Department of Veterans Affairs
-
Regardless of how you feel about the VA scandal, it's probably going to get worse before it gets better and you, and especially your boss, have a major stake in the "solution" to the problem, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says.
June 02, 2014 -
On its surface, the Department of Veterans Affairs Management Accountability Act of 2014 is simple, but its simplicity belies the risks it presents for VA employees, former DHS CHCO Jeff Neal says.
May 30, 2014 -
Debra Roth, partner at Shaw Bransford and Roth will discuss what's happening at the VA and OPM Director Katherine Archuleta will talk about the status of phased retirement, the retirement-claims backlog and other civil service issues. May 28, 2014
May 28, 2014 -
New developments at the Department of Veterans Affairs, a VA Inspector General interim report confirms allegations of secret waiting lists and other problems. House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Jeff Miller (R-Fla.) and Senate Armed Services Committee ranking member John McCain (R-Ariz.) both call for Secretary Eric Shinseki's resignation for the first time today. But the VA has some success stories to tell. The agency says its claims backlog is at its lowest point in the last three years. VA credits its progress to several changes under its Veterans Benefits Management System or VBMS. Federal News Radio executive editor Jason Miller joins us with details on how VA is reducing the claims backlog.
May 28, 2014 -
The Veterans Affairs Department says its claims backlog is far below its peak of three years ago. VA credits its progress to several changes under the Veterans Benefits Management System or VBMS. Federal News Radio's Executive Editor Jason Miller joined Tom Temin and Emily Kopp on the Federal Drive and described how VA is reducing the claims backlog. Read Jason's related article.
May 28, 2014 -
Allison Hickey, VA's undersecretary for benefits, said VBMS has transformed the agency from a paper system to one that mostly relies on electronic data. Some lawmakers express concern about the way the agency is measuring how it reduces the number of veterans waiting for benefits.
May 28, 2014 -
The Department of Defense says it will make a decision soon on an electronic health record system. The Department of Veterans Affairs wants that system to be its VISTA system, but the VA is suffering through its own IT and health care provision problems. Aneesh Chopra. co-founder and executive vice president, Hunch Analytics and author of "Innovative State: How New Technologies can Transform Government," was the first Federal Chief Technology Officer. He joined Francis Rose in studio for the Executive Suite.
May 27, 2014 -
Feds whose jobs put them in direct contact with the public must be treading lightly these days, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says. That includes people at the IRS, the Social Security Administration, TSA and, right now, the Veterans Affairs Department.
May 27, 2014 -
How does the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs promote employment opportunities for veterans? What is VA doing to enhance opportunities for veterans to obtain knowledge and skills to properly transition into civilian life? What programs provide opportunities for veterans to obtain, retain and adapt at home? Join host Michael Keegan as he explores these questions and more with Curtis Coy, Deputy Under Secretary for Economic Opportunity at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs - on a Memorial Day Edition of The Business of Government Hour.
May 23, 2014 -
The Veterans Affairs department's inspector general says it will take until August before it finishes investigating allegations of manipulated waiting lists in the Phoenix VA medical system and elsewhere around the country. But even if the investigation doesn't uncover intentional falsification, there is one thing we do know, based on the work of the Government Accountability Office: VA's data on medical appointment wait times is, at the very least, unreliable. And has been for years. Debra Draper, director of Health Care Issues at GAO, testified before the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs last week and joins In Depth with Francis Rose (guest hosted by Federal News Radio's Jared Serbu) to discuss VA's issues with appointment scheduling.
May 19, 2014 -
One day after Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki testified before the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee about allegations of mismanagement at some VA health facilities, Dr. Robert Petzel stepped down as VA's undersecretary for health. Earlier in the month, the White House tapped Dr. Jeffrey Murawsky to be Petzel's replacement.
May 16, 2014 -
The VA secretary promised the Senate Thursday that he will impose accountability for extended hospital wait times that may have led to veteran deaths, but not until investigations have run their course.
May 16, 2014 -
The American Legion says reports of veteran deaths resulting from VA hospital treatment delays mean it's time for Secretary Eric Shinkseki to step aside. But at the moment, they're the only major veterans' group to go that far. Most of the other large service organizations are waiting for the full results of an inspector general review of the alleged "secret waiting list" at the Phoenix VA hospital. Bob Wallace, executive director of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, told In Depth with Francis Rose it's premature to call for leadership changes.
May 06, 2014 -
Tha nation's largest veterans' service organization created a stir yesterday when it called for the resignations of the VA's top three officials: Secretary Eric Shinseki, Undersecretary for Benefits Alison Hickey and Undersecretary for Health Robert Petzel. Daniel Dellinger, the national commander of the American Legion, told In Depth with Francis Rose he and most other veterans groups have long supported the current leadership team. But recent media reports about preventable deaths in the VA health care system were too much to take.
May 06, 2014 -
The organization says a series of whistleblowers and investigative reports show a "pattern of bureaucratic incompetence and failed leadership" among VA senior leaders. This is the first time in more than 30 years the American Legion has called for the removal of a public official.
May 05, 2014