R499--Request for Information Digital GI Bill Automation and Modernization

atform from its current Managed Service Vendor to VA-owned/managed infrastructure, and continue advancing automation across DGIB's claims processing capabilities. The Government aims to transform the DGIB ecosystem into a secure, scalable, cloud-based enterprise platform. This platform will facilitate comprehensive claims processing, optimize automation where feasible, lessen dependence on outdated systems, improve the experiences of both Veterans and employees, and offer the adaptability needed for future legislative, policy, and technological shifts. Through this Request for Information (RFI), the VA is seeking insights from industry on the most effective technical and acquisition strategies to reach this goal. This includes suggestions on solution architecture, implementation plans, and contract frameworks. This is an RFI issued for conducting market research and for eliciting industry input as to the Government s requirement for DGIB and Education Services Automation and Modernization. This RFI constitutes neither a Request for Proposal/Quote (RFP/RFQ) nor a guarantee that one will ever be issued by the Government; furthermore, it does not commit the Government to contract for any services described herein. Please do not include a price or proposal in your response. The VA is not, at this time, seeking proposals or quotes, and therefore will not accept, review, or evaluate unsolicited proposals or quotes received in response hereto. This notice is not to be construed as a commitment on the part of the Government to award a contract/order, nor does the Government intend to pay for any information submitted because of this request. The Government does not reimburse respondents for any costs associated with the submission of the information being requested, or reimburse expenses incurred for responses to this RFI. Please do not include pricing information in your response. The information provided may be used by VA in developing its acquisition strategy and Performance Work Statement (PWS). Not responding to this RFI does not preclude participation in any future RFP/RFQ, if issued. Any information submitted by respondents to this RFI is strictly voluntary; however, any information received shall become the property of the Government and will not be returned to the respondent. Interested parties are responsible for adequately marking proprietary, restricted, or competition sensitive information contained in their response. This is a request for information and does not obligate the Government in any way, nor does it commit the Government to any specific course of action. RFI responses will not be evaluated for technical merit and will not provide any competitive advantage in any potential future procurements. NAICS Code: VA is considering NAICS 541512 (Computer Systems Design Services). Industry feedback on NAICS capability is welcome. Background: The DGIB program administers education benefits under Chapters 30, 33, 35, and 1606 of Title 38, U.S. Code, serving Veterans, servicemembers, and their dependents annually. The program processes more than $12 billion in education benefits each year and represents one of VA's most mission-critical technology platforms. What is a claim ? In the DGIB context, a claim is a request submitted by a Veteran, servicemember, or eligible dependent for determination and/or payment of education benefits under Title 38, U.S. Code. There are two types of claims: Original Claim The initial application or request for benefits the first entry point into education benefits. Based on the specific benefit being applied for, eligibility rules are run to validate service history, eligibility, and entitlement. This results in one of two decisions: Certificate of Eligibility (COE), or a denial Supplemental Claim Every action that occurs after an Original Claim has been established. Supplemental claims can include additional eligibility information, enrollment certification from a school or training provider, or any other type of follow-on request. These result in a determination of eligibility (benefit level, payment rates, etc.) award, and/or disbursement of payment. Claim Cycle (for DGIB purposes) A claim cycle begins at the entry point of an application or supplemental action item using either My Education Benefits (MEB) or Enrollment Manager (EM) for enrollment certifications and ends at successful delivery of payment information to VA's payment processing system, eMPWR. All claims received, via MEB or EM, are processed through one of two systems: the Digital GI Bill Ch33 Processing System for Chapter 33 claims or Benefits Manager (BM) for all non-Chapter 33 claims. Regardless of which system processes the claim, each benefit chapter has its own distinct rules governing eligibility and payment determinations. Claims may be resolved through full end-to-end (E2E) automation, partial automation, or manual adjudication by a Veteran Claims Examiner (VCE). Automation levels for claims are defined as: Automated Claim: A claim received, processed and authorized by automated adjudication without any human intervention. Partially Automated Claim: A claim where automation initiates the claim, applies processing rules, but must be authorized manually (by a human). Manual Claim: A claim received or generated outside of DGIB (EM or MEB) and created and authorized by manual adjudication. The current DGIB operating environment relies on a Managed Service Vendor (MSV) responsible for application development, infrastructure hosting, and operations and maintenance across a complex, mature platform that includes 700+ repositories, 50+ databases (Oracle 19C, PostgreSQL 14, Amazon Redshift, DynamoDB), and extensive CI/CD infrastructure. Other current systems configuration includes: 76 EC2 compute instances (Windows Server and Red Hat Enterprise Linux), 590+ compiled software artifacts� , 30+ S3 object storage buckets� and 90+ vendor, open-source, and hardware licenses. The system currently holds an active Authority to Operate (ATO) in a vendor-managed AWS GovCloud environment. VBA is conducting market research to modernize, migrate, and enhance the DGIB platform in alignment with VA's cloud-first strategy and broader enterprise modernization goals. VBA is exploring five primary capability areas, described in the Requirement section below, and is seeking industry input to inform its evaluation of potential approaches. Current Systems The DGIB ecosystem consists of legacy systems slated for replacement and modern systems built to replace them but not yet at full operational capability. DGIB processes more than $12 billion in education benefits annually. Automation rates vary by chapter and have improved meaningfully year-over-year, with an overall automation rate of approximately 60% across all benefit chapters. Automated claims are resolved in approximately one day across all chapters, compared to 9.5 18.7 days for manually adjudicated claims, depending on chapter. Quality across both pathways have an overall automation quality rate of 95+%. Systems Being Replaced (Legacy) The Image Management System (TIMS) Legacy claims processing queue and work-assignment tool. Used by Veteran Claims Examiners to receive, prioritize, and work claims. Function to be replaced by Workload Manager. Web Enabled Approval Management System (WEAMS) Legacy system supporting school an