Workforce Rights/Governance
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As of last week, all of the Defense Department components that fall under the direct control of the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) are barred from hiring any new civilian employees.
March 28, 2016 -
Internal Revenue Service Commissioner John Koskinen warned that without adequate funding and a renewed hiring authority from Congress, the IRS is going to remain understaffed, less vigilant against tax fraud and at a higher risk of cyber attack.
March 25, 2016 -
There isn't much more the Veterans Affairs Department can do, now that the Merit Systems Protection Board overturned punishments for two of four senior executives accused of misconduct. The VA handed out lighter punishments to the four VBA leaders, despite criticism from Congress.
March 23, 2016 -
Following an investigation by VA Deputy Secretary Sloan Gibson, the agency is recommending a combination of reduced pay and suspension for four VA leaders involved in relocation “impropriety.”
March 23, 2016 -
In a new report, Army medical officials strongly suggest they'll need help from across the force to keep the Army healthy.
March 18, 2016 -
A Senate version of the FAIR Act, which would give federal employees a 5.3 percent pay raise, is gaining support from unions and area lawmakers.
March 17, 2016 -
Accountability in the Senior Executive Service will be at the center of congressional discussions on a new omnibus legislative package for the Veterans Affairs Department. Senate VA Committee Chairman Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) said he wants the VA and the committee to finish its work on the legislation by April 1.
March 16, 2016 -
In just a couple of weeks the Defense Department will start rolling out a new performance rating system called New Beginnings. Don Hale, chairman of the American Federation of Government Employees tells Federal Drive with Tom Temin that none of its quarter million DoD employees are included in the initial test group.
March 15, 2016 -
A group of Republican senators criticized the Merit Systems Protection Board for overturning disciplinary actions taken against corrupt Veterans Affairs Department bureaucrats. The board and its array of administrative judges almost always uphold agency actions. Attorney Debra D'Agostino, partner at the Federal Practice Group, helps Federal Drive with Tom Temin sort things out.
March 14, 2016 -
The Project on Government Oversight is accusing the DoD Inspector General of “systemic weaknesses and apparent cultural aversion to whistleblowers.” DoD IG said that is just not the case.
March 10, 2016 -
Without a doubt, the 2016 presidential transition is the top priority for the Office of Government Ethics this year. OGE Director Walter Shaub said his agency has more training courses and guides, as well as an electronic financial disclosure filing system, to help ethics officers prepare.
March 10, 2016 -
The MSPB in 2015 upheld agency decisions or actions on initial appeal nearly every time. But not for the Veterans Affairs Department. So what are the senators asking?
March 10, 2016 -
The Merit Systems Protection Board processed nearly 30,000 cases in fiscal 2015, a 63 percent increase over 2014, according to an annual report.
March 03, 2016 -
The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee passed a bill on March 1 that aims to keep agencies from putting employees accused of misconduct on administrative leave indefinitely.
March 02, 2016 -
At a markup meeting on March 1, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee approved a bill introduced by Rep. Dennis Ross (R-Fla.) that would require the Office of Personnel Management to submit yearly governmentwide reports on the practice of official time, which is paid time off for workers to represent their union.
March 01, 2016