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.
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