Agencies Address Y2K Issues
Employment and Training Administration
200 Constitution Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20210
May 18, 1999
Mr. Mark A Ivener
Ivener & Holt
11601 Wilshire Boulevard, #1430
Los Angeles, CA 90025
Dear Mr. Ivener:
In response to your letter of March 10 to James Norris, I am responding on Year 2000 Status of ETA's Allen Labor Certification Processing System. I apologize for the delay in responding in responding. In order of the questions asked, the responses are:
Q. What is the DOL doing to prepare its computers for the Year 2000?
A. ETA is repairing or replacing all computer equipment to be Year 2000 compliant. This equipment repair/replacement will be complete within the next few months. All Mission Critical Applications have been repaired or replaced for Year 2000.
Q. What is the anticipated impact of the Year 2000 computer problem on the DOL affecting LCAs and Labor Certifications?
A. ETA has replaced the system to process LCAs, permanent and temporary labor certification applications. This was completed in May 1998 and has been processing dates correctly.
Q. How can AILA be satisfied that the DOL will be ready on time?
A. ETA has been using the Year 2000 compliant system for the past year in all 10 regions and processing the dates appropriately. An Independent Validation and Verification of the system was required by the Department and has been completed.
Q. What is the DOL's schedule for fixing and testing its systems?
A. The OMB deadline for completing all Year 2000 related work on Mission Critical Systems was March 31, 1999. All Department of Labor Mission Critical Systems Year 2000 works was completed on schedule.
Q. What progress has been made on this schedule thus far?
A. All of ETA's Mission Critical Systems are now Year 2000 compliant. The Alien Certification System was completed and in full production as of May 1998.
Q. Are copies of this schedule available for review?
A. The work is complete and schedules are no longer maintained.
Q. Can I receive a recent DOL report or other public statement in which the DOL discusses its approach to the Year 2000 problem?
A. The following Internet site contains information on the Department of Labor's mission critical systems: http://www.dol.gov/dol/cio/public/programs/y2k/testmony.htm
Q What assurances does AILA have that LCAs and Labor Certifications will not be affected by the year 2000 problem?
A. The Year 2000 problem became an issue two years ago in the AC System, replacement system addressed the problem and is working well now. We do not anticipate anything within ETA's control to adversely affect it.
Q. What contingency plans have you established in the event of DOL's computers are not fixed on time?
A. Contingency plans are now in place for all ETA systems. These will continue to be refined and tested as we get closer to January 2000.
Q. What is the current estimated completion date for the DOL to fix its Year 2000 problems?
A. The system that process the LCAs and Labor Certification was compliant in May 1998.
I hope this answer's all your questions.
Sincerely,
BRUCE EANET
U.S. Department of Justice
Immigration and Naturalization Service
HQIRM40/3
Office of the Commissioner
425 I Street NW
Washington, DC 20536
MAY 14 1999
Mr. Mark A. Ivener
Attorney at Law
IVENER & HOLT
11601 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 1430
Los Angeles, CA 90025
Dear Mr. Ivener:
The Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) takes the Year 2000 problem very seriously. We have had an active Year 2000 program for a number of years and have followed the Year 2000 phases of awareness, assessment, renovation, validation, and implementation to assure our mission-critical systems are ready. In January, the INS completed the implementation phase for mission-critical systems, leaving a full calendar year to identify any problems with renovated systems.
I have enclosed a copy of the questions you provided with our responses. If you have any further questions, please contact Jeffrey Weber, our Senior Year 2000 Official, at (202) 514-3206 or Virginia McKinney, our Office of Information Resources Management Year 2000 Project Manager, at (202) 616-9628.
Sincerely
Doris Meissner Commissioner
Enclosure
Year 2000 Questions and Responses
1. What is the INS doing to prepare its computers for the Year 2000?
While INS began efforts in 1990 to assure INS systems would be ready for the Year 2000, it started full awareness and assessment phases in 1995. We have continued to follow industry standard guidelines and Year 2000 phases, completing implementation of mission-critical Year 2000 compliant systems in January. The INS' wide area network is compliant, and local area networks and workstations will be updated by July 1999, providing an infrastructure to support renovated and compliant systems.
2. What is the anticipated impact of the Year 2000 computer problem on INS affecting Immigrant and Nonimmigrant Visas?
The INS Year 2000 program is addressing all mission-critical systems that may be affected by the Year 2000. Systems that INS uses to process information from Immigrant and Nonimmigrant Visas have been renovated, validated and implemented as Year 2000 compliant systems. Contingency plans have been created for all INS mission-critical systems to address the processes that will be implemented to assure continuity of business processes in the unlikely event of a Year 2000 failure.
3. How can AILA be satisfied that INS will be ready on time?
The INS has already completed the renovation, validation, and implementation of mission-critical systems. The Department of Justice has contracted with an Independent Validation and Verification (IV and V) contractor to review Departmental efforts. The IV and V contractor oversight provides an extra measure of assurance as INS' validation results and contingency plans are reviewed and recommendations for improvements are provided.
4. What is INS' schedule for fixing and testing its systems?
The INS has completed fixing and testing its systems within the Department of Justice guidelines, which required implementation of Year 2000 compliant systems by January 1999.
5. What progress has been made on this schedule thus far?
The INS has successfully completed its schedule for fixing and testing its systems.
6. Are copies of this schedule available for review?
The INS reports quarterly progress to the Department of Justice for submission to the Office of Management and Budget. The quarterly reports for all Government agencies are posted on the Government CIO site, WWW.CIO.GOV.
7. Can I receive a recent INS report or other public statement in which INS discusses its approach to the Year 2000 problem?
The INS approach is to fix systems to operate properly into, during, and beyond the Year 2000.
8. What assurance does AILA have that Immigrant and Nonimmigrant Visas will not be affected by the Year 2000 problem?
The INS is committed to providing systems that are Year 2000 compliant. The INS systems that process Immigrant and Nonimmigrant Visa data have been implemented as Year 2000 compliant systems. The INS will continue to work with data exchange partners such as the Department of State, which issues Immigrant Visas, to provide Year 2000 compliant data exchanges.
9. What contingency plans have you established in the event INS' computers are not fixed in time?
The INS systems, which include the computers that run the systems, have already been fixed. While all of INS' workstations and local area networks (LANs) are not yet fixed, the planned date for them to be fixed is July 1999. Even if these fixes are not completed by July 1999, it will not affect INS' ability to run mission-critical systems, as the fixes are related to system administration reporting and voice mail message retention. Contingency plans have been created for all mission critical systems in the event any component of a system fails.
10. What is the current estimated completion date for INS to fix its Year 2000 problems?
The INS has already fixed and implemented its Year 2000 problems for its mission-critical systems.
United States Department of State
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Visa Services
Washington, D.C. 20522-0113
>
April 16, 1999
Mr. Mark A. Ivener
Ivener & Holt
11601 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 1430
Los Angeles, CA 90025
Dear Mr. Ivener:
Thank you for your letter of March 10 letter in which you raise a number of questions regarding the State Department's Y2K efforts in preparation for a presentation you will make at the June AILA conference. For easy reference purposes, our responses are keyed to the list of questions you posed in your letter.
Q1. What is the State Department doing to prepare its computers for the year 2000?
State Department management has made Y2K a top priority, and considerable effort is being devoted to ensuring the Department is ready for the next millennium. All mission critical systems (which include our Immigrant and Non Immigrant systems) have undergone extensive Y2K remediation and testing. The test procedures and results are reviewed by the Y2K program management office, and then the systems are certified in a process that includes the Department's chief information officer (CIO) and the Office of the Inspector General. It should be also noted that in order to ensure that adequate resources are devoted to the Y2Keffort, the Undersecretary for Management has placed a moratorium on all new non-Y2K software development, and our IT resources are focused upon making the Department's systems ready.
Q2. What is the anticipated impact of the year 2000 computer problem on the State Department's processing of immigrant and nonimmigrant visas?
Systems processing both immigrant and nonimmigrant visas are ready for the year 2000. However, we cannot preclude an impact from outside sources, i.e., in countries whose infrastructure experiences Y2K failures. For example, if a country loses electricity or water, the Department may be unable to process other than emergency visas until the problems are fixed.
Q3. How can AILA be satisfied that the State Department will be ready on time?
This is a top Department priority and we are confident the measures we are taking, as described, will ensure we will be ready on time.
Q4. What is the State Department's schedule for fixing and testing its systems?
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) set a target date of March 31 for mission critical systems to be corrected and implemented. Almost all visa processing systems overseas already have Y2K compliant software. This software has been fully tested and is now being certified. The vast majority of our posts abroad have been completed. A few, because of logistical or other factors outside our control have slipped, but we anticipate all to be completed by July 1.
Q5. What progress has been made on this schedule thus far?
All systems have been successfully tested, and the certification package prepared. The vast majority of our posts have new, Y2K compliant software installed, and the remaining are scheduled for completion prior to July 1.
Q6. Are copies of this schedule available for review?
No, the schedule is an internal document.
Q7. Can I receive a recent State Department report or other public statement in which the Department discusses its approach to the year 2000 problem?
Both OMB and Congress monitor the Department's Y2K progress, and do issue press releases. When reviewing these public statements, one should be careful to distinguish processing of visas from other State Department applications which may not be as far along in the Y2K process as is the Bureau of Consular Affairs. I am also enclosing recent testimony before Congress by the Undersecretary for Management describing the Department's approach to the year 2000 problem.
Q8. What assurances does AILA have that immigrant and nonimmigrant visa processing will not be affected by the year 2000 problem?
With an issue as large and complex as this there can never be 100% assurance. As noted in Q3, the Department cannot preclude possible failures from outside causes. However we are confident that the Bureau of Consular Affairs will be ready.
Q9. What contingency plans have you established in the event the Department's computers are not fixed in time?
Although we are confident our systems are compliant, as part of the certification process, each major system must have a documented contingency plan. We will have our IT staff on full alert and ready to address any Y2K issues that emerge. Because of possible problems with host-country infrastructures, contingency planning includes -- in the worst case -- manual processing and issuing only emergency waiver letters.
Q 10. What is the current estimated completion date for the State Department to fix its year 2000 problems?
We have substantially met the OMB March 31 target for Y2K compliance and implementation. During the next several months we will accomplish more extensive "end-to-end" testing, a few minor system upgrades, fine tuning of our contingency plans, and other actions to ensure total Y2K compliance.
I hope that the above is useful to you in preparing your presentation.
Sincerely,
Nancy H. Sambaiew
Enclosure: as stated
EXCERPT FROM PAGES 6, 7, and 8
Testimony of Under Secretary of State for Management
Bonnie R. Cohen
and
Assistant Secretary of State for Administration
Patrick Kennedy
Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, State and the Judiciary
House Appropriations Committee
April 14,1999
Y2K and Information Technology
Turning to the Y2K issue, let me first say, the Department of State will be ready for Year 2000. And in stating this, we appreciate the emergency funding the Congress has approved to help us do so.
Year 2000 readiness is one of our top priorities and the highest levels in the Department are actively involved in its management. Secretary Albright has raised the Y2K issue with foreign leaders and will continue to do so. We are confident of our progress and in particular, I would highlight the following:
- By the Administration's deadline of March 31, 1999 for implementation of mission critical systems, 56 of the Department's 59 mission critical systems (95%) were renovated, tested and validated as Y2K compliant, with 53 of these systems being implemented worldwide. The Department expects to have 100% of its mission critical systems implemented by May 15, 1999.
- In its February report on federal agencies, OMB recognized the increasingly improved results for the Department's Y2K program by raising us from Tier 1 (inadequate progress) to Tier 2 (progress but still some concerns). It also cited State for progress in other areas and our leadership role in providing Y2K support to U.S. operations overseas. OMB noted the risks faced by State and other agencies because of the complexity and scope of international Y2K problems.
- The Department's internal telecommunications, building facilities and embedded systems have been checked, and non-Y2K compliant components have been replaced. The command and control communications systems now in use are compliant and have been tested. In addition, core financial systems are compliant and in production.
- The Department is issuing passports at the National Passport Center in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, with a new compliant system that uses a more secure photodigitization process. This system will be installed in our New Orleans Passport Agency in April. Together, the New Orleans and Portsmouth centers account for over 40% of all passports issued. The Department of State has been issuing passports that expire in 2000 since 1990.
- The systems that are used to issue visas and to support services for American citizens traveling or residing abroad are compliant and being used at all embassies and consulates.
- In addition, we have completed installation of our large-scale infrastructure modernization program, A Logical Modernization Approach (ALMA), in over 86% of our overseas missions. ALMA is the Department's worldwide standardization of unclassified computers to replace obsolete systems and software, including email. When we complete ALMA deployment in June 1999, 229 of our overseas missions will have modem, Y2K compliant computer systems in place.
- The 24 systems the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency (ACDA) had identified as mission critical are all reported to be compliant and implemented.
As of today, a Department-wide moratorium on information technology systems development not related to Y2K solutions has resulted in deferring 26 such projects. On March 16, 1999, 1 extended this moratorium to changes proposed for operating systems, effective July 1, and applications, effective September 1, until Year 2000 is behind us. This will stabilize the operating environment and allow us to focus our attention on additional testing of systems and business continuity and contingency plans.
Moreover, because of possible risks to our own operations from internal and external sector failures, we are developing business continuity and contingency plans, reflecting the Department's responsibilities both domestically and overseas. To do so, we are taking the following initiatives.
- The Department has already issued its first Y2K Public Announcement on travel, alerting American citizens to be aware of potential problems.
- Each of our embassies is assessing its host country's vulnerability and readiness for Y2K. In coordination with the National Intelligence Council (NIC), those assessments will be analyzed with other reports to compile an overall picture of countries and sectors at risk. That analysis should be complete in May.
The President's Council on Y2K and the NSC have established an Interagency Y2K Working Group, co-chaired by the Departments of State and Defense. The IWG's
goals are to:
* Identify in which countries and which sectors Y2K problems might significantly affect U.S. interests or create humanitarian crises;
* Develop policy options to address to issues;
* Assign the action agency to implement that policy.
There are restraints. We have limited time, limited resources, and limited knowledge of what will actually happen. And to be realistic, the United States is not going to solve the world's Y2K problems. However, through this Working Group we will do our best to deal with the situation.
I also brought with me today a toolkit which each of our embassies is using to develop contingency plans. Each Chief of Mission will certify by April 16th that his/her plan is complete - that it ensures the safety and security of staff and dependents, the protection of U.S. citizens residing in or traveling to the host country, and the continuity of critical mission functions.
We are also establishing an Emergency Response Y2K Task Force to supplement our existing response capability in case of serious infrastructure failures.
The Department is enhancing information systems security by upgrading our information technology (IT) security infrastructures, deploying new network intrusion detection and response capabilities, and investing in additional training to improve our employees' awareness and skill in maintaining computer security. Our improved security posture is reflected in the significant progress we have made in correcting the problems identified in the most recent GAO audit of our unclassified network. We are in the process of implementing an aggressive certification and accreditation process to ensure that the security anomalies identified by the GAO report have been and remain resolved as reported.
Here I note a unique aspect of the Department's IT infrastructure. Because of our concern for the security and integrity of diplomatic communications, we must maintain two separate world-wide networks -- one classified and one unclassified. This is expensive but necessary until reliable modem multilevel security systems are invented.