VA Claims Backlog Falls But More Work Ahead
The Department of Veterans Affairs has reduced a disability claims backlog but more work remains to be done, according to recent testimony before the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.
VA
Are VA Employees Working Full-Time for Unions Hurting Patient Care?
At least 85 nurses in the VA are working as full-time union representatives. Two Senators are questioning the impact on veterans of federal employees working as full-time union representatives.
VA Trademarks ‘GI Bill’
The Department of Veterans Affairs announced that GI Bill is now a registered trademark with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and VA is the sole owner of the mark.
Congressmen Want to Send a Message to VA Employees
Congressmen Jeff Miller (R-FL) and Richard Burr (R-NC) have called for VA Chief of Staff John Gingrich to be removed from his position following an Inspector General report outlining excessive spending on recent conferences.
The Female Veteran With Diminished Mental Capacity and the VA Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist
A vocational rehabilitation specialist working with a female veteran with diminished mental capacity was removed after the VA made four charges against him with multiple specifications.
Court Upholds Firing of VA Officer for Treatment of Homeless Man
The appeals court has sustained the firing of a VA Police Service lieutenant stemming from his treatment of a homeless visitor.
Is That a Knife or a “Utility Utensil?”
A VA Medical Center employee was fired for, among other charges, brandishing a knife, but he argued it was a “utility utensil.”
Good Pay Day for the Lawyers in VA Class Action Lawsuit
As usual, the attorneys that filed class action lawsuits fared much better than those they are representing in this case involving the Department of Veterans Affairs. Attorneys suing the VA wanted 25% of a $20 million fund, or $5 million. The judge decided they would get only 18% or $3.6 million. Represented veterans got from $75 to $1500.
Death Panels, National Health Care and the VA
An agency can find itself in the middle of a political and media firestorm quickly and unexpectedly. The Dept. of Veterans Affairs has found itself in the middle of another controversy it doesn’t want. The relatively new political appointee caught in the middle is undergoing a trial by fire.
Be Careful in Asking for a Classification Review
This VA employee thought he should be paid at a higher grade level; OPM disagreed.
