Veterans

Office Created to Protect Whistleblowers and Discipline Senior Execs Is Doing Little of Either

Trump has praised the office, but a new internal report shows it has recommended discipline in just 0.2% of cases.

Eric Katz
August 28, 2020

Office Created to Protect Whistleblowers and Discipline Senior Execs Is Doing Little of Either

Trump has praised the office, but a new internal report shows it has recommended discipline in just 0.2% of cases.

Eric Katz
August 28, 2020

GAO: Federal Agencies Lag in Retaining Veteran Employees

Between fiscal 2014 and 2018, nearly 7% of veterans left federal service, compared with only 5% of non-veterans, the watchdog agency found.

Erich Wagner
August 25, 2020

Vast Majority of VA Employees Have Either Witnessed Or Experienced Racism at Work, Survey Finds

Nearly 76% of respondents to union survey have experienced "racially charged actions," and three-quarters of those who haven't experienced incidents themselves say they have witnessed them.

Erich Wagner
August 10, 2020

VA Should Better Protect Employees From Sexual Harassment, GAO Says

Inconsistent and outdated policies are coupled with management structures that leave employees vulnerable.

Eric Katz
July 16, 2020

Fired VA Employee, Facing Allegations of Poisoning Patients, Pleads Guilty to Seven Counts of Murder

VA facility first flagged the suspicious deaths two years ago.

Eric Katz
July 14, 2020

The Latest Catastrophe at the VA

The VA’s federal watchdog has uncovered filthy conditions at facilities across the country. Yet some 40 percent of all VA hospitals recently suffered from severe shortages of housekeeping staff.

Jasper Craven, The Atlantic
July 6, 2020

VA Significantly Boosts Hiring as COVID-19 Cases Among Employees and Veterans Spike

Coronavirus cases among VA workers are climbing much faster than in the general population.

Eric Katz
July 2, 2020

Union Files Grievance Over VA's Refusal to Bargain

The Veterans Affairs Department claims it doesn't need to negotiate with labor leaders until the pandemic is over.

Erich Wagner
June 16, 2020

GovExec Daily: Three-Dimensional Innovation at VHA

Sammie-nominated Dr. Beth Ripley joins the show to talk about her work creating an interconnected, hospital-based 3D printing network.

Ross Gianfortune and Adam Butler
June 5, 2020

Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Buddy Used His 'Shadow' Sway Over the VA to Promote His Comic Book Empire

Marvel chief Ike Perlmutter arranged for comic book characters to ring the NYSE closing bell with the VA secretary in 2017, according to a new government audit. Perlmutter has denied benefiting from his role as an informal adviser to President Trump.

Isaac Arnsdorf, ProPublica
June 4, 2020

VA Says It's Providing a COVID-19 Test to Any Employee Who Asks. Employees Say That's Not True.

Employees were being denied tests as recently as Friday and a dozen workers said widespread testing is not available for staff.

Eric Katz
May 29, 2020

The VA Grand Challenge: Looking for Love in The Wrong Places

To solve a problem as complex and critical as veteran suicide, throw out the procurement playbook.

Steven L. Schooner and Nathaniel E. Castellano
May 20, 2020

Veterans Benefits Administration May Be Having Its Best Year Ever

Despite having to make operational changes, the agency has exceeded performance targets set before the pandemic.

John Kamensky
May 19, 2020

How Profit and Incompetence Delayed N95 Masks While People Died at the VA

Federal agencies have hired contractors with no experience to find respirators and masks, fueling a black market filled with price gouging and multiple layers of profiteering brokers. One contractor called them “buccaneers and pirates.”

J. David McSwane, ProPublica
May 4, 2020

Did He Talk About Her? VA Secretary Changes His Story Amid Allegations He Sought Dirt on House Staffer.

Robert Wilkie is under investigation after a complaint that he sought information to discredit a House staffer who said she was sexually assaulted in a VA hospital. Wilkie denied discussing her with Rep. Dan Crenshaw. But an email indicates he did.

Isaac Arnsdorf, ProPublica
April 28, 2020

GovExec Daily: How VA Is – and Isn't – Supporting Its Personnel During the Pandemic

Eric Katz joins the program to talk about the ways that Veterans Affairs employees feel management has backed them up while treating coronavirus patients.

Ross Gianfortune and Adam Butler
April 23, 2020

VA Instructs Coronavirus-Exposed Staff to Continue Working, Places Those Who Don’t in AWOL Status

"This is the absolute worst-case scenario of anything I have ever experienced in my nursing career," according to one registered nurse.

Eric Katz
April 17, 2020

Agencies Can Launch Retaliatory Investigations Into Whistleblowers, Court Rules

Ruling sets a new governmentwide precedent.

Eric Katz
April 13, 2020

Three VA Health Workers Have Died of COVID-19. 776 Have Tested Positive.

After workers reported shortages of tests, masks and gloves, VA health staff in Detroit; Ann Arbor, Michigan; and Indianapolis have died of COVID-19. Almost 800 have tested positive.

Aaron Glantz, Reveal
April 8, 2020

VA Looks to Boost Hiring to Confront Coronavirus as Employees Decry Shortfalls

Medical staff only able to provide "subpar care" to patients under current circumstances, one nurse says.

Eric Katz
April 7, 2020

Court Deals Major Blow to Trump's Signature Civil Service Reform Law

Ruling will put "structure" and "safeguards" in place for employee discipline law, attorney says.

Eric Katz
March 31, 2020

Between fiscal 2014 and 2018, nearly 7% of veterans left federal service, compared with only 5% of non-veterans, the watchdog agency found.

Nearly 76% of respondents to union survey have experienced "racially charged actions," and three-quarters of those who haven't experienced incidents themselves say they have witnessed them.

Inconsistent and outdated policies are coupled with management structures that leave employees vulnerable.

VA facility first flagged the suspicious deaths two years ago.

The VA’s federal watchdog has uncovered filthy conditions at facilities across the country. Yet some 40 percent of all VA hospitals recently suffered from severe shortages of housekeeping staff.

Coronavirus cases among VA workers are climbing much faster than in the general population.

The Veterans Affairs Department claims it doesn't need to negotiate with labor leaders until the pandemic is over.

Sammie-nominated Dr. Beth Ripley joins the show to talk about her work creating an interconnected, hospital-based 3D printing network.

Marvel chief Ike Perlmutter arranged for comic book characters to ring the NYSE closing bell with the VA secretary in 2017, according to a new government audit. Perlmutter has denied benefiting from his role as an informal adviser to President Trump.

Employees were being denied tests as recently as Friday and a dozen workers said widespread testing is not available for staff.

To solve a problem as complex and critical as veteran suicide, throw out the procurement playbook.

Despite having to make operational changes, the agency has exceeded performance targets set before the pandemic.

Federal agencies have hired contractors with no experience to find respirators and masks, fueling a black market filled with price gouging and multiple layers of profiteering brokers. One contractor called them “buccaneers and pirates.”

Robert Wilkie is under investigation after a complaint that he sought information to discredit a House staffer who said she was sexually assaulted in a VA hospital. Wilkie denied discussing her with Rep. Dan Crenshaw. But an email indicates he did.

Eric Katz joins the program to talk about the ways that Veterans Affairs employees feel management has backed them up while treating coronavirus patients.

"This is the absolute worst-case scenario of anything I have ever experienced in my nursing career," according to one registered nurse.

Ruling sets a new governmentwide precedent.

After workers reported shortages of tests, masks and gloves, VA health staff in Detroit; Ann Arbor, Michigan; and Indianapolis have died of COVID-19. Almost 800 have tested positive.

Medical staff only able to provide "subpar care" to patients under current circumstances, one nurse says.

Ruling will put "structure" and "safeguards" in place for employee discipline law, attorney says.

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