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- Five unions representing employees at the Department of Veterans Affairs are pressing Secretary Denis McDonough to do more to educate workers on the rights, benefits and services available to them during COVID-19. The American Federal of Government Employees, National Association of Government Employees – Service Employees International Union, National Federation of Federal Employees and National Nurses United say VA should immediately develop a joint COVID-19 training task force to design education courses for employees. The unions said VA hasn’t done enough to make sure employees know the rules around requesting administrative leave instead of personal or sick time. Many employees also are unaware of when and how they are eligible to file claims under the Federal Employee Compensation Act.
- The Veterans Health Administration needs stronger mechanisms for following up with veterans who have high risks for suicide. That’s according to a report from the Office of Inspector General. The IG found that nearly a third of patients determined to have a high risk for suicide were not flagged quickly enough at randomly selected VHA facilities throughout 2020. Providers…
