Workforce
VA Employees Launch a 'Rate My Professors' for Federal Supervisors
The new site will allow employees to anonymously review their bosses.
Defense
‘I Can Go Anywhere’: How Service Dogs Help Veterans With PTSD
The PAWS for Veterans Therapy Act means more veterans with symptoms of traumatic stress can get specially trained service dogs.
Management
A Defense Policy Bill Amendment Would Establish a Veteran-Focused Cyber Training Program
A provision included in House and Senate legislation authorizing Defense Department spending for fiscal year 2023 would allow veterans and military spouses to receive cyber training “at no cost.”
Pay & Benefits
The VA Gives Raises to 10,000 Nurses, Takes More Steps to Boost Recruiting and Retention
The department is looking to quickly implement a new suite of incentives aimed at making VA a more attractive place to work.
Tech
Blind to Problems: How VA’s Electronic Record System Shuts Out Visually Impaired Patients
Veterans Affairs’ electronic health records aren’t friendly to blind- and low-vision users, whether they’re patients or employees. It’s a microcosm of America’s health care system.
Workforce
VA Acquisition Workforce Are Mostly Satisfied, Despite Reported Program Issues
A large majority of acquisition staff at the Department of Veterans Affairs said in a recent Government Accountability Office survey that they are satisfied in their current positions, despite continued issues with the VA’s acquisition programs.
Workforce
Unions Are Making a Last-Ditch Effort to Expand Bargaining Rights for VA Medical Professionals
Labor leaders are urging lawmakers to vote to repeal a longstanding bar against negotiating over matters affecting patient care before the end of Congress’ session.
Management
This is How DOJ Plans to Defend Feds Facing State Prosecution for Performing Abortions
The Biden administration has laid out its legal rationale to ensure federal employees are shielded from state laws banning the care.
Workforce
A Disabled Veteran Has Waited 8 Years for a $1 Million Settlement From the Air Force
David P. Bighia had hoped to work at Laughlin Air Force Base in Del Rio. Instead, he’s been fighting the Air Force as he faces home foreclosure.
Tech
A VA Official Has 'Deep Concerns' About the Agency's Electronic Health Record Deployment
But leadership at the agency pushed back against projected cost overruns and delays moving forward.
Oversight
New Fight Opens in Congress Over VA Policy that Sidesteps State Abortion Bans
Sharp GOP criticism of new abortion policy is expected to lead to court challenges
Management
VA to Offer Abortions in Limited Cases
In a policy reversal, the department is following the Dobbs decision by allowing VA doctors to terminate pregnancies caused by rape or incest, or that threaten the mother's life.
Workforce
VA Nurses Stage Demonstrations to Protest Understaffing
Employees are taking on more work than ever, causing burn out and high turnover. VA hopes new pay authorities will reverse that trend.
Workforce
A Union is Calling on the VA to Replace Its Chief Negotiator Following Trump-esque Bargaining Demands
Despite edicts from President Biden and VA Secretary Denis McDonough to establish more collaborative labor-management relations and empower labor groups, the department continues to push for a contract that closely mirrors the former president’s anti-union executive orders.
Tech
How the VA’s Adoption of Login.gov is Going
The agency is standing up in-person identity proofing to help veterans who struggle to go through the identity proofing process online because of a lack of connectivity or existing digital credentials.
Defense
VA Systems are Vulnerable to Cyber Intrusions Due to Lack of Effective Oversight, Report Says
The Department of Veterans Affairs Inspector General's office said the agency is "leaving its systems vulnerable to compromise by impostors who may gain access to protected information."
Pay & Benefits
After a Long Delay, Congress Approves a Bill to Provide Care to More Vets, Grow VA Workforce and Establish New Facilities
The measure to spend nearly $6 billion on new workforce incentives, while authorizing 31 new facilities, now heads to President Biden for his signature.
Oversight
‘These People Don’t Care’: U.S. Senate GOP Stalls Bill for Veterans Exposed to Burn Pits
Bipartisan legislation would expand health care and benefits to 3.5 million veterans exposed to toxic pits during deployments
Management
Medicinal Marijuana Research at Agencies Gets A Boost from Bipartisan Bill
The measure is likely to sail through the Senate and could give federal physicians more latitude in discussing medical cannabis with their patients.
Workforce
VA Touts Improvements But Warns of Challenges for Digital GI Bill Platform
The Veterans Benefits Administration is still relying on ‘many legacy IT systems” as part of its digital GI Bill platform, which officials said were causing challenges in keeping up with emerging technologies in congressional testimony on Wednesday.
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