Deloitte agrees to pay $11 million to end False Claims Act allegations

The Federal Headlines is a daily compilation of the stories you hear discussed on the Federal Drive.

• Deloitte Consulting agreed to pay more than $11 million to end False Claims Act allegations. The Justice Department says the company violated a price reduction clause in a contract awarded by the General Services Administration for IT services. DOJ claims it charged commercial customers less than it did the government for those services. Deloitte tells Federal News Radio they are pleased to have resolved this matter. Saying that as an organization deeply committed to government clients, they have implemented additional GSA schedule processes to protect their interests. (Department of Justice)

• Justice Department officials told a federal court they don’t want to go to school. DOJ filed a motion to put a hold on a federal judge’s order that said  attorneys involved in the case over President Barack Obama’s immigration executive actions must attend a legal ethics course. The judge said the attorneys were dishonest with the court regarding which of Obama’s immigration policies had already been enacted. (Associated Press)

• The Defense Department is putting the final touches on its commercial cost and pricing centers. Congress mandated the offices to help determine what items should be considered commercial and how they should be priced. Offices will be opened in six locations around the U.S.. An analyst who helped set up the centers said a big challenge will be changing DoD culture to use more commercial items. (Federal News Radio)

• Four months into the Cybersecurity National Action Plan, the White House is ready to talk more about it. The General Services Administration is hosting a workshop June 13 to detail progress so far and future plans.  GSA will discuss its FAST Lane program to help innovative vendors get on the schedules contracting program more quickly. GSA and DHS also will provide an update about its pending acquisition strategy for cyber services, the results of its recent cyber RFI and the latest with the continuous diagnostics and mitigation program. (FedBizOpps)

• The former director at the Tomah, Wisconsin, Veterans Medical Center ignored warning signs and disclosures from two separate whistleblowers about some Veterans Affairs professionals over-prescribing medication. That’s according to a new report from Senate Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Ron Johnson (R-Wis.). He subpoenaed the VA Office of the Inspector General to get access to the whistleblower accounts that the former acting IG did not publish. New VA Inspector General Michael Missal said his office has learned from past mistakes. (Federal News Radio)

• The Veterans Affairs Department looks to connect students and soldiers launching its new Veterans Legacy Program. The educational initiative links classrooms with VA’s national cemeteries and monument sites through lesson plans, interactive maps and short videos. The Pilot launched earlier this year at the Beaufort National Cemetery, South Carolina, and Riverside National Cemetery, California. VA Secretary Bob McDonald said the goal of the program is to ensure no story or sacrifice is forgotten. (Veterans Affairs)

• Sailors now have some guidance when starting or expanding their families. The Navy Pregnancy and Parenthood mobile app is now live. The Navy said it will provide resources and help both leadership and service members understand Navy policies. The app is available on both Android and Apple devices. (Navy)

• Federal statistics show, Americans are dying more. It’s too early to tell whether the uptick in the death rate is a one-time occurrence or a trend. But new figures  from the National Center for Health Statistics show the crude death rate for Americans rose in 2015 to 842 per 100,000 people from 824 a year earlier.  The age-adjusted death rate also rose for the first time since 2006. Deaths from  chronic diseases drove the mortality rate. (CDC)

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