People

Report lauds VA's focus on quality care, health IT

The department has improved shared decision-making and performance measurements, the Congressional Budget Office said.

People

Letter: Thompson offers empty campaign promise

A reader says that if elected, Fred Thompson would find it impossible to keep his pledge to freeze government hiring.

People

Sen. Kerry: SBA must protect whistleblowers

Employees must be ensured confidentiality when they have complaints, Kerry told SBA Administrator Steve Preston.

People

Be patient with DHS, advisory group advises next president

The Homeland Security Advisory Council’s Administration Transition Task Force recommends that the incoming administration wait at least six months to make significant changes.

People

GAO: Rising claims, fewer employees feed SSA disability backlog

Management weaknesses have also contributed to the backlog and claimants' longer waits for resolution, GAO said.

People

Letter: Coast Guard's approach to Deepwater was flawed

A reader uses a story to illustrate a lesson in working with contractors.

People

Letter: Feds should have nothing to hide

A reader says employees of the Jet Propulsion Lab should submit to background checks -- or get out of government.

People

OMB sets guidelines for first-, business-class travel

The new internal controls come after GAO found waste at several agencies.

People

Presidential candidate would freeze government hiring

Republican hopeful Fred Thompson said he would curb government spending by not hiring any new employees for one year.

People

Stay professional on Facebook, career coach advises

Unprofessional Facebook profiles--and backstabbing--are career blunders to be avoided, an executive coach tells Young Government Leaders.

People

Letter: Pay for performance doesn't live up to the ideal

A reader says many NSPS employees receive smaller raises than their General Schedule counterparts.

People

NASA aeronautics official steps down

Lisa Porter will head the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity after she steps down Feb. 1.

People

IRS taxpayer advocate: Congress is biggest problem

Tax code changes cause the Internal Revenue Service to delay processing returns, says Nina Olson.

People

NASA aeronautics official moves to new intell agency

Lisa Porter will head the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity after she steps down Feb. 1.

People

Candidates should recognize change is hard, report states

“Why not use social-networking technologies to build political support to make [innovation] move faster?” asks Bruce McConnell, president of Government Futures.

People

State IT Consortium gets VP, general manager

David Popovich replaces Robert Glasser, who retired last week after joining the Systems and Software Consortium in 1990.

People

Letter: Kelman's 'secrets' aren't so secret

A reader says Steve Kelman's revelations about worker productivity are obvious to anyone who's spent time in federal agencies.

People

SBA promotes Ott

Fay Ott, who has been a senior manager at the Small Business Administration since 2004, is now associate administrator at the Office of Government Contracting and Business Development.

People

AFGE seeks Supreme Court review of NSPS

The American Federation of Government Employees has petitioned the Supreme Court to hear its case against DOD's National Security Personnel System.

People

GAO: IRS has fixed only 30 percent of security gaps

The agency has not fully implemented an information security program to make sure that controls are effectively established and maintained, according to a new report.