Veterans
Appeals court upholds order reinstating VA’s union contracts
A unanimous three-judge panel found that only a district judge’s requirement that the Veterans Affairs Department “comply” with its collective bargaining agreements should be put on hold while litigation proceeds.
VA security personnel aren’t detecting knives or booze, according to a watchdog report assessing medical facility security
The Government Accountability Office highlighted that there are staffing shortages among VA police, but department officials say they have taken steps to address the issue.
After reductions, VA chief says facilities can 'hire where they need and what they need'
Those facilities must still operate within overall staffing constraints, however.
AI is helping VA speed up claims processing, but Dems worry about errors
“Speed does not equal success,” Rep. Tim Kennedy, D-N.Y., said about VA’s use of automation and AI to process veterans’ benefits claims.
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VA has touted appointment wait time reductions, but new data shows a more mixed reality
A comparative analysis of select wait-time data for new patients at more than 100 medical centers indicates the department has made progress in some areas, but not all.
VA's failure to use its new authority to boost pay for doctors draws bipartisan criticism
Department officials, including those in the Trump administration, have long complained that legal pay caps are hurting retention and veteran care.
VA’s FY27 budget proposal seeks funding for additional AI adoption
VA’s decision intelligence and automation activities would see a 10.9% increase over FY26 enacted levels, with the growth “driven primarily by the AI Infrastructure solution.”
‘Blatant disrespect’: Judge contemplates contempt proceedings after VA re-terminated union contract
A federal judge in Rhode Island denied a request from the Trump administration to “moot out” a preliminary injunction preserving the American Federation of Government Employees’ contract with the Veterans Affairs Department.
VA’s former EHR lead indicted for concealing contractor gifts
The Justice Department alleges that John Windom accepted and sometimes demanded various gifts while helming the electronic health record modernization at Veterans Affairs.
VA: Court order requires we reinstate union contract, not honor its terms
The Veterans Affairs Department said the American Federation of Government Employees must file grievances for each instance of the VA ignoring its CBA, though management also refuses to participate in such proceedings.
Judge orders VA to restore collective bargaining
U.S. District Judge Melissa DuBose found that VA Secretary Doug Collins violated the First Amendment and the Administrative Procedures Act last August when he terminated the American Federation of Government Employees’ union contracts.
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Veterans who depend on mental health care keep losing their therapists under Trump
Since the start of the second Trump administration, departures of VA psychologists have been outpacing hires, and the department's cohort of social workers declined by nearly 700 staffers.
VA doesn't know how many calls it's answering or how long veterans are waiting to get through
The department's failure to track call data is putting "veterans who may need timely and critical care at risk," the inspector general finds.
VA’s reorganization, staffing caps a result of previous overhiring, officials say
The new restrictions on hiring reflect the needs in the field, VA leaders tell lawmakers.
When trust breaks down at the VA, veterans pay the price
COMMENTARY | A VA employee writes about staffing cuts, labor changes and their impact on morale and care.
AFGE demands resignations of Noem, Miller following member’s slaying
The nation’s largest federal employee union said key leaders involved in the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration and dissent “defamed” VA nurse Alex Pretti by erroneously describing him as a “domestic terrorist.”
'The violent death of one of our own': VA employees ask for more from their agency after nurse is fatally shot
Workers look to leadership for support, though so far it has pointed the finger at its political opponents after federal officers shot and killed a VA employee.
Man fatally shot by Border Patrol agents was a federal employee at VA
The intensive care unit nurse was 37. His death could have widespread implications for federal operations.
VA has shed 40,000 employees, Democratic report finds, with drastic impacts on veterans
The department saw staffing losses of 30,000, which includes thousands of front-line health care staff.
Lawmakers question VA health record’s costs and batched deployments
The agency is looking to deploy its new Oracle Health EHR near simultaneously at four Michigan medical facilities in April 2026.
