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Order calls for interagency cooperation on veterans' mental health
Executive order calls for vets in emotional distress to be seen by a professional within 24 hours. It also enlists HHS, Education, DoD and VA in interagency partnerships to find treatments for traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress.
Tags: DoD , HHS , Education , mental health , executive order , Barack Obama , Veterans of Foreign Wars , John Hamilton , American Legion , Brian Bertges , Jared Serbu
Integrated health record tests DoD's agile acquisition aspirations
DoD and VA have both committed to moving from their legacy electronic health record systems to a joint, integrated system by 2017. But there are challenges: an aggressive timeline and an acquisition culture that's not been suited to agility in the past.
Tags: DoD , Integrated Electronic Health Record , technology , health IT , Barclay Butler , Michael Weiner , Leon Panetta , Eric Shinseki , Susan Perez , Jared Serbu
GOP platform criticizes administration's defense, cyber strategies
The Republican Party platform criticized President Barack Obama for not doing enough to avert automatic budget cuts set to hit the Defense Department in January. The plan, which was unveiled Tuesday, also called for greater public-private collaboration on cybersecurity and recommended an overhaul of the Veterans Affairs Department.
Tags: DoD , DoD budget , cybersecurity , GOP platform
VA seeks outsider to review conference planning policies
The Veterans Affairs Department wants a contractor to review the agency's conference planning and conference acquisition policies, according to a request for information. The solicitation comes weeks after revelations that VA had spent $5 million two conferences last year.
Tags: conference , oversight , RFI , FedBizOpps , contracting , Jolie Lee
VA paid $52K for 'Patton' conference training video
A 15-minute training video that cost $52,000 to make joins the examples of excessive spending at two Veterans Affairs' conferences last year with a total pricetag of $5 million.
Tags: House Veterans Affairs Committee , House Oversight and Government Reform , Jeff Miller , Darrell Issa , Eric Shinseki , conference , Shakeup at GSA , oversight , budget , Congress , George Patton
First lady announces new hiring push for vets
First lady Michelle Obama revealed Wednesday that 2,000 businesses around the country have hired or trained more than 125,000 military veterans and spouses in the past year, surpassing a White House goal of 100,000 by the end of next year.
Tags: Michelle Obama , workforce , veterans , Scott Van Buskirk
Congressman pledges to hold hearings on VA conference spending
Spa treatments, concert tickets and helicopter and stretch limo rides — the initial details in a Veterans Affairs' Office of the Inspector General investigation could overshadow the GSA conference spending scandal.
Tags: Jeff Miller , House , House Veterans Affairs Committee , Congress , oversight , conference spending , Federal Drive
OMB wants 'single door' for vendors at each agency
Federal CIO Steven VanRoekel wants agencies to create vendor management organizations to centralize how contractors work with departments. So far, four agencies are piloting the vendor management organizations. VanRoekel, who also wants agencies to use investment review boards more for strategic goals, said the use of both tools "very much align with our priorities to do more with less."
Tags: technology , management , Steven VanRoekel , David Kappos , Roger Baker , Scott Gould , David Hayes , PTO , Interior , IRS , vendor management organizations , investment review boards , Jason Miller , President
Veterans charity accused of squandering millions
The California-based charity came under scrutiny four years ago, when its founder and then- president was hauled before Congress to answer tough questions about his management of millions of dollars in private donations. Roger Chapin vehemently defended his actions, and his group went on to raise millions more to support its mission of providing arts and craft kits to homebound and hospitalized veterans.
Tags: charity , Help Hospitalized Veterans
Johnson planning bill to change VA small business contracting process
Rep. Bill Johnson (R-Ohio) believes a VA contracting program that requires service-disabled vets control 100 percent of their company's decision-making to qualify is too onerous. And he wants to ease the requirements.
Tags: Bill Johnson , Scott Denniston , Thomas Leney , contracting , acquisition , oversight , Service disabled veteran-owned small business , Ruben Gomez
