Management
With Coronavirus Cases Spiking, VA Struggles to Protect Employees and Screen Patients
Report finds testing, equipment and staffing shortfalls at VA facilities around the country.
Management
The VA Will Now Let Some Administrative Staff Work From Home
After New Mexico In Depth and ProPublica reported that the VA was not allowing telework, the agency reserved course. Some workers remain skeptical that the policy will be implemented.
Management
Understaffed Veterans Affairs Scrambles to Confront COVID-19
The nation’s largest integrated health care system has only limited protocols in place to protect elderly patients. Roughly half of the 9 million veterans who use the VA’s hospitals are at least 65 years old.
Management
As White House Expands 'Maximum Telework' Across the Country, Many Employees Fear They Are Unprotected
VA health care workers want protections, administrative judges want closures and employee groups want answers.
Pay & Benefits
Panel Pushes Measure to Allow VA Docs and Nurses to Negotiate Pay, Scheduling
The Veterans Affairs Department opposes the legislation, saying it would harm delivery of care to veterans.
Tech
GovExec Daily: The Future of 5G Hospitals
Nextgov's Brandi Vincent and Heather Kuldell explain to the podcast how the Veterans Affairs Department is looking to lead the way in health care technology.
Workforce
VA Secretary Under Investigation After Complaint He Looked for Dirt on a House Staffer Who Said She’d Been Assaulted
The agency’s internal watchdog told lawmakers about the probe after ProPublica unearthed the allegations against Secretary Robert Wilkie.
Management
Trump Endorsed a Risky Antidepressant for Veterans. Lawmakers Want to Know if His Mar-a-Lago Pals Had a Stake in the Drugmaker.
House Democrats requested emails and financial records as they investigate why the president told the VA to “corner the market” on a Johnson & Johnson drug.
Management
VA Secretary Looked for Dirt on a House Staffer Who Reported Sexual Assault in a VA Hospital, Complaint Says
VA chief Robert Wilkie called a House policy advisor’s assault allegation “unsubstantiated” even though an independent investigation found it was not.
Pay & Benefits
Senate Passes Bill to Provide Higher Pay to VA Execs
Measure also prevents department from having to collect compensation it already paid out.
Management
Bipartisan Bill Would Ease Process for Leasing and Building New VA Medical Facilities
Senators hope new staffing and less red tape would help VA stem cost overruns and delays that have plagued development of new medical centers.
Defense
Health is Veterans’ Biggest Challenge in First Year Home
A survey of almost 10,000 veterans shows that health concerns rank highest among worries for vets transitioning back to civilian life.
Management
Lawmakers Accuse VA of Violating Bargaining Rules in Workforce Order Implementation
More than 70 House Democrats said the department must bargain with its union before it can implement President Trump’s controversial workforce executive orders.
Management
Senate Passes Bill to Ban VA From Signing Settlements With Doctors Fired for Medical Mistakes
A 2017 audit found VA was routinely burying mistakes made by its medical providers.
Oversight
Special Counsel Alerts White House and Congress of ‘Significant Financial Mismanagement’ at VA
Findings include over $223 million in wasteful spending and delayed payments for veterans’ medical bills.
Workforce
VA Issues Eviction Notices to Unions at Its Facilities
Unions can keep office space if they pay their "fair share," VA says as it implements Trump's executive orders.
Tech
U.S. Vets Targeted by Foreign Actors Aiming to Sway Elections, Experts Tell Congress
Actors from Russia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Macedonia, and elsewhere gain access to online forums by impersonating vets they find online
Management
Bernie Sanders Announces Plans to Break Up Homeland Security Dept. and Expand VA
DHS is an aimless "bureaucratic behemoth," Sanders says, while VA is on a path toward privatization.
Defense
Viewpoint: How Best to Thank a Veteran? Avoid More Unjust Wars
A 2017 poll found that about half of Americans would support launching an unprovoked war on a country that poses no near-term threat.
Management