Government Executive U.S. Army veteran Gene Moy, 103, left, of Seattle prepares to get the second shot of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccination, Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2021, from Levone Walton, right, a nurse at the VA Puget Sound Health Care System campus in Seattle. Ted S. Warren / AP Get the latest on need-to-know topics for federal employees delivered to your inbox.
email House Panel Advances Legislation to Expand VA Medical Employee Bargaining Rights
The VA Employee Fairness Act would grant medical professionals the right to bargain over scheduling and official time, and to file grievances over pay disputes.
The House Veterans Affairs Committee on Tuesday voted 17-11 to advance legislation that would expand the collective bargaining rights of medical professionals at the Veterans Affairs Department, allowing them to negotiate over issues related to patient care and clinical competencies.
Normal, IL, USA / www.cities929.com
Mar 16, 2021 1:43 PM
(The Center Square) – Lawmakers continue to gather information regarding the deadly COVID-19 outbreak at the LaSalle Veterans Home.
Thirty-six residents died since the outbreak was discovered in November 2020. Republicans have repeatedly criticized Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s health department for taking more than 10 days to visit the facility after the outbreak was discovered.
The outbreak at LaSalle was first identified on Oct. 31, 2020, when a routine test on a staff member came back positive and a resident who was hospitalized for a separate issue tested positive.
Tony Kolbeck, chief of staff for the state VA department, told the House Veterans Affairs Committee on Tuesday that just over half of employees at the homes have received the vaccine.
www2.illinois.gov
The director of the Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs and her chief of staff faced members of the House Veterans Affairs Committee on Wednesday as state officials question how the coronavirus outbreak at the LaSalle Veterans Home started and what was done to prevent the spread of the virus that’s killed 33 veterans.
Linda Chapa LaVia, an Army veteran and director of the state’s VA department, and Tony Kolbeck, her chief of staff, appeared along with Dr. Avery Hart, who represented the state Department of Public Health, to answer questions about the spread of the virus at the LaSalle Veterans Home.