Management

‘Historic agreement’ reached between VA and Cherokee Nation to expand veterans care in Oklahoma

The clinic, which will serve both non-Native and Indigenous veterans, is expected to open early next year.

News

Jordan’s bid to be House speaker ends after rejection by GOP in closed meeting

The closed-door meeting came after Rep. Jim Jordan’s third attempt to win sufficient support from Republicans, who hold a slim majority in the House.

Workforce

If Sen. Ernst thinks veterans are fraudsters, she couldn't be more wrong

COMMENTARY | Criticism regarding potential inefficiencies or shortcomings in teleworking policies should be directed at the policy or system, not the workers who operate within the guidelines provided, writes one veteran.

Workforce

Despite hiring efforts, 92% of VA facilities report severe nursing shortages

While the department has made strides filling vacancies, VA's health care centers are struggling to find candidates in occupations across their workforces.

Defense

PACT Act in one year aided 340,000 ailing veterans and survivors, Biden says

The act expands health care eligibility for up to 3.5 million post-9/11 veterans, and for those who served during the Vietnam and Cold War eras.

Defense

VA extends PACT Act filing deadline after website glitches

The Veterans Affairs Department is giving eligible veterans an extra week to announce their intention to submit claims under a law that expands benefits for exposure to toxic substances.

Defense

'High volume’ of last-minute PACT Act submissions caused tech glitches, VA says

Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough stressed that no veteran or survivor who received an error message “will miss out on a single day of benefits due to this issue.”

Workforce

VA, AFGE celebrate ‘best union contract’ in federal government

After six years of often acrimonious negotiations, the Veterans Affairs Department and the nation’s largest federal employee union on Tuesday signed a new collective bargaining agreement.

Defense

Women and LGBTQ+ veterans say VA facilities ‘weren’t built with us in mind’

Women veterans are less likely to go to Veterans Affairs hospitals for health care due to harassment, stigma and a lack of resources and services.

Defense

Veterans exposed to burn pits, toxins urged to apply for retroactive benefits

Nearly a year ago, President Joe Biden signed the PACT Act, a law supporters describe as the largest expansion of veteran benefits in U.S. history.

Oversight

Fixing accountability first: Another look at the Restore VA Accountability Act

COMMENTARY | If we really want to rid the VA (and the rest of the federal civil service) of poor performers, we need to find a middle ground between making every employee “at will” and defaulting to today’s status quo. 

Management

House spending bill for the VA renews fight over abortion access, transgender care

Legislation would bar Biden administration from closing Guantánamo Bay detention facility in Cuba.

Workforce

Measure to hasten firing of VA employees advances

The Biden administration has warned the new procedures are unnecessary and would only complicate the disciplinary process.

Tech

VA opposed to new electronic health record requirements, but open to more major acquisition review 

VA officials told lawmakers Wednesday that they oppose proposed oversight standards for the department’s new electronic health record modernization program.

Workforce

Biden administration to Congress: Don't give us more authority to fire people

Legal hurdles to already failed approaches would only complicate the disciplinary process, officials say.

Oversight

As veteran disability claims soar, unaccredited coaches profit off frustration with the VA system

Austin, Texas-based VA Claims Insider says it has helped hundreds of thousands of clients. It has also touched off complaints and investigations.

Workforce

Republican leaders take another shot at easing the firing process for VA workers

Previous efforts to speed up firing at VA have fallen flat, but lawmakers are launching a new, bipartisan effort.