Workforce
VA’s AI model to prevent suicides is a 'game changer,' official says
The REACH-VET program identifies roughly 6,700 retired servicemembers per month, according to a top lawmaker.
Pay & Benefits
VA to review more previously awarded bonuses after improperly doling out $11M to execs
The department has used an “improper and overzealous application” of new authorities to give extra pay to certain employees, IG says.
Pay & Benefits
Exposed to Agent Orange at U.S. bases, veterans face cancer without VA compensation
Mounting evidence shows that as far back as the 1950s, in an effort to kill the ubiquitous poison oak and other weeds at Fort Ord, the military experimented with and sprayed the powerful herbicide combination known colloquially as Agent Orange.
Workforce
VA employee discipline back in the spotlight as lawmakers move new bills
Another measure would provide VA managers with more training on disciplining employees.
Management
Senate Veterans’ Affairs chair calls for more mental health care providers in rural areas
Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., asked VA Secretary Denis McDonough to increase the number of providers and ensure they are “in locations where veterans need them most.”
Pay & Benefits
VA is trimming its PACT Act claims backlog, but enrollees may be on the ‘low side’
Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough says that the department is quickly processing new claims made by veterans exposed to toxic substances during their military service, thanks, in part, to robust hiring, but warns that those claims may not have hit their peak yet.
Pay & Benefits
Bill wants to solve the coverage gap for National Guard and reservists by extending VA eligibility
Legislation from Rep. Joe Neguse, D-Colo., proposes to expand VA health care benefits to personnel in the reserve components when not on active duty to help ensure “force readiness.”
Oversight
VA claims appeal board errors are the target of a new House bill
The Veterans Claims Quality Improvement Act seeks to mitigate errors made by the Board of Veterans’ Appeals with new training, performance evaluations and required reports to Congress.
Workforce
Give administrative leave to veterans for VA appointments
COMMENTARY | This is a necessary step in honoring our veterans in federal service.
Pay & Benefits
DOD, other agencies could better transition service members to civilian life
GAO officials said the Defense, Veterans Affairs and Labor departments could better collaborate to provide more at-risk veterans “warm handovers” to help transition them from military service to civilian life.
Workforce
VA to shed 10,000 employees at underutilized facilities in FY25
The department plans to use attrition only and focus on staff in supervisory and administrative roles.
Management
The fight against veteran homelessness demands a concerted effort
COMMENTARY | "Only through a united front can we hope to honor the service of our veterans by ensuring they have the security and dignity of a place to call home," writes Navy veteran Michael Embrich.
Management
VA aims to house 41,000 homeless veterans in 2024
The goal is slightly reduced from the total it achieved in 2023, when the department set an all-time record.
Pay & Benefits
Veterans Affairs expands IVF access to unmarried and same-sex veterans
Up to now, the VA has only provided IVF care for married veterans who were able to use their own eggs or sperm during the process, but the new announcement allows veterans to use donor eggs, sperm and embryos.
Oversight
House Committee wants to interview 8 VA officials in harassment probe
House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Mike Bost, R-Ill., sent a letter asking for interviews with several senior leaders as part of the committee’s ongoing investigation into sexual harassment allegations in one of the department’s offices.
Oversight
Senator wants USPS to address veteran medication delays
Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Jon Tester, D-Mt., wants answers from the Postmaster General about ongoing issues veterans have had receiving VA-prescribed medications by mail.
Oversight
GAO: Severe complications for pregnant veterans nearly doubled in the last decade
The report, which notes that Black women have a higher rate of complication, recommends that the VA collect more data on mental health, race and ethnicity to understand the reasons for the disparity.
Tech
Lawmakers urge VA to tread carefully with AI
The Department of Veteran Affairs’ 2023 inventory of AI use cases listed 100 instances where VA is working to use emerging technologies, with at least 40 of those examples in an operational phase.
Oversight
VA secretary says he ‘failed’ in recognizing office harassment allegations
Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough candidly admitted fault during a House committee hearing for not discerning more quickly whistleblower complaints of sexual harassment within a department office.
Pay & Benefits
10 years on, OPM keeps its pay freeze in place for senior officials
With budget negotiations ongoing, OPM officials said that the pay rates for the vice president and other senior political officials will remain frozen until at least the expiration of the latest continuing resolution.
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