Veterans Affairs

• OSC piles on to mounting criticism of VA OIG

  The Office of Special Counsel said two reports from the Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General are incomplete, because the IG didn't address the issues whistleblowers raised about problems with wait times at two VA medical centers.

  Agency Oversight

  February 29, 2016
• LaVerne Council: Many opportunities are possible

  LaVerne H. Council, assistant secretary for information and technology and chief information officer at the Veterans Affairs Department, talks to the Women of Washington.

  Women of Washington

  February 26, 2016
• Susan Tsui Grundmann: Changes to Veterans Affairs oversight impact MSPB

  Susan Tsui Grundmann, chairwoman of the Merit Systems Protection Board, talks to Federal Drive with Tom Temin about how new legislation requiring greater accountability from Veterans Affairs managers affects the MSPB.

  Federal Drive

  February 24, 2016
• Lynn Bernabei: Battleground emerges between MSPB and Congress

  When Congress voted to restrict appeal rights of Veterans Affairs Department managers, it never counted on what might happen. Namely, that the Merit Systems Protection Board would follow the law to the letter. That's why a series of reversals have hit VA's senior leadership when it tried to fire people for performance. Lynn Bernabei, a partner at the law firm Bernabei and Cabot, which specializes in employee grievance cases, says VA has become a battleground between MSPB and Congress. She joined Federal Drive with Tom Temin with more details.

  Federal Drive

  February 18, 2016
• 5 new procurement principles to drive VA’s future

  Greg Giddens, the director of the Office of Acquisition, Logistics and Construction at the Veterans Affairs Department, is pushing five main acquisition principles that he says will put the VA in the right direction.

  Acquisition

  January 27, 2016
• Watchdog sees huge uptick in VA whistleblower cases

  The Office of Special Counsel says it's been a "victim of its own success" in fiscal 2015, thanks to more VA whistleblowers coming forward.

  Management

  January 20, 2016
• Army Corps, ATF, EEOC welcome new CIOs

  Greg Garcia is taking over as the new chief information officer at the Army Corps of Engineers. He is one of several new CIOs agencies named over the last month.

  Reporter's Notebook

  January 18, 2016
• VA IG, OSC nominees pledge accountability, transparency, whistleblower protection

  The President's picks for VA inspector general and special counsel at the Office of Special Counsel told lawmakers on Tuesday that they would work to provide protection for whistleblowers and transparency when dealing with congressional oversight and reform.

  Congress

  January 12, 2016
• Tuesday federal headlines — December 29, 2015

  In Tuesday's federal headlines, a new report from the Government Accountability Office says the Department of Defense is falling behind on the plan to shrink its civilian workforce

  Federal Newscast

  December 29, 2015
• Ron Walters: Financial manager now oversees VA’s memorial, cemetery activities

  Ron Walters, interim Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs, VA He's spent decades in federal service, on both the financial management and program sides. Now Ron Walters of the Veterans Affairs Department has been named a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration. The Acting Principal Deputy Undersecretary of Veterans Affairs now is overseeing the department's memorial and cemetery activities. He fills in Federal Drive with Tom Temin on the latest.

  Federal Drive

  December 01, 2015
• Ernst bill aims to keep agency programs on track

  A bill recently passed by the Senate aims to make agency management more accountable for programs that run over budget and behind schedule.

  Agency Oversight

  November 25, 2015
• New VA Choice plan earns cautious praise from Congress

  Given the VA's past performance, the House Veterans Affairs Committee said it's worried about the implementation, timeline and budget for the new Veterans Choice Program. The VA said it will tap into the expertise of private medical providers to help meet the growing demand for veterans health care.

  Congress

  November 25, 2015
• Dr. Jon White: Taking health IT to the next level

  Think health IT and what comes to mind? Doctors pulling up your health record at a visit? You, downloading your medical information? Probably with the Blue Button — a federal invention? Nearly all hospitals and doctors’ offices use health technology in some fashion thanks largely to a big push from the federal government. Dr. Jon White is deputy national coordinator for health IT, the office charged with taking the initiative to the next level. On Federal Drive with Tom Temin, he spoke with Federal News Radio’s Emily Kopp.

  Federal Drive

  November 23, 2015
• A Secret Service agent hops on the Metro …

  As agencies with crucial missions stumble out of mistakes, don't forget to celebrate the small victories.

  Tom Temin Commentary

  November 18, 2015