afge-admin

EMPLOYEES WHO WORKED DURING THE 2018-2019 GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN MUST JOIN THE LAWSUIT BY DECEMBER 20, 2020 TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR DAMAGES

A number of top political appointees in the inner circle of Secretary Robert Wilkie at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) are under investigation for misconduct by the agency’s Office of Accountability and Whistleblower Protection (OAWP) or have allegations pending against them, according to a complaint filed in early December by a career VA employee whose name is being withheld for fear of retaliation

Heidi Burakiewicz and the law firm Kalijarvi, Chuzi, Newman & Fitch (“KCNF”), in conjunction with AFGE, filed the first lawsuit against the United States related to the 2018-2019 Government Shutdown on behalf of federal employees who were forced to work without pay

VA today announced a preliminary plan for distributing the COVID-19 vaccinations it will implement once the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issues an emergency use authorization for a vaccine. VA has worked in close coordination with the Centers and Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Operation Warp Speed to plan for COVID-19 vaccination of VA staff and Veterans. VA will first provide vaccinations to front-line VA health care workers and Veterans residing in long-term care units in 37 of its medical centers across the country. The centers, listed below, were chosen for their ability to vaccinate large numbers of people and store the vaccines at extremely cold temperatures. Health care workers will be among the first to receive vaccinations because they are at high risk for contracting and spreading COVID-19 to other staff members and patients, and their health is critical to ensuring the continued care of Veterans

Federal agencies are only funded through Friday, Dec. 11—a fast-approaching deadline, with anxiety rising among federal employees and unions. In addition to continued funding for agencies, departments—and federal payroll—also in play is the federal pay raise. “The federal pay raise for 2021 is also part of the talks,” the National Treasury Employees Union noted in a recent statement on the situation. “NTEU is pushing for a fair pay raise, adequate funding and timely action to avoid a government shutdown. Throughout recent months, NTEU has pushed for a reasonable raise—and, along with other unions, expressed frustration with the prospect of failing to get one.

Nearly 3,500 federal employees to be compensated for contracting COVID-19 at work

: White House Reverses Course, Supports Pay Freeze in 2021 READ MORE

The Department of Veterans Affairs expects to distribute coronavirus vaccines within a week or two, with a focus on inoculating high-risk veterans and staff members, VA officials told veteran group leaders on a call Thursday. Physicians and doctors treating veterans in covid-19 wards will be a priority for the vaccine, VA Secretary Robert Wilkie, who oversees the nation’s largest integrated health network, said on the call. VA’s effort will be an early test of the federal government’s enormous task of vaccine distribution as infections and daily deaths soar to new heights. More than 5,000 veterans have died under VA care, along with 74 staff members, according to VA data. READ MORE

After nearly two decades of overseas deployments and combat for U.S. service members, the Department of Veterans Affairs could be poised to get its first leader with experience serving overseas in the recent wars. The early frontrunners to be the next VA secretary under President-elect Joe Biden include several veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars, according to sources connected to transition work for the incoming administration. Advocates say such a pick would not only have first-hand knowledge of emerging veterans issues such as burn pits and expanded roles of women in the military, but also potentially provide VA leadership with its youngest top administrator ever. READ MORE