Department of Veterans Affairs
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The Senate Veterans Affairs Committee will consider the nomination of Robert McDonald as the next VA Secretary tomorrow. If the Senate confirms him, he'll inherit a Veterans Health Administration that hasn't had a major review of its healthcare system since the mid-1980s, according to the Military Officers Association of America. Vice Admiral Norb Ryan is president of MOAA. On In Depth with Francis Rose, he said Congress and the White House should build a commission focused on reforming the VHA.
July 21, 2014 -
There are a lot of reasons the Department of Veterans Affairs has a huge backlog of disability claims. One is the vast number of new claims VA receives: about a million per year. A second is the sheer complexity of the process and the statutes and case law behind it. VA seems to be acknowledging the complexity of the system in a new partnership it's just formed with the American Bar Association. The new Veterans Claims Assistance Network will offer pro-bono legal services to veterans so that they can put together fully-developed claims. Jim Silkenat is the national president of the American Bar Association. He explained how the program will work on In Depth with guest host Jared Serbu.
July 16, 2014 -
In examining the viability of the Senior Executive Service, House members called out the Veterans Affairs' compensation program, with a pledge to introduce another piece of legislation to take back bonuses. The Senior Executives Association relayed concerns that talent is fleeing senior executive positions.
July 11, 2014 -
The Department of Veterans Affairs is building a "special ops" team of acquisition experts. Ford Heard, the associate deputy assistant secretary for procurement policy, systems and oversight at the VA, joined Federal News Radio's Executive Editor Jason Miller and Francis Rose on In Depth. They discussed the latest results of Federal News Radio's Chief Acquisition Officer Survey.
June 30, 2014 -
Ford Heard, the Veterans Affairs Department's associate deputy assistant secretary for Procurement Policy, Systems and Oversight, joins Federal News Radio for an online chat on June 30.
June 30, 2014 -
A series of management blunders and agency misbehavior in recent years ranging from the General Services Administration to the Veterans Affairs Department, haven't only put agency leaders in the hot seat — and sometimes out of work. They've also highlighted the importance of better risk-management planning by agencies, current and former federal officials told Federal News Radio as part of a special discussion on risk management.
June 26, 2014 -
After a failed attempt to build a shared system with VA, the Defense Department is in a hurry to replace its aging health IT system. DoD says the final product will be an off-the-shelf commercial solution with as few changes as possible.
June 26, 2014 -
Some changes are coming at the top of the Department of Veterans Affairs, with new leader coming in for the Veterans Health Administration next Wednesday. VA's General Counsel Will Gunn plans to resign early next month. The changes appear to be the result of a trust issue at the agency. Bob Tobias is director of Key Executive Leadership Programs at American University. He said on In Depth with Francis Rose that performance issues are in the public spotlight because of the problems at Department of Veterans Affairs, but the problem actually goes way beyond the VA.
June 25, 2014 -
Acting VA Secretary Sloan Gibson announced Friday the nomination of Carolyn Clancy as interim undersecretary for health in the Department of Veterans Affairs.
June 25, 2014 -
The Veterans Affairs Department recently revealed that none of its senior executives had gotten a rating below fully successful in the past four years. While that may seem shocking, the VA is not that out of the ordinary. Sub-par ratings for SES members are not common and firing them is even less common, says former CHCO Jeff Neal.
June 25, 2014 -
The Veterans Affairs Department is reeling from allegations, made by its own staff, that it has mistreated patients. More employees are coming forward to report what they see as systemic wrongdoing. The Office of Special Counsel is looking at 50 cases right now, and one of them is the case of Valerie Riviello. She is a nurse at the Samuel Stratton VA Medical Center in Albany, New York. Cheri Cannon of the law firm Tulley Rinckey is handling her case. They joined Tom Temin and Emily Kopp on the Federal Drive to discuss why Riviello decided to blow the whistle.
June 25, 2014 -
Linda Rix, co-CEO of FastYeti Incorporated will talk about a new website that helps veterans navigate their way through the with benefits claims process. June 20, 2014
June 20, 2014 -
On this week's Your Turn radio show, an encore presentation of host Mike Causey's interview with OPM Director Katherine Archuleta. She discusses the status of phased retirement, the retirement-claims backlog and other civil service issues. Andy Medici from the Federal Times joins the show live to discuss President Obama's executive order banning discrimination among LGBT employees of contractors. June 18, 2014
June 18, 2014 -
Last week, the Senate voted overwhelmingly to approve legislation designed to help solve long wait times at VA medical facilities. The longer-term fixes included more funding to hire health care providers and lease more VA operated facilities. For the shorter term, the McCain-Sanders bill also expands VA's authority to send its patients to outside providers -- including private clinics, but also facilities run by other agencies, including the Indian Health Service and the Defense Department. Retired Vice Adm. Norb Ryan is the president of the Military Officer's Association of America. He spoke with Jared Serbu on In Depth about the plusses -- and as MOAA sees it -- some of the minuses of the bill.
June 18, 2014 -
NARFE's Jessica Klement and Andy Medici from the Federal Times discuss a number of issues affecting feds, including proposed changes to the federal retirement program and the scandal at the Department of Veterans Affairs. June 11, 2014
June 11, 2014