Management

Stefanik calls for fraud officer to protect veterans from scam in new bill

The New York congresswoman partnered with House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Chairman Mike Bost, R-Ill., to sponsor new legislation that would create an officer to help warn veterans about potential scam and identity theft schemes. 

Management

VA hopeful boosted staffing can help reduce rising veteran suicides

With the number of veteran suicides climbing in 2021, the department continues to deploy resources and recruit mental health professionals to help provide care.

Oversight

VA veterans crisis line to face new investigation by GAO

Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., says several whistleblowers have told him and his staff that veterans crisis line “responders are currently transferring veterans determined to present complex needs to an indefinite waiting list for eventual contact from a special unit.”

Management

VA officials reassigned following a House Committee's investigation into harassment allegations

Members of the office tasked with investigating harassment claims have been transferred following an investigation by the House Veterans Affairs Committee into sexual misconduct claims within that office. 

Pay & Benefits

Veterans’ health care coverage expanded by the Biden administration

The VA will create new programs meant to make care more accessible.

Workforce

Honoring our heroes and a call to serve at the VA

COMMENTARY | The Veterans Affairs Department offers an unparalleled opportunity for doctors, nurses, and mental health professionals to give back to those who have already given so much.

Workforce

VA attributes record-breaking year to massive increases in hiring

The department will now focus on retaining those employees through various incentives and process improvements, officials say.

Management

‘Historic agreement’ reached between VA and Cherokee Nation to expand veterans care in Oklahoma

The clinic, which will serve both non-Native and Indigenous veterans, is expected to open early next year.

News

Jordan’s bid to be House speaker ends after rejection by GOP in closed meeting

The closed-door meeting came after Rep. Jim Jordan’s third attempt to win sufficient support from Republicans, who hold a slim majority in the House.

Workforce

If Sen. Ernst thinks veterans are fraudsters, she couldn't be more wrong

COMMENTARY | Criticism regarding potential inefficiencies or shortcomings in teleworking policies should be directed at the policy or system, not the workers who operate within the guidelines provided, writes one veteran.

Workforce

Despite hiring efforts, 92% of VA facilities report severe nursing shortages

While the department has made strides filling vacancies, VA's health care centers are struggling to find candidates in occupations across their workforces.

Defense

PACT Act in one year aided 340,000 ailing veterans and survivors, Biden says

The act expands health care eligibility for up to 3.5 million post-9/11 veterans, and for those who served during the Vietnam and Cold War eras.

Defense

VA extends PACT Act filing deadline after website glitches

The Veterans Affairs Department is giving eligible veterans an extra week to announce their intention to submit claims under a law that expands benefits for exposure to toxic substances.

Defense

'High volume’ of last-minute PACT Act submissions caused tech glitches, VA says

Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough stressed that no veteran or survivor who received an error message “will miss out on a single day of benefits due to this issue.”

Workforce

VA, AFGE celebrate ‘best union contract’ in federal government

After six years of often acrimonious negotiations, the Veterans Affairs Department and the nation’s largest federal employee union on Tuesday signed a new collective bargaining agreement.

Defense

Women and LGBTQ+ veterans say VA facilities ‘weren’t built with us in mind’

Women veterans are less likely to go to Veterans Affairs hospitals for health care due to harassment, stigma and a lack of resources and services.

Defense

Veterans exposed to burn pits, toxins urged to apply for retroactive benefits

Nearly a year ago, President Joe Biden signed the PACT Act, a law supporters describe as the largest expansion of veteran benefits in U.S. history.