Management
VA Launches Competition to Boost Gun Safety, Other Suicide Prevention Ideas
Winners of the "marketplace for innovation" will receive $3 million.
Workforce
As Turnover Soars, Most VA Employees Say They Were Not Emotionally Supported During the Pandemic
Front-line staff were largely unaware of VA's offerings to support employee well-being, new survey finds.
Workforce
VA Downplays Its Role at the Border Amid Backlash, But Defends Potential Deployments
Republican lawmakers say tapping VA resources to confront any crisis would harm veterans.
Pay & Benefits
Agencies Ease Disability Benefits Rules for Feds, and More
A weekly roundup of pay and benefits news.
Management
VA Has Been Dinged By Its Watchdog Over Project Management Woes
The multibillion electronic health records modernization project at the Veterans Affairs Department needs to improve scheduling and coordination, according to a critical report from the agency's inspector general.
Pay & Benefits
VA Will Provide Presumptive Disability Coverage to Vets with Respiratory Cancers
Veterans who have developed any number of nine rare cancers associated with burn pits will no longer have to prove that their conditions were caused during their service overseas.
Workforce
VA Has Fired Just Six Employees Over Its COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate
The department was carved out from an injunction on Biden's governmentwide mandate, offering a preview of how the soon-to-be-resumed requirement may play out.
Defense
Aviator Cancer Bill Would Push VA to Study Toxins Air Crews Faced, Assess Links to Cancers
Ground crew and flight crew cancers would be reviewed. So would the fuels, chemicals, and emissions they were exposed to.
Oversight
Years After Scandal, the VA Is Still Reporting Misleading Medical Appointment Wait Times for Veterans
The department is not "clearly and accurately presenting" how long patients wait for appointments, IG says.
Management
'It's Life Shattering:' Employees and Lawmakers Denounce VA's Efforts to Shutter Facilities
The department is telling employees not to panic, but the message is not getting through.
Tech
VA Begins Deploying Its New Electronic Healthcare System In Washington
After years of bureaucratic backlog, the VA is working to stand up the EHR system in two hospital clinics by the end of April.
Workforce
Another Agency Calls Employees Back to the Office, but is Not Asking Them to Work There Full Time
“We’ve got a lot more to do to invest in our workforce,” a top official says.
Pay & Benefits
The VA Aims to Boost Pay for More Workers, Retain Employees at Facilities It Wants to Close
Congress just approved increases to top-level pay for some staff.
Management
The VA Proposes Closing a Dozen Hospitals, and Using Pay to Attract Workers to New Locations
Department also recommends closing 172 outpatient clinics, though it would build new nursing homes, hospitals and other health care facilities as well.
Management
VA to Propose Closing Some Medical Centers and Outpatient Facilities
While Secretary Denis McDonough says VA will seek to maintain jobs, the union blasts the department's plan as privatization.
Workforce
Lawmakers Eye Rolling Back Controversial VA Workforce Law, As the Department and Union Begin Negotiations
A bipartisan bill would effectively take two portions of the 2017 VA Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act that were nullified by federal courts off the books.
Workforce
Unions are Urging the VA to Better Educate Employees About Their Rights Under COVID Law
Although Congress has approved a number of measures to help federal workers stay safe during the pandemic, labor groups say the Veterans Affairs Department has not adequately trained employees on those benefits.
Tech
Vista Modernization Still a Priority at VA, but Funding Is a Question
Two instances of the homegrown electronic health record have been moved to the cloud as part of a pilot project, but it's not clear if funding or support exists for more cloud migration as VA transitions to a commercial electronic health record.
Pay & Benefits
The VA Wants to Help Native American Vets Better Access Their Benefits
As of October 2021, there were about 160,000 American Indians/Native Hawaiians/Alaska Natives veterans nationwide, according to VA officials.
Pay & Benefits
Better Bonuses and Child Care Subsidies Are Coming to VA Employees
On Wednesday, Secretary Denis McDonough announced new steps to hire and retain workers amid unusually high turnover.
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