Department of Veterans Affairs
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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 -
Julie Perkins hosts a roundtable discussion of the hottest topics in the federal government. April 11, 2014
April 11, 2014 -
House Veterans Affairs Committee members are fed up with repeated cybersecurity problems. They want the VA to improve its cybersecurity once and for all. A new bill tells the department exactly how to do it. The legislation is among the most prescriptive cyber bills that any agency has seen in almost a decade. Federal News Radio Executive Editor Jason Miller shares reactions to the bill with Federal Drive hosts Tom Temin and Emily Kopp. Read Federal News Radio's related article.
April 04, 2014 -
The House will soon vote on a measure making it easier for the Veterans Affairs secretary to fire or demote senior career executives at the department, House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said at a Capitol Hill briefing Thursday. The VA Management Accountability Act allows the VA secretary to remove or demote members of the Senior Executive Service (SES) based on their performance.
April 03, 2014 -
Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-Ind.) introduced the Veterans Information Security Improvement Act that would explicitly require VA to take steps to repair operational and procedure holes in its network and computer security processes.
April 03, 2014 -
The Department of Veterans Affairs believes it is on track to end its disability claims backlog by 2015. It's an uphill fight, considering that more than half of its claims have been waiting for at least four months, and appeals take an average of more than two years.
April 02, 2014 -
Horace Blackman, a long-time Veterans Affairs IT executive, also leaves for the private sector, joining Lockheed Martin.
March 24, 2014