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Thousands of Veterans Affairs Department technology office employees received a total of 24 million dollars in bonuses over a two-year period. The inspector gen...

Federal News Network Staff

August 21, 2009 6:08 pm

1 min read

Thousands of Veterans Affairs Department technology office employees received a total of 24 million dollars in bonuses over a two-year period. The inspector general for VA says some of them were issued under questionable circumstances. In scathing reports this week, investigators detailed abuses ranging from nepotism to an inappropriate relationship between two VA employees. Read more on Dorobek Insider.

Accusations of contract fraud at NASA. Acting Assistant Inspector General Debra Pettitt says firms that won grants from NASA are actually scamming the space agency. The website NewScientist.com reports that different grants awarded under the Small Business Innovation Research tool sometimes go to the same firms. In other words, investigators found that the same firms are getting grants from different agencies for the same work. Since 2001, they’ve found eight cases, but because they don’t know the full extent of the fraud, the inspector general’s office says they’re initiating a new audit.

Federal agencies missed the mark on four of the five government-wide small business contracting goals in 2008. The Small Business Administration says agencies met the five percent small disadvantage business goal, by awarding 6.7 percent to these firms. But the government dropped the ball in achieving the goals for small businesses, women owned, service disabled veteran owned and historically underutilized business, or HUBZone, goals. On Monday’s Federal Drive, we will hear from SBA about the latest report.

Hawaii is marking its entry as the 50th State with a new postage stamp, planning for the islands’ future economic development and protests. State leaders are calling today’s events a statehoood “commemoration” rather than a “celebration” out of respect to Native Hawaiians and their unresolved claims since the 1893 overthrow of the Hawaiian kingdom. The stamp, available nationwide Friday, shows a painting of a longboard surfer and two paddlers in an outrigger canoe.

Other Stories We’re Following

Battle brewing over command authority (GovExec)

Senators seek funds for 12 more C-17s (Congress Daily/GovExec)

Administration says it is committed to posting contracts online (GovExec)

FDA plans electronic filing for some safety reports (FCW)

Better security boosts agencies’ use of wireless devices (GCN)