Veterans Affairs

  • New Office of Personnel Management clarifies statutory language affecting who is eligible to receive veterans preference during the hiring process at federal agencies.

    January 02, 2015
  • Even without all the fireworks caused by furloughs and the government shutdown that occurred in 2013, Federal News Radio readers found plenty to intrigue them in 2014. Read our 10 most-read stories for 2014.

    December 31, 2014
  • The Veterans Affairs Department says veterans using a specific contractor for home telehealth services found a vulnerability that potentially could've exposed personal information of veterans. VA said the vulnerability has been closed and it has offered those affected credit monitoring services.

    December 24, 2014
  • Reps. Jackie Walorski and Mike Coffman wrote separate letters to VA Secretary Bob McDonald asking for details about how the agency is addressing ongoing cyber challenges. Walorski asked VA to answer four questions about how it's protecting the identity of veterans using the eBenefits site.

    December 22, 2014
  • Some days, it's not easy being a senior career executive in the Federal Government. Ill will reached a peak last summer at the height of scandal in the Veterans Affairs Department. That led to Congress enacting legislation cutting the civil service protection of SESers at the VA. A couple of weeks ago, President Obama gave the SES a pat on the back, promising to make the service into how it was originally envisioned. So what will 2015 bring? David Dye, the director of Federal Human Capital Services at Deloitte and a former official at the Office of Personnel Management, offered some answers on the Federal Drive with Tom Temin.

    December 22, 2014
  • A ruling could have a major impact on the pay, pensions. bonuses and job security of Uncle Sam's 6,000 top career executives, says Senior Correspondent Mike Causey.

    December 22, 2014
  • Steph Warren, the Veterans Affairs Department chief information officer, said the agency is the first to implement advanced cyber capabilities from DHS known as Einstein 3A, and is expanding its continuous monitoring capabilities.

    December 18, 2014
  • A Veterans Affairs hospital construction project is shaping up to be a classic failure. Late and over-budget, the billion dollar Denver facility is only 62 percent complete. And now a court rules, the contractor could legally walk away from the whole thing. Judges for the Civilian Board of Contract Appeals say the VA has acted in bad faith. This mess has not escaped notice of the Government Accountability Office. David Wise, the director of physical infrastructure issues at GAO, joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive to explain more of what went wrong and whether it can be salvaged.

    December 16, 2014
  • Nearly one in three homeless veterans calling a Veterans Affairs help hotline was sent to voicemail in fiscal 2013. That's just one of the issues uncovered in an Inspector General's report on the VA National Call Center for Homeless Veterans. The VA has pledged to make changes to the call center. But as the temperatures dip, what other challenges lie ahead in supporting homeless vets? Baylee Crone, executive director at the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive with the latest on these problems and details on her testimony before the House Veterans Affairs Committee.

    December 16, 2014
  • Four years after a push from the President, the federal government is hiring employees with disabilities at a rate that's higher than it's been in decades, according to a new report from the Office of Personnel Management.

    December 08, 2014
  • Three whistleblowers at the Veterans Affairs Department are the "Public Servants of the Year." The Office of Special Counsel awarded the employees, all doctors, with the distinction. Special Counsel Carolyn Lerner said, "because of these doctors' efforts, veterans are now far more likely to receive the treatment they deserve." Federal News Radio's Emily Kopp was at the ceremony and joined Tom Temin on the Federal Drive to discuss their story.

    December 04, 2014
  • Operation Covert Santa is looking for new recruits. Ed Meagher is Husky Elf of Operation Covert Santa, and also known for his role as former Deputy Assistant Secretary and Deputy Chief Information Officer of the Department of Veterans Affairs. On In Depth with Francis Rose, he said Operation Covert Santa is a simple job with huge rewards.

    December 02, 2014
  • The Veterans Affairs Department is on the street with a new procurement to replace its patient scheduling system. The department has used the current system since 1986. It's the one scheduling staff used to manipulate data on patient waiting times in Phoenix and several other locations across the country. Federal News Radio's Jared Serbu writes about this RFP and more in this week's edition of Inside the Reporter's Notebook.

    November 25, 2014
  • The Merit Systems Protection Board has affirmed the Veterans Affairs Department's decision to ax James Talton, one of the first senior executives targeted under a new law that speeds up the removal process. Talton headed the Central Alabama Veterans Administration Healthcare System.

    November 20, 2014