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When a veteran goes to federal prison, his or her payouts from the Veterans Benefits Administration are supposed to go down. But, they don't always, and that has cost VBA tens of millions of dollars. Nick Dahl, director of the Bedford Audit Operations Division of the VA's inspector general office, tells Federal Drive with Tom Temin about a new report that tells how VBA could fix the problem.
The Office of Management and Budget said it's taking stock of its accomplishments over the past eight years, as well as the items it has left on its cybersecurity to-do list, before the upcoming presidential transition. Implementing pieces of the new cyber workforce strategy is a top priority for the Obama administration during its last six months.
House Science, Space and Technology Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) wrote letters to both the Office of Personnel Management and Office of Management and Budget about their agencies' responses to a series of cyber breaches within the past year. Specifically, Lamar questioned whether foreign nationals and contractors had access to major IT systems and role they play in securing them.
New guidance from the Justice Department suggests agencies should begin updating their standard Freedom of Information Act response letters and notices to comply with the new FOIA Improvement Act. President Barack Obama signed the bill into law last month to mark FOIA's 50th anniversary.
The Republican National Convention supports impeaching the head of the IRS, and demands more stringent oversight of federal agency spending in its official party platform.
The national commission charged with coming up with ideas to reform the VA health care system is calling for "bold" changes. Its main proposals are vigorously opposed by the government's largest employee union.
The Social Security Administration has a new plan to modernize five major IT systems, to the tune of $300 million. SSA Chief Information Officer Robert Klopp said the agency could make headway on the plan within a year, as long as it gets the funding it needs from Congress. The House, however, is poised to cut SSA's budget by $250 million this year.
Rep. Mark Meadows wants to see improved reporting on the results of grants, both qualitative and quantitative, to reduce instances of waste within 60 days.
After three years on the Government Accountability Office's high risk list, a satellite program of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has made progress. But not enough. There's the risk of a launch delay and ongoing cybersecurity issues. Dave Powner, director of information technology management issues at GAO, shares more on Federal Drive with Tom Temin.
The House Oversight and Government Reform committee passed a series of bills during a July 12 markup hearing aimed at improving and reforming digital record-keeping practices and making federal agencies and oversight more efficient and accessible.
A technology oversight committee wants the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation to be more transparent when it comes to sharing information on recent cybersecurity incidents. At the same time, the FDIC's inspector general is calling on the agency to strengthen its cyber posture.
Two postal reform bills passed the House Oversight and Government Reform committee, although not without opposition or concerns.
The Merit Systems Protection Board released a report on nepotism in the federal government. The report includes examples of nepotism, as well as advice for agencies, employers, applicants and even the incoming administration, on how to avoid this prohibited personnel practice (PPP).
More federal employees turned to the Office of Special Counsel with prohibited personnel practice or whistleblower complaints in 2015, and the agency resolved more cases than any other year in its history.