Oversight

Remember the Veterans Health Care Crisis?

Here's what Congress needs to do to push reform legislation over the final hump before campaign season hits.

Oversight

Boehner Defends Plans to Sue Obama Over Executive Power

Democrats call it an election-year ploy.

Nextgov

Pro-Russian Hackers Mug Key Ukrainian Bank

Cyber Berkut allegedly published customer data from PrivatBank, co-owned by the pro-government Dnipropetrovsk region's governor.

Nextgov

Syrian Electronic Army Spreads False Rumors of Israel Nuclear Leak

Pro-Assad hacktivists usurped the Israeli Army’s Twitter feed to post a potentially volatile message.

Retirement

OPM cuts retirement claims backlog

The Office of Personnel Management continued to reduce its retirement claims backlog in June, processing more claims in the month than it had forecast, according to the agency's latest progress report.

Employee Policy

OIG says USPS needs better oversight of travel card usage

U.S. Postal Service travel card coordinators need to more carefully monitor the purchases and cash advances employees charge to the cards, according to a report from the USPS Office of Inspector General.

Benefits

VA contacts 140,000 vets

The Department of Veterans Affairs late last week released its latest twice-monthly report on veterans' access to health care at VA facilities, and announced it had increased the number of individual vets it has contacted.

Management

USPS Will Shed 3,000 Employees by 2015, Through Retirements or Layoffs

Postmasters can receive one-time $10,000 payment.

Management

Veteran Dies in VA Hospital Cafeteria After Waiting 30 Minutes for an Ambulance

Cafeteria is just a five-minute walk from the facility's ER.

Management

Happy Birthday, America. Now What About National Preparedness?

How to build a multijurisdictional homeland security framework.

Nextgov

Do You Want To Pay for USPS Shipping With Cash Or Bitcoin?

An agency inspector is polling citizens for an upcoming audit of potential “innovative payment methods” for letters and parcels.

Nextgov

Hackers Log Into DQ, Remember the ‘80s, and Rip Off Poor People

Just another week in ThreatWatch, our regularly updated index of noteworthy data breaches.

Defense One

‘You Have to Kill Them’ Says Former U.S. Ambassador to Iraq

America can ‘twiddle our thumbs’ no longer, say former U.S. ambassadors in the region. By Gayle Tzemach Lemmon

Pay & Benefits

USPS Employees Used Travel Cards for Grocery Shopping, Eating Out

Better oversight of employees’ use of the cards can reduce bad publicity, report says.

Management

Agencies Defend New Contract for Firm That Vetted Snowden and Navy Yard Shooter

USIS wins immigration services work.

Defense

Iraq's Probably Going to Need Help Taking Back Its Country

But Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said no U.S. troops will perform combat missions.

Management

Federal Jobs Picture Changes Little in June

Postal Service adds 1,800 jobs but rest of federal government stays flat.

Pay & Benefits

White House Summit Reignites Talk Of Paid Parental Leave for Feds

President Obama wants the government to be a model for the American workforce, but paid parental leave for civilian employees is no closer to reality.

Defense One

Dempsey Says Iraq Can’t Beat ISIL, Won’t Rule Out More U.S. Troops

Don’t call it ‘mission creep’ in Iraq, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dempsey says, call it ‘mission match.’ By Stephanie Gaskell

Tech

Commerce, Prisons Bureau at High Risk for Losing Email

The National Archives scores agencies on compliance with records preservation laws.