Veterans
Lawmakers signal support for using AI to prevent veteran suicides in FY26 VA funding bill reports
“There is a significant need to improve early suicide indicators and detection using artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies that improve operational efficiency and effectiveness throughout veteran service delivery,” according to a House Appropriations panel report.
Lawsuit offers new details of VA’s anti-union EO implementation
According to a legal challenge from AFGE’s National Veterans Affairs Council, VA Secretary Doug Collins failed to implement President Trump's executive orders aimed at ousting unions from most federal agencies when he issued exemptions to a handful of unions that had not challenged the administration in court.
Shutdown is ‘holding my veterans hostage,’ VA chief says
Some critical services are paused and many employees are not getting paid, Doug Collins says, though he will not guarantee their back pay.
Inside Mission Daybreak: VA’s effort to support innovative suicide prevention
VA’s director of data and analytics innovation said the program “is looking for what is the right solution for the ways that we want to optimize care, and sometimes that's technology, and sometimes it isn't.”
Plan to expand PACT Act eligibility for 9/11 Pentagon personnel introduced
Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, D-Va., wants to provide Defense Department personnel present at the Pentagon following the 9/11 attacks access to benefits provided by the landmark veteran health care bill.
AI-based suicide prevention efforts at VA always have human involvement, official says
“We do not currently have any plans that I'm aware of to use AI as a treatment device instead of providers,” Evan Carey, acting director of VA’s National Artificial Intelligence Institute, told lawmakers.
Unions urge VA to restore bargaining ahead of deadline
President Trump’s order extending a ban on collective bargaining to additional agencies opened the door for more labor groups to continue representing employees at the Veterans Affairs and Defense departments.
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VA to set caps on its workforce, eliminate positions and tighten controls on hiring
The Veterans Affairs Department secretary is creating a new "baseline" that cannot easily be exceeded, according to internal memo.
VA's suicide prevention lead departs government
Dr. Matthew Miller, the executive director for VA Suicide Prevention, has overseen efforts to explore the use of innovative solutions during his tenure.
Ex-Veterans Affairs acquisition leader broke several ethics rules at 2023 conference, watchdog finds
Investigators reported that Judith Dawson generally ignored or dismissed ethics concerns raised by an employee.
New law aims to avoid repeat of recent scandals at Veterans Affairs
VA in 2024 paid millions in critical skill bonuses to senior executives and received nearly $3 billion in supplemental funding to address a budget shortfall that ultimately didn’t materialize.
Veterans Affairs reduces claims backlog at record rate
The Veterans Affairs Department processed more disability compensation and pension claims in fiscal 2025 than any other previous year.
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VA terminates most of its union contracts, appearing to disregard OPM guidance
The move runs against the Trump administration’s claims to federal jurists that agencies would wait until the conclusion of litigation challenging the president’s executive order seeking to outlaw collective bargaining at most federal agencies on national security grounds.
VA to end abortion services in cases of rape and incest
The department had only provided a few hundred abortions since the Biden administration authorized them in 2022, VA says.
Veterans Affairs whistleblowers may not be getting settlement benefits due to a lack of oversight, watchdog reports
The Government Accountability Office warned that VA needs to do a better job of tracking whistleblower settlement agreements.
VA launches a departmentwide 'review of its mission' as it seeks changes to its operations
Veterans Affairs is no longer planning mass layoffs, but major changes still expected.
Inside VA’s yearslong AI effort to uncover veterans at high risk of suicide
VA’s REACH VET model scans veterans’ electronic health records to identify those in the top 0.1% of suicide risk and then provide them with more targeted support.
Internal Veterans Affairs memo shows plan to scrutinize disability work from home accommodations
A department press secretary said the new policy is to ensure reasonable accommodations remain "necessary, reasonable and effective," while the American Federation of Government Employees contended it would push employees with disabilities out of the VA.
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VA backs down on mass layoffs, will cut 30K through attrition only
Following significant pushback, VA is reversing course on its plan for widespread RIFs while still promising some staffing reductions.
Funding for further EHR deployments ‘vitally important,’ VA secretary says
VA Secretary Doug Collins said failing to modernize the agency’s electronic health record system “hurts our community care process because our doctors cannot communicate with the community [or] our doctors internally.”
Trump watchdog nominees draw congressional scrutiny for political histories
Labor inspector general nominee and former Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, R-N.Y., praised President Donald Trump during his confirmation hearing, while Veterans Affairs IG nominee Cheryl Mason, who was a senior advisor to VA Secretary Doug Collins, said she wasn’t involved in any decisions at the department.
