Department of Veterans Affairs
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Some members of Congress are taking aim at the Merit Systems Protection Board, after it released its third decision in nearly a month to reverse punishments for senior executives at the Veterans Affairs Department. MSPB is standing by its decisions, arguing that it must comply with the 2014 Veterans Access, Choice and Accountability Act.
February 16, 2016 -
VA Secretary Bob McDonald and Deputy Secretary Sloan Gibson are working with Congress on a proposal that would strip senior agency executives of their rights to appeal to the Merit Systems Protection Board when they face disciplinary action. But the proposal faces growing criticism from the Senior Executives Association and others.
February 12, 2016 -
The Veterans Affairs Department is asking for a 5 percent boost in across-the-board funding next fiscal year. But Congress is questioning whether new VA programs are doing enough to solve an array of tough problems at the department.
February 10, 2016 -
Cybersecurity tops the list of spending priorities at the Office of Personnel Management in 2017. But President Barack Obama's budget request also addresses several governmentwide initiatives the administration already started.
February 09, 2016 -
Here's a breakdown of major agencies and the proposed funding amounts for fiscal 2017, which are included the President Obama's $1.1 trillion budget.
February 09, 2016 -
Department of Veterans Affairs Deputy Secretary Sloan Gibson has launched an investigation to determine whether or not he will seek different disciplinary actions for two VA senior executives. Gibson said the investigation should take one week but did not give a timeline on when he would make a decision on punishment.
February 03, 2016 -
The Treasury Department, thanks largely to the Internal Revenue Service, held its rank as the agency with the lowest satisfaction rating in 2015.
February 02, 2016 -
The second of two Department of Veterans Affairs senior executives had her demotion reversed by a Merit Systems Protection Board judge. Diana Rubens was demoted from her executive position by the VA for allegedly abusing her power for her own personal gain. Fellow SESer Kimberly Graves received a similar decision from a judge last week.
February 01, 2016 -
A Merit Systems Protection Board judge reversed the decision by the VA to demote one of its senior executives for alleged misconduct involving a relocation program. Reports also say another VA official demoted for the same reason is currently defending herself in a Philadelphia court.
January 28, 2016 -
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.
January 27, 2016 -
A new bill from Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Jon Tester (D-Mont.) defines the term "administrative leave" and creates new categories of leave for employees awaiting the results of an agency investigation.
January 25, 2016 -
President Barack Obama’s final State of the Union speech offered few details on new programs or initiatives for federal managers and contractors. But the President did announce a new public-private sector effort to find a cure for cancer, led by Vice President Joe Biden.
January 13, 2016 -
The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee will soon consider at least three separate bills on punishments for the Senior Executive Service and career appointees accused of misconduct or poor performance.
January 08, 2016 -
Ron Thompson is joining the Veterans Affairs Department after the spending the last almost two years with the Department of Health and Human Services.
December 18, 2015 -
The House Veterans Affairs Committee came down hard on the steps VA has taken so far to hold its employees accountable for misconduct. Deputy VA Secretary Sloan Gibson said the department is putting employees on detail rather than paid administrative leave, while the VA finishes a disciplinary investigation.
December 09, 2015