HHS replaces COBOL-based payroll system

The deployment of the new cloud-based system came after eight months of collaboration between HHS, the Federal Aviation Administration and the Defense Finance and Accounting Service.

The Department of Health and Human Services has successfully replaced an outdated, COBOL-based payroll system “with a secure, cloud-based platform that reduces administrative burden and improves service delivery,” the agency announced on Wednesday. 

HHS said the new platform is the culmination of an eight-month partnership with the Federal Aviation Administration and the Defense Finance and Accounting Service to transition away from the legacy system. COBOL is a computer programming language that is often considered antiquated, despite the coding continuing to underpin many federal government systems.

In a press release, the agency said it worked with the FAA to analyze “complex business logic and mapped system dependencies,” while end-to-end testing was conducted with the FAA, DFAS and internal HHS teams. HHS said it led the ...