FCW.com – “In the wake of landmark workforce legislation giving the Veterans Affairs secretary new authority to fire and discipline employees [H.R.1259 – VA Accountability First Act of 2017], the agency released a list of adverse personnel actions from the past six months. VA isn’t naming names, but the adverse action report released July 3 gives the job functions and locations of hundreds of employees that were fired, suspended or demoted since the Trump administration took office on Jan 20. More categories of punishment will be added to the list, according to the VA..”

The Washington Post – ” The agency that has been the main target of efforts to fire feds faster dismissed more than 500 employees this year — even before a new accountability law took effect. Since the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) shamed itself in 2014 with a scandal over the coverup of long patient wait times, Capitol Hill politicians have demanded that the agency accelerate sacking — as if that were the main measure of good personnel administration. Department leaders joined the call and perpetuated the impression that life would be better if only more derelicts could be dumped. Now we know that VA has dumped plenty. Its first public posting, released Friday, of adverse actions against employees, terminations, suspensions and demotions, showed that the department fired 525 staffers from Jan. 20, when President Trump took office, through July 3. The number of staffers dismissed should not be confused with effective human resource management. A certain percentage of terminations is inevitable in any organization, particularly during probationary periods. Yet, an excessive and perverse focus on firing makes that a valued metric, instead of more attention on measures encouraging the agency, its managers and its employees to succeed. VA’s 26-page list is filled with “removals,” which is government-speak for firings, of staffers, including doctors, nurses, housekeepers, grave diggers…”

The Washington Post – Federal employee civil service protections outdated? The experts speak.

Federal Soup – VA first agency to publicize adverse employee actions