Defense
GovExec Daily: How VA Is – and Isn't – Supporting Its Personnel During the Pandemic
Eric Katz joins the program to talk about the ways that Veterans Affairs employees feel management has backed them up while treating coronavirus patients.
Workforce
VA Instructs Coronavirus-Exposed Staff to Continue Working, Places Those Who Don’t in AWOL Status
"This is the absolute worst-case scenario of anything I have ever experienced in my nursing career," according to one registered nurse.
Management
Agencies Can Launch Retaliatory Investigations Into Whistleblowers, Court Rules
Ruling sets a new governmentwide precedent.
Workforce
Three VA Health Workers Have Died of COVID-19. 776 Have Tested Positive.
After workers reported shortages of tests, masks and gloves, VA health staff in Detroit; Ann Arbor, Michigan; and Indianapolis have died of COVID-19. Almost 800 have tested positive.
Workforce
VA Looks to Boost Hiring to Confront Coronavirus as Employees Decry Shortfalls
Medical staff only able to provide "subpar care" to patients under current circumstances, one nurse says.
Workforce
Court Deals Major Blow to Trump's Signature Civil Service Reform Law
Ruling will put "structure" and "safeguards" in place for employee discipline law, attorney says.
Management
This VA Hospital Cited 'Misleading' Data to Restrict Mask Use for Health Care Workers
Workers at a VA hospital in New Mexico have been told not to wear face masks in certain cases, even though earlier CDC guidance said masks can protect against spread of the coronavirus.
Management
The Trump Administration Is Leaving the Nation’s Emergency Backup Hospital System on the Sidelines
Leaders at the Department of Veterans Affairs say they are ready to answer the call to assist HHS or FEMA. But the call has not come.
Management
With Coronavirus Cases Spiking, VA Struggles to Protect Employees and Screen Patients
Report finds testing, equipment and staffing shortfalls at VA facilities around the country.
Management
The VA Will Now Let Some Administrative Staff Work From Home
After New Mexico In Depth and ProPublica reported that the VA was not allowing telework, the agency reserved course. Some workers remain skeptical that the policy will be implemented.
Management
Understaffed Veterans Affairs Scrambles to Confront COVID-19
The nation’s largest integrated health care system has only limited protocols in place to protect elderly patients. Roughly half of the 9 million veterans who use the VA’s hospitals are at least 65 years old.
Management
As White House Expands 'Maximum Telework' Across the Country, Many Employees Fear They Are Unprotected
VA health care workers want protections, administrative judges want closures and employee groups want answers.
Pay & Benefits
Panel Pushes Measure to Allow VA Docs and Nurses to Negotiate Pay, Scheduling
The Veterans Affairs Department opposes the legislation, saying it would harm delivery of care to veterans.
Tech
GovExec Daily: The Future of 5G Hospitals
Nextgov's Brandi Vincent and Heather Kuldell explain to the podcast how the Veterans Affairs Department is looking to lead the way in health care technology.
Workforce
VA Secretary Under Investigation After Complaint He Looked for Dirt on a House Staffer Who Said She’d Been Assaulted
The agency’s internal watchdog told lawmakers about the probe after ProPublica unearthed the allegations against Secretary Robert Wilkie.
Management
Trump Endorsed a Risky Antidepressant for Veterans. Lawmakers Want to Know if His Mar-a-Lago Pals Had a Stake in the Drugmaker.
House Democrats requested emails and financial records as they investigate why the president told the VA to “corner the market” on a Johnson & Johnson drug.
Management
VA Secretary Looked for Dirt on a House Staffer Who Reported Sexual Assault in a VA Hospital, Complaint Says
VA chief Robert Wilkie called a House policy advisor’s assault allegation “unsubstantiated” even though an independent investigation found it was not.
Pay & Benefits
Senate Passes Bill to Provide Higher Pay to VA Execs
Measure also prevents department from having to collect compensation it already paid out.
Management
Bipartisan Bill Would Ease Process for Leasing and Building New VA Medical Facilities
Senators hope new staffing and less red tape would help VA stem cost overruns and delays that have plagued development of new medical centers.
Defense
Health is Veterans’ Biggest Challenge in First Year Home
A survey of almost 10,000 veterans shows that health concerns rank highest among worries for vets transitioning back to civilian life.
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