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Veterans Affairs News 
Top News
- SES bonuses under fire at GSA, other agencies
- VA's Gould moves the needle on VA challenges
- Obama appoints Danny Werfel acting IRS head
- Photo Gallery: Meet the 2013 Service to America Medal Finalists
- Next-gen Apple devices cleared to join Defense IT networks
- In fight over intelligence IT system, Army prioritizes access to data
- White House wants to root out copycat programs - starting with STEM
- Pentagon furloughs to begin July 8
- Causey: Don't work or we'll fire you!
- House bill protects homeland security budget
- Intelligence Community free from furloughs
- DoD aims to speed approval process for mobile devices
- OMB fuels the passion, synergy between mobile, open data
- GAO, OMB spar over whether to measure data center cost savings
- Agencies craving STEMM talent should bolster skills of persuasion
- DoD wants to know real costs of IT business systems
DoD, VA accelerate schedule for integrated health record
The two departments are looking for "quick wins" in their integrated health-record strategy, aiming to bring the most important capabilities online three years early.
VA testing cash prizes to improve its health record system
The Department of Veterans Affairs is trying out a new system of contests to make upgrades to its electronic medical record system. The agency plans to award up to three prizes worth $3 million to vendors who create open-source based components to VistA.
Lawmaker looks outside VA to fill mental care gap
Veterans who have trouble getting timely mental health care from Veterans Affairs hospitals and clinics should also have access to thousands of health care providers who care for military personnel and their families, says the Republican chairman of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs.
VA moves mobile from concept to reality with veteran homelessness app
The Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development departments created a mobile app in two weeks to improve the process for counting homeless veterans. The successful development effort puts the notions detailed in the Digital Government Strategy into practice.
Biden's recent moves stoking chatter about 2016
Joe Biden is thanking Democratic supporters in the afterglow of President Barack Obama's second inauguration, dropping plenty of hints that he may try to cement Obama's legacy with his own presidential campaign in 2016.
Shinseki absent from inaugural ceremonies
Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki was absent from ceremonial inaugural ceremonies as President Barack Obama was being sworn-in to a second term.
Unions frustrated by slow-roll of some labor-management forums
At the National Council on Federal Labor-Management Relations meeting, several employee representatives said the time has come for the committee to put more pressure on agencies to have more of the collaborative forums up and running well. During a time of budget reductions, possible furloughs and a government shutdown, the unions say the forums provide a way for agencies to better manage all of these fiscal challenges.
What are the top issues facing veterans in 2013?
Host Derrick Dortch hosts a roundtable discussion of veteran's issues, with representatives from the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
January 11, 2013(Encore presentation January 25, 2013)
Historic buildings throw wrench in agencies real-property efforts
In a new report, the Government Accountability Office found tighter budgets in recent years have constrained agencies' ability to maintain and repair historic buildings and that poor data practices have led to inconsistent and erroneous information on a database designed to track federal properties.
Second VA official resigns over conference spending
Alice Muellerweiss, the dean of VA's Learning University, resigned, joining John Sepulveda, the agency's former chief human capital officer. As many as 10 others are under review for their actions or parts in what the IG called a lack of oversight.
Agency collaboration founded in personal relationships
Several departments are seeing the benefits from governmentwide collaboration. The interagency National Intellectual Property Coordination Center used its relationships to get the word out more quickly about counterfeit air bags that potentially could explode on impact. HR University absorbed millions of dollars in performance management training courses from an agency who on the CHCO Council.
Homeless rate steady in latest government estimate
A vigorous effort to house the homeless has been countered somewhat by a sluggish economy. The federal government and local communities have greatly increased the number of beds available to the homeless over the last four years, either through emergency shelters or through government-subsidized apartments and houses. But the struggling economy contributed to the number of homeless people in the United States remaining stable between January 2011 and January 2012.
Panetta, Shinseki order swifter progress toward joint health records
The heads of DoD and VA met on Thursday, and decided they wanted to a plan to speed up the delivery of an integrated health record system, currently scheduled for implementation in 2017.
VA's mobile projects put iPads in hands of doctors - and patients
The Veterans Affairs Department's mobile projects have centered on improving internal business processes and changing how the agency interacts with the public. The department's "Clinic-in-Hand" program, which will launch early next year, will deploy iPads to family caregivers of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. And increasingly VA doctors and nurses are eschewing the clipboards and prescription pads in favor of mobile options.
Federal Drive Interviews -- Dec. 6, 2012
Kathleen Frisbee talks about mobile efforts at the Veterans Health Administration. Richard Buangan of the State Department talks about an agency Twitter account that tweets off-message. Ticora Jones discusses new development labs built with seed money from USAID.
VA registers 'GI Bill' as a trademark
The GI Bill is now a registered trademark with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The Department of Veterans Affairs announced it is now the sole owner of the phrase.
Federal Drive Interviews -- Dec. 4, 2012
USPS' Tony Vegliante talks about veterans working at the Postal Service. Attorney Joseph Petrillo discusses the government's many procurement rules. Jerry Brito of George Mason University launched a site to encourage greater transparency at the World Conference on International Telecommunications. Bob Litan discusses a new Bloomberg Government report on reducing the deficit. DoD's Stephen King talks about the Pentagon honoring standout workers with disabilities.
Vietnam veterans sue military in Conn. over PTSD
The military has failed to correct the wrongful discharges of thousands of Vietnam veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, an advocacy group says in a federal lawsuit.
Federal Drive Interviews -- Dec. 3, 2012
Jim Bradley of the GPO talks about The Plum Book. Administrator John Pistole discusses new security measures at the Transportation Security Administration. Dr. Patricia Hayes wants female vets to know VA is the right place for their healthcare needs. The Potomac Institute's Mike Sweetnam says the government's hodgepodge approach to cybersecurity is no way to prepare for a cyberwar.
Veterans' gun rights sticky issue in defense bill
Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) sought to amend the bill to stop the Veterans Affairs Department from putting the names of veterans deemed too mentally incompetent to handle their finances into the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, which prohibits them from buying or owning firearms.
