A VA nursing assistant has pleaded guilty to seven counts of second-degree murder and one count of assault with intent to commit murder in the deaths of eight veterans at the Louis A. Johnson VAMC.
VA Whistleblower Protection Office Takes Action in Only 2% of Its Cases
The Office of Accountability and Whistleblower Protection has followed through with only a small fraction of the cases it has investigated.
Most AFGE Survey Respondents Opined That VA Has Racism Problem
More than three-quarters of VA employees report that racism is a moderate to severe problem at VA facilities, according to a survey released by the American Federation of Government Employees.
Robinson Empowers Pacific Islands Staff as New Healthcare Director
Adam M. Robinson Jr., MD, the newly minted director of the VA Pacific Islands Healthcare System, has a story about a three-legged stool. It’s one that he tells enough that his employees end up learning it by heart.
Could VA’s Expedited Pandemic Hiring Become the New Normal?
More than 23,000 New Employees Have Joined Agency WASHINGTON—Thanks to an influx of emergency funding related to the COVID-19 pandemic and the implementation of expedited hiring practices, VA has onboarded more than 23,000 new employees, including 4,700 nurses, 800...
VA Faces Critical PPE Shortages After Orders Diverted by FEMA
Masks, Other Protective Equipment Went Into Federal Stockpile WASHINGTON—While early in the pandemic VA leaders repeatedly said that their facilities had enough personal protective equipment for its staff to weather the crisis, reports began circulating last month of...
Retired VA Healthcare Personnel: The VA Wants You Back to Fight COVID-19
WASHINGTON – If you are a retired VA healthcare provider, the agency wants you back – unless until the novel coronavirus pandemic is contained. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) approved a request from the VA in mid-March to waive a section of federal law that...
Processes to Evaluate, Care for Military Sexual Trauma Patients Improve
WASHINGTON—With an increase in the number of servicemembers coming forward to report their experience with sexual assault during active duty, VA is slowly making progress in implementing best practices for how to evaluate and care for survivors of military sexual...
Many Questions Remain Unanswered Nine Months Into VA’s MISSION Act
Agency Not Sure How Many Veterans Are Using the Program WASHINGTON—Nine months after the MISSION Act went live, VA is still unsure how many veterans are taking advantage of the revamped community care system and how much it will cost the department in its first year,...
Star Ratings System Out at VA; More Localized Healthcare Comparisons Offered
WASHINGTON—The VA will no longer use a star ratings system to compare its 146 VA medical centers. Instead, the VA will make public measures such as wait times, quality of medical care and patient experience ratings available for each facility. According to VA...
VA OIG: Wait Times Likely to Go Up With MISSION Act Authorization Process
WASHINGTON — Veterans seeking care from community providers could face even longer wait times under the MISSION Act than they did before the legislation went into effect, a VA Office of Inspector General report has concluded. In the report released last month,...
VA Survey: Health Issues Are Greatest Concerns for New Veterans
Most Report Satisfaction with Work Life, Social Well-Being BOSTON — Health issues plague veterans, even when they first leave military service and are viewed as a bigger problem than finding work or establishing civilian social relationships. That’s according to a new...
VA Opts Against Charges in Alleged DC VAMC Assault of Congressional Staffer
Wilkie’s Characterization of ‘Unsubstantiated’ Challenged by VA IG WASHINGTON — Following an investigation by the VA Office of the Inspector General, federal authorities have decided not to file any charges based on a reported assault at the DC VAMC this past fall. A...
Recent Veterans Are Different in Some Ways Than Those Who Came Before
High Rates of Deployment, Combat Affected Them Mentally, Physically WASHINGTON—This likely will come as little surprise to the VA and DoD medical personnel who care for them, but recent veterans really are very different from those who came before them. A recent...
VA’s Innovation Chief Sees Himself as a Catalyst to Bring People, Ideas Together
PALO ALTO, CA—The journey of Thomas Osborne, MD, into medicine was not a straight line, but it was a path that seems strangely appropriate considering his role now as Director of VA’s brand new National Center for Collaborative Healthcare Innovation. An art student at...
Legislators, OIG Challenge VA Contention That Care Problems Are ‘Isolated’
WASHINGTON—Disturbing incidents involving VA facilities have been in the headlines recently.
VA Facing Critical Healthcare Staffing Shortages in Near Future
WASHINGTON—Oversight agencies are sounding the alarm that VA is plagued with large staffing shortages in critical areas, including physicians, registered nurses, physician assistants, psychologists and physical therapists, as well as human resource specialists.
Advocates Square Off Against VA on Women’s Veterans Task Force’s Role
WASHINGTON—It’s been nearly six months since the House VA Committee launched its bipartisan Women Veterans Task Force, and the result is a legislative docket filled with bills geared toward ensuring VA has the resources it needs to care for the growing number of...