities (several governmental entities at the state and local level among them) must not use or disclose personally identifiable health information unless they have obtained the appropriate form of permission from the patient or the use or disclosure is expressly allowed by HIPAA. The act covers health care providers, payers, and clearinghouses and has significant impact on a number of state and local government agencies performing these roles. There are significant rules, regulations, policies, and procedures impacting the privacy and security of personally identifiable health information. Compliance with the transactions and code sets of the act is required by October 16, 2002. Implementation of the rules on privacy is required by April 14, 2003.

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This project will secure the identity of citizens and organizations within the State of Iowa. This is an enabling technology, a foundation to provide secure e-government transactions between citizens and state organizations.

Funds are being requested to create an ITD University which would provide a standards certification program for state government IT professionals. ITD will create classes based upon IT enterprise standards and tools. IT project development time will be reduced and the reliability of the information technology hardware/software/infrastructure will increase.

Forms represent about 83% of all business documents; for every $1 spent on pre-printed forms, $30 to $60 is spent on processing the forms (including the manual entering of data into electronic systems); and about 1/3 of pre-printed forms are discarded due to obsolescence or completion errors. The electronic forms supported by JetForm have the ability to reduce the bureaucracy associated with paper forms in addition to replacing the paper forms themselves.

House File 2205 (signed into law on May 15, 2000) stipulates that most Executive Branch agencies, departments, boards, commissions, authorities, and institutions must "send and accept electronic records and electronic signatures to and from other persons and otherwise create, generate, communicate, store, process, use, and rely upon electronic records and signatures" by July 1, 2003, unless a waiver from the Department of Management is obtained. The solution is a public key infrastructure (PKI) which will be instrumental in making this a reality. In the absence of an enterprise program, individual programs will implement security independently and at differing levels of assurance; an enterprise program provides a cohesive security umbrella, ensuring that security efforts meet a consistent security policy, are adequate, and are cost-effective. A PKI will enable users, including State employees, agencies, business partners, and citizens, to conduct business with the State in an effective, safe, and secure manner. Critical information will be available to authorized users when needed, and it will be protected from disclosure and unauthorized change.

The Kassebaum-Kennedy Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 was signed into law on August 21, 1996. This project would update the state's Medicaid related systems to be compliant with the new regulations.

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Data sharing across agencies is limited or non-existent because the computer systems were designed in isolation, not realizing the benefits that could be accrued from sharing data. The Enterprise Data Warehouse provides a platform for storing the data collected by different agencies in a common format that encourages sharing information while continuing to insure the confidentiality and security of the information.

The existing child support system (ICAR) was implemented in 1986. The system has been frequently modified through the years to comply with changing federal and state requirements. The complexity and large size of the system make additional changes difficult. Funds are being requested to evaluate the current system and to design a new system which best serves the needs of ICAR.

The FCC has mandated that public broadcasters change to a digital TV broadcast by May 1, 2003. This change will provide Iowans with many benefits:  Iowa Public Television will have the ability to deliver a high definition signal to its audience (HDTV) or four channels of regular programs. Prime-time broadcasts of high definition programs will have pictures presented in wide-screen format with concert hall sound clarity. The ability to switch between HDTV broadcasts and regular TV broadcasts allows IPTV to expand into four channels in the daytime - simultaneously providing programs to meet the needs of preschoolers, seniors and lifelong learners - each on their own channel. In addition, interactive learning tools can be delivered right to the television, giving unlimited educational opportunities and offering students a way to be actively engaged in content.

The proposal would allow the agency to extend its successful implementation of e-services in the area of Electronic Tax Administration. The areas begun in FY 01 continue to be the principal areas of focus in FY 02 and FY 03. They are:

• Encouraging Electronic Filing of Tax Returns and Payments
• Providing Customers with Electronic Access and Transaction Services
• Integration of Existing Legacy Applications to Facilitate Electronic Tax Administration
• Electronically Communicating with Customers

Chapter 8D Code of Iowa, created the ICN to provide equal educational resources to all Iowans. The current level of use of the Network's services has exceeded the Network's capacity and the Network's optical equipment is at the end of its life span. This leads to rationing of services and increased outages. This project would complete the previously begun upgrade to the Network and allow the Network to continue serving Iowans.

Provide a recovery site to restore critical state business functions within prescribed time limits, dictated by laws, regulations and service level agreements. By obtaining a hot site contract from a vendor that specializes in emergency recovery, ITD is able to provide replacement IT-related services in a brief time period for critical business functions in the event of a major outage in the primary system.

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