1. WorldVistA never previously charged for
membership or for conferences. Why has this changed?
While every effort is made to
minimize the cost of organizing and staging WorldVistA conferences,
and other WorldVistA activities, there are fixed and variable costs
which must be paid. With the significant growth in interest in VistA
and expanding scope of VistA Community Meetings, continuing to rely
on donations and the generosity of WorldVistA’s Officers and
Directors to cover these costs is no longer feasible.
2. Do I need to be a member to be able to use
the software?
Any software whose development is
funded by WorldVistA will be FLOSS (Free/Libr and Open Source
Software). You will not need to be a member to access or use such
software
When software is not funded by
WorldVistA, we will encourage the funding organization to make it
available as FLOSS, but ultimately the decision of the funding
organization will determine the terms of usage.
3. I previously became a member of WorldVistA.
Do I still need to pay a membership fee?
Yes, the annual membership fee is
US$100.
4. It is difficult for me to afford the
membership and conference fees. Can I get some relief?
Perhaps. If you are on limited
income (retired, a full-time student, unemployed, a Government
employee, or a resident of a less developed country), your annual
membership fee is US$50. Please contact Nancy Anthracite (nancy at worldvista dot org) to request the
reduced rate.
Since there are costs associated
with organizing the conference, we are unable to discount the
conference rate (but see below).
If membership and/or conference
registration would be a difficult financial burden for any reason
(whether or not you are in one of the limited income categories
above) and you are a personal contributor to the advancement
of VistA in the community, please contact Nancy Anthracite
(nancy at worldvista dot org). The Officers and Directors have
budgeted funds from which she can reimburse you. By using this
mechanism, only Nancy, and one other person from the WorldVistA
Board, who will need to audit Nancy’s use of the funds and who will
not be associated with the VA, will know who you are. You should
contact her in advance before paying your membership and registering
for the conference.
Since
there is a limited budget for relief, please contact Nancy as soon as
possible if you would like assistance.