Department of Veterans Affairs
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Some advocates of the House Veterans Affairs Committee's new employee accountability bill say it's different enough from previous attempts to tackle this issue and should assuage past concerns. But others fear the legislation revives familiar worries.
March 03, 2017 -
An extension and then redesign of the Veterans Choice Program, along with new employee accountability legislation, are top priorities for new Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin. He said he's working with Congress on new legislation to support those initiatives.
February 28, 2017 -
Last year, after a long gap, the Veterans Affairs Department got a permanent inspector general. Federal Drive with Tom Temin interviews the VA's new IG, Michael Missal, about the Veterans Choice Act and how the department responded when Congress updated it.
February 28, 2017 This week on Federal Tech Talk, host John Gilroy speaks with Blake Hall, founder & CEO of ID.me; Emily Tavoulareas, VA Digital Service, and Greg Gershman, co-founder/principal at Ad Hoc LLC. They will discuss a website called “vets.gov” and how it opens up the world of collaboration in solving many issues with funneling 500 Department of Veterans’ Affairs websites into one portal. February 28, 2017
February 27, 2017-
Linda Springer, a former OMB and OPM appointee, is serving as the senior advisor to the director for management.
February 27, 2017 -
Both the Government Accountability Office and the department's inspector general say leadership at the Veterans Affairs Department is committed to removing VA health care from GAO's High-Risk List. But they've seen little concrete action beyond VA's promises of commitment.
February 20, 2017 -
The Veterans Benefits Administration sees progress with the National Work Queue, the automatic workload system that assigns a veteran's claim to the regional office that has the most capacity to immediately begin work. But Congress is concerned the NW Queue creates unnecessary confusion and can't address the growing backlog of veterans claims.
February 17, 2017 -
A recent Government Accountability Office report on the Veterans Affairs Department and its employees' use of official time is renewing a debate among lawmakers: Does official time have a place within agency operations, and how much time is too much?
February 16, 2017 -
On the personnel front, the Trump administration had an up-and-down week. The departure of National Security Adviser Michael Flynn and the withdrawal of Labor Secretary Andrew Puzder set Washington abuzz. But the Senate confirmed Michael Mulvaney as director of the Office of Management and Budget, Steve Mnuchin as Treasury secretary, and Dr. David Shulkin as VA secretary.
February 16, 2017 -
The Government Accountability Office had some hard truths for the Veterans Affairs Department, which has failed to produce more modern, interoperable IT systems after years of failed pilots and heated congressional hearings. GAO says VA should drop its plans to modernize VistA and find a commercial option instead.
February 07, 2017 -
David Shulkin, President Donald Trump's pick to lead the Veterans Affairs Department, earned high praise from the Senate committee during his nomination hearing. Changing the department's current Veterans Choice Program and crafting new accountability and disciplinary procedures for VA employees were common topics.
February 02, 2017 -
The Office of Management and Budget and Office of Personnel Management released another memo with more details on how agencies should implement the President's hiring freeze. The latest guidance includes exemptions to the hiring freeze and instructions for how agencies should request others.
January 31, 2017 -
Sources confirmed CIOs from State, DHS, EPA and OPM and the CTO from VA talked a variety of issues with the Trump transition team toward the end of Obama administration.
January 30, 2017 -
Rob Snyder, the acting secretary of the Veterans Affairs Department, officially exempts some health care, construction and project management professionals from the President's short-term hiring freeze. Snyder's announcement comes after repeated appeals from some lawmakers, who said the freeze could impact veterans' ability to access health care.
January 27, 2017 -
The Defense Department and Veterans Administration tell Congress their still working out the bugs at their joint health care facility in Chicago.
January 25, 2017