As the end of the fiscal year gets closer, Pentagon functionaries are looking in every area of their budget for money that could help cancel civilian furloughs. Employees have already had several days off without pay, and they’re facing the prospect of more than two weeks worth of furlough all told. As Federal News Radio’s Jared Serbu reports, lower oil prices and lower costs for the war in Afghanistan may help.

The Veterans Affairs Department is ahead of most healthcare providers in using technology to improve patient care. VA is deploying a host of applications to change its healthcare deliver model. Federal News Radio’s Jason Miller joined Tom with details from a recent VA telemedicine demonstration of these cutting edge technologies.

Washington D.C. will get a little quieter this afternoon as Congress officially takes off for its August recess. But the 535 members of the House and Senate are leaving a lot of important items on their to do list when they return in September. Federal News Radio Web Manager Julia Ziegler had more.

The House has passed a bill that makes it easier for citizens to tape record interactions they have with federal officials. It’s called the Citizen Empowerment Act, and it was introduced by Rep. Lynn Jenkins (R-Kan.). It would require officials to inform citizens of that right. The bill is not sitting well with federal employee groups. Yesterday we heard National Treasury Employees Union President Colleen Kelley critique the bill. As you might imagine, federal law enforcement people aren’t too happy either. Jon Adler, president of the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, joined Tom to talk about this and other matters.

In today’s Sammies segment, it’s like a scene in the movie Outbreak. But this outbreak only killed seven people. Julie Segre is a senior investigator at the National Institutes of Health and is nominated for a Service to America Medal in the Science and Environment category. Along with a team of doctors, Segre helped stop the spread of a deadly hospital-acquired infection through the first-ever use of genome sequencing.

Feds hit hard by furloughs are tapping into their savings or looking for other jobs. And loan requests at the Federal Employee Education and Assistance Fund is at an all time high. That’s leaving furloughed feds desperate for other options. Ed Zurndorfer is a registered employee benefit consultant. He offered a few tips on how to plan for that unexpected financial stress.