Workforce
VA Nurses Stage Demonstrations to Protest Understaffing
Employees are taking on more work than ever, causing burn out and high turnover. VA hopes new pay authorities will reverse that trend.
Workforce
A Union is Calling on the VA to Replace Its Chief Negotiator Following Trump-esque Bargaining Demands
Despite edicts from President Biden and VA Secretary Denis McDonough to establish more collaborative labor-management relations and empower labor groups, the department continues to push for a contract that closely mirrors the former president’s anti-union executive orders.
Tech
How the VA’s Adoption of Login.gov is Going
The agency is standing up in-person identity proofing to help veterans who struggle to go through the identity proofing process online because of a lack of connectivity or existing digital credentials.
Defense
VA Systems are Vulnerable to Cyber Intrusions Due to Lack of Effective Oversight, Report Says
The Department of Veterans Affairs Inspector General's office said the agency is "leaving its systems vulnerable to compromise by impostors who may gain access to protected information."
Pay & Benefits
After a Long Delay, Congress Approves a Bill to Provide Care to More Vets, Grow VA Workforce and Establish New Facilities
The measure to spend nearly $6 billion on new workforce incentives, while authorizing 31 new facilities, now heads to President Biden for his signature.
Oversight
‘These People Don’t Care’: U.S. Senate GOP Stalls Bill for Veterans Exposed to Burn Pits
Bipartisan legislation would expand health care and benefits to 3.5 million veterans exposed to toxic pits during deployments
Management
Medicinal Marijuana Research at Agencies Gets A Boost from Bipartisan Bill
The measure is likely to sail through the Senate and could give federal physicians more latitude in discussing medical cannabis with their patients.
Workforce
VA Touts Improvements But Warns of Challenges for Digital GI Bill Platform
The Veterans Benefits Administration is still relying on ‘many legacy IT systems” as part of its digital GI Bill platform, which officials said were causing challenges in keeping up with emerging technologies in congressional testimony on Wednesday.
Management
VA Vows to Modernize Its Health Care Network Even After Congress Moves to Defund Its Overhaul Plan
Secretary says the department will not start from scratch as it makes decisions on the future of its health care system, but instead will update data lawmakers criticized as flawed.
Management
VA Is 'Closely Watching' the Fate of Abortion Access as It Weighs Offering the Service
The leader of the largest hospital network in the country says he has the authority to change the department's policy.
Workforce
Disability Compensation May Improve Veterans’ Health
Eligibility for disability compensation is associated with substantial reductions in hospitalizations among Vietnam-era military veterans
Workforce
VA Has Disciplined 74 Employees Related to Its COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate
One of the few agencies still enforcing the vaccine requirement has fired very few workers as a result.
Workforce
Staffing Shortages Are Growing Worse at VA After Years of Improvement
The department cited the pandemic and union obligations for its issues.
Management
Senators Spike a Plan to Close Hundreds of VA Facilities and Displace Thousands of Workers
The bipartisan group won't allow votes on nominees to serve on a controversial commission.
Workforce
Lawmakers Look to Strip a Maligned Whistleblower Protection Office of Key Powers
Leaders insist the office is turning a corner, but lawmakers and advocates say its structure is fundamentally flawed and in need of reform.
Oversight
Agency Doesn’t Have to Reconsider Benefits Decisions After Misinterpreting the Law, Supreme Court Rules
Opponents call it "inexcusable" to deny a veteran a new hearing after VA admitted it made a mistake.
Defense
Black and Hispanic Vet Mental Health Improved after Obama’s Election
After the presidential election of Barack Obama, Black and Hispanic veterans, on average, experienced about two fewer poor mental health days a month.
Workforce
Congress Closes in on a Nearly $7B Investment in the VA Workforce and New Facilities
Pay raises, student loan repayment and new recruiting tools are part of the sweeping package as lawmakers prepare VA for a surge of new patients.
Oversight
Lawmakers Grill VA Tech Officials Over Stalled Progress on Cybersecurity
Top cyber officials with the Department of Veterans Affairs told Congress they are opposed to a bipartisan bill seeking to strengthen the agency’s cybersecurity standards—despite its ongoing failures to meet oversight recommendations.
Oversight
A New Law Will Make It Harder to Escape Investigation By Leaving Federal Service
The measure will allow the Veterans Affairs Department IG to subpoena former feds and contractors.
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