Coronavirus

From payment accuracy to program integrity

COMMENTARY | The staggering level of pandemic fraud coupled with mounting concerns about the size and trajectory of the nation’s debt load should elevate program integrity as a top management focus, writes one observer.

Under fire, Social Security chief vows ‘top-to-bottom’ review of payment clawbacks

House members faulted the agency for issuing billions of dollars of payments in error and then, often much later, demanding that beneficiaries pay the money back.

COVID relief payments triggered feds to demand money back from Social Security recipients

House and Senate members have called for action on problems at the Social Security Administration.

The painful pandemic lessons Mandy Cohen carries to the CDC

Cohen has been criticized for North Carolina's failure to get COVID tests to the most vulnerable residents, during her leadership of the state's pandemic response.

House GOP demands info on Biden’s implementation of vaccine mandate for feds

A subcommittee is probing several agencies to look for "wrongdoing by government officials" during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Biden asks Supreme Court to salvage a president’s right to issue federal workforce mandates

The White House’s vaccine mandate is no longer in effect, but the Biden administration is worried about precedent.

How a combination of covid lawsuits and media coverage keeps misinformation churning

Even as the covid-19 pandemic wanes, litigation — whether about vaccines, masks, or a range of other public health policies made during the pandemic — isn’t about to end.

CDC rolls out new COVID-19 website

The reworked COVID-19 website is part of a larger push to make the public health agency’s web presence easier to navigate, with plans to relaunch CDC.gov early next year.

The CDC is getting a new leader as it seeks to remake itself after the pandemic

Dr. Mandy Cohen, former head of North Carolina’s Health and Human Services Department, will be stepping in as the public health agency’s new director in July. 

‘These were not normal times’: A former watchdog reflects on COVID-19 oversight

Bob Westbrooks, who first joined the government in 1994, served as executive director of the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee for over two years.

Republicans rehash vaccine mandate policies in defense authorization bill amendments

House Armed Services Committee markup adds legislation aimed at helping troops who refused the COVID-19 vaccine.

Biden Killed the Vaccine Mandate for Feds. He’s Still Threatening to Take the Case to the Supreme Court.

The administration is looking to avoid a potentially far-reaching decision that would limit presidential authority over the federal workforce.

Struggles With Air Quality in Federal Offices Put Occupants At Risk of COVID Exposure

Leadership at the General Services Administration agreed with recommendations to address the issues from its watchdog.

Coronavirus Roundup: The Last One

There's a lot to keep track of. Here’s a list of this week’s news updates and stories you may have missed.

Coronavirus Roundup: The Future of the OSHA Standard to Protect Healthcare Workers from COVID is Unclear

There’s a lot to keep track of. Here’s a list of this week’s news updates and stories you may have missed.

Fed Health Care Changes and the End of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency

Some over-the-counter and out-of-network coverage may be different now that the pandemic emergency is over.