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The Department of Veterans Affairs hired thousands of health care employees through a streamlined hiring process since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now it's calling on Congress to make some of these hiring flexibilities permanent.
Congressional leaders urged VA to abandon a costly supply chain IT system it recently decided to borrow from the Defense Health Agency that has failed to meet VA's requirements.
The Senate Veterans Affairs Committee introduced new legislation that would require regular reports from the Department of Veterans Affairs on the cost, schedule and performance of its massive electronic health records modernization project.
House and Senate Veterans Affairs Committee leadership want more information from VA leadership about its strategy to modernize its supply chain management system.
The Department of Veterans Affairs released a 36-page "comprehensive lessons learned" report this week, which details its findings from its recent electronic health record modernization review. Here are five takeaways.
The Department of Veterans Affairs said it will no longer deploy the new electronic health record on a regional basis. Instead, it will make deployment decisions based on which VA facilities have proven they have the training, infrastructure and leadership ready for a successful go-live.
The inspector general at the Department of Veterans Affairs delivered a double-edged blow to VA's electronic health record modernization efforts this week, detailing failures with employee training on the new system and another round of unreliable cost estimates for the project.
The Department of Veterans Affairs expects the pandemic-driven surge in demand for its services will continue well into 2022, putting pressure on its staff and finances.
The House is considering new legislation in effort to reform VA's beleaguered Office of Accountability and Whistleblower Protection, while the Senate is hopeful new political leadership might "right the ship."
The Veterans Benefits Administration said it can recover its disability claims backlog relatively quickly, but Congress is concerned the agency is relying on contractors to get the bulk of the work done.
Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough said the department will launch a strategic review of the electronic health records modernization program, following an analysis of the agency's initial deployment at its first site last fall.
A new bill would require the Department of Veterans Affairs to produce a single list of all ongoing IT projects at the agency, as well as a prioritized ranking of initiatives that are currently unfunded.
The Veterans Health Administration also said it will not require the COVID-19 vaccine as a requirement of employment at the department. VHA has vaccinated 73% of its workforce and 90% of its clinical staff.
The Veterans Health Administration is marking its 75th year. Now that Denis McDonough is confirmed as the new veterans affairs secretary, what will his overseers on Capitol Hill be most concerned with?