Veterans
VA moves survivors’ help office, again, to make it easier to get benefits
The department is seeking to reverse a 2021 decision by the Biden administration that placed the Office of Survivors Assistance under the Veterans Benefits Administration.
Lawmakers raise bipartisan concerns over VA RIFs as secretary says he may alter plans
VA secretary says he could end up cutting fewer than the proposed 80,000 employees, but the final tally could be greater as well.
VA tech panel’s top Democrat worries layoffs will harm EHR rollout
Rep. Nikki Budzinski, D-Ill., is concerned that staffing vacancies, coupled with the department’s reduction in force plans, will put “more pressure onto the VA to execute on an expedited calendar for implementation” of its new EHR system.
Despite return-to-office deadline, some VA employees may still work remotely because there's not enough workspace
Veterans Health Administration employees who live within 50 miles of federal office space must begin working fully in person by May 5 if they’re not already, but agency officials said there’ll be leniency if there’s not enough workspace.
Exclusive
VA forces staff in workforce reduction discussions to sign non-disclosure agreements
Senior leaders are contemplating which jobs to keep and which to slash in meetings, but telling staff they cannot discuss those topics.
Updated
VA is selectively enforcing Trump’s order stripping workers of union rights
VA Secretary Doug Collins this week issued a notice allowing employees at the department whose unions have not been involved with lawsuits against the Trump administration to retain their collective bargaining rights.
New legislation aims to increase access to VA sexual trauma care
Congress has paid increased attention to sexual misconduct at the military academies following revelations about mishandled cases at the Coast Guard Academy.
Spending and workforce cuts will harm VA’s modernization work, Democrats say
Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif., said cuts across VA are forcing the department “to decide between keeping staff on the floor, and investing in expensive equipment that may sit idle without enough personnel to operate it.”
House Dems ‘extremely concerned’ VA workforce cuts will further hit researchers
Ten members of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee are calling for VA Secretary Doug Collins to provide additional information about how term-limited researchers are being affected by workforce reduction efforts.
Efforts to boost VA recruitment and promote BOP mental health get another push from House members
A pair of House bills seek to address personnel challenges within the Veterans Affairs Department and the Bureau of Prisons by offering new incentives and additional screenings, respectively.
Updated
VA blocks its benefits employees from speaking freely to the department’s lawyers
Attorneys at VA, who play a key role in helping veterans receive benefits, are the latest in the Trump administration to face potential sidelining.
Featured eBooks
Veteran suicide hotline employees permitted to work remotely after concerns that in-office requirement would hurt service
One Veterans Crisis Line supervisor said the return to office mandate was creating confusion among staff, presented logistical challenges and could hurt recruitment.
The VA is not waste, it’s a lifeline
COMMENTARY | “There’s a way to improve VA without hasty and indiscriminate cuts that will set us back and hinder our ability to provide compassionate care,” argues one VA staffer and former combat medic.
Top Republican and Democrat plan competing bills to curb VA firings, protect veterans
Thousands of veterans have lost their jobs across federal agencies in sweeping cuts by the Trump administration, according to lawmakers.
Exclusive
VA plans to lay off as many as 83,000 employees this year
A leaked memo released Tuesday called for VA to slash its workforce to 2019 levels that were in place before millions of veterans became newly eligible for care.
Veterans Affairs axes another 1,400 probationary employees
The agency has now laid off 2,400 employees since Feb. 13.
Senate confirms new VA secretary as Dems demand he protect employees from hiring freeze and firings
Doug Collins should also not cooperate with Elon Musk's cost-cutting team or allow any funding freezes to continue, top Democrat says.
VA wants hiring freeze exemptions for 300,000 roles
The acting Veterans Affairs secretary said in a Jan. 21 memo that the requested exemptions cover positions critical to the delivery of health care services.
VA secretary nominee rejects privatization but wants more employee firings
Doug Collins pledges to be a 'cheerleader' for good workers and an adversary for bad ones.
Updated
VA employees ordered to pay back bonuses over misconduct now have an appeal process
The rulemaking is the result of a 2017 law intended to make it easier to remove poor-performing VA employees, but the Biden administration previously decided not to use it after legal decisions blunted the law’s authorities.
