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.

Management

Lawmakers Accuse VA of Violating Bargaining Rules in Workforce Order Implementation

More than 70 House Democrats said the department must bargain with its union before it can implement President Trump’s controversial workforce executive orders.

Oversight

Special Counsel Alerts White House and Congress of ‘Significant Financial Mismanagement’ at VA

Findings include over $223 million in wasteful spending and delayed payments for veterans’ medical bills.

Workforce

VA Issues Eviction Notices to Unions at Its Facilities

Unions can keep office space if they pay their "fair share," VA says as it implements Trump's executive orders.

Tech

U.S. Vets Targeted by Foreign Actors Aiming to Sway Elections, Experts Tell Congress

Actors from Russia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Macedonia, and elsewhere gain access to online forums by impersonating vets they find online

Management

Bernie Sanders Announces Plans to Break Up Homeland Security Dept. and Expand VA

DHS is an aimless "bureaucratic behemoth," Sanders says, while VA is on a path toward privatization.

Defense

Viewpoint: How Best to Thank a Veteran? Avoid More Unjust Wars

A 2017 poll found that about half of Americans would support launching an unprovoked war on a country that poses no near-term threat.

Management

Union Decries VA Response to Lynched Doll Found in Staff Area of Louisiana Facility

Employees at the Overton Brooks VA Medical Center have questioned the finding that the person responsible was not an employee, given where the doll was located.

Management

Health Care Workers Wanted: a Veteran Needs You to Work at a VA Hospital

Americans say they love their veterans, but a sad fact has emerged that betrays that profession. Huge vacancies in VA medical centers means that veterans are not getting the health care they need.

Oversight

After Scathing Report, VA Faces Criticism for Not Improving Whistleblower Protection Office More Quickly

"I cannot in good faith direct them to your office," a top lawmaker tells the head of VA's whistleblower office.

Management

VA Office Meant to Protect Whistleblowers Actually Helped Retaliate Against Them, IG Finds

In a scathing report, VA's auditor says the office engaged in "misdeeds and missteps" and failed to discipline top execs.

Management

How Donald Trump Turned to a Comics Titan to Shape the VA

In a new book and an interview with ProPublica, former VA Secretary David Shulkin describes how Marvel Entertainment’s Ike Perlmutter and two associates with no government experience exerted influence over millions of veterans.

Oversight

Former VA Union Local Official Sentenced for Embezzlement

A former treasurer of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 331 pleaded guilty in May to stealing more than $80,000 from the union.