Latest news with #VA
Fox News
6 hours ago
- Business
- Fox News
House hearing examines millions of dollars' worth of improperly documented VA incentive payments
Jen Kiggans, R-Va., led a hearing on Tuesday to discuss millions of dollars' worth of incentive payments distributed by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) that were improperly documented. Kiggans, at the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations hearing, said incentive payments for recruitment, relocation and retention have lacked oversight for years, according to a news release from the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs. "They call it the three Rs, which are recruitment, retention, and relocation," Chris Lovell, a retired Marine Corps Major and CEO of veteran-owned Lovell Government Services, described to Fox News Digital. "It gives additional pay to folks… to keep them and retain them, especially if they have specialty vocations that the VA needs." A recent audit found that between 2020 and 2023, VA payments for relocation grew by 85%, retention payments grew by 131%, and recruitment payments increased by 237%. A total of $1.2 billion worth of incentive payments were given to employees during that period, but $341 million of those were not properly documented, according to the committee. The audit discovered that in one instance, the Veterans Health Administration awarded $30,000 in relocation payments to an employee who never moved, the release noted. Lovell, whose Florida-based business provides resources to the VA, said that this has been an ongoing problem. A 2017 report found improper payments from the VA totaled over $158 million in unsupported spending, according to the release. These documentation issues could be mitigated if the agency improved its management and upgraded its outdated system, Lovell said. The Defense Civilian Pay System, used by both the Department of Defense and the VA, was created more than 30 years ago. "It's a two-pronged approach to cleaning up what's perceived as fraud and waste," he said. "If [management says] they want to clean up erroneous payments or payments without documentation, then they need to supervise that. … And the second piece of that improvement process… is the system." However, Lovell said that the VA is doing "great things" for veterans on a daily basis. "We're happy to be a part of that," he said. In an email, a spokesperson for the VA referred Fox News Digital to the agency's testimony at the hearing. The VA currently has around 482,000 employees, the majority of whom work in the Veterans Health Administration, according to its website. Earlier this year, the Department of Government Efficiency found the VA had paid hundreds of thousands of dollars a month for website changes before canceling the contract and having an internal staffer take over. While combing through loads and loads of data, DOGE discovered a previous contract by the VA for its website maintenance. "Good work by @DeptVetAffairs," DOGE said in a post on X. "VA was previously paying ~$380,000/month for minor website modifications. That contract has not been renewed, and the same work is now being executed by 1 internal VA software engineer spending ~10 hours/week."
Fox News
7 hours ago
- Business
- Fox News
Lovell Government Services CEO reacts to hearing over VA's incentive payments
Chris Lovell, CEO of veteran-owned Lovell Government Services, spoke about the Tuesday hearing that discussed incentive payments given by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) with minimal oversight.
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Stride Announces Date for Fourth Quarter Fiscal Year 2025 Earnings Call
RESTON, VA, July 22, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Stride Inc. (NYSE: LRN) announced today it plans to discuss its fourth quarter and full fiscal year 2025 financial results during a conference call scheduled for Tuesday, August 5, 2025 at 5:00 p.m. eastern time (ET). A live webcast of the call will be available at To participate in the live call, investors and analysts should dial (800) 715-9871 (domestic) or +1 (646) 307-1963 (international) and provide the conference ID number 8901384. Please access the website at least 15 minutes prior to the start of the call. A replay of the call will be posted at as soon as it is available. About Stride Inc. Stride Inc. (NYSE: LRN) is redefining lifelong learning with innovative, high-quality education solutions. Serving learners in primary, secondary, and postsecondary settings, Stride provides a wide range of services including K-12 education, career learning, professional skills training, and talent development. Stride reaches learners in all 50 states and over 100 countries. Learn more at CONTACT: Timothy Casey Vice President, Investor Relations, Stride Inc. ir@
Globe and Mail
11 hours ago
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Stride Announces Date for Fourth Quarter Fiscal Year 2025 Earnings Call
RESTON, VA, July 22, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Stride Inc. (NYSE: LRN) announced today it plans to discuss its fourth quarter and full fiscal year 2025 financial results during a conference call scheduled for Tuesday, August 5, 2025 at 5:00 p.m. eastern time (ET). A live webcast of the call will be available at To participate in the live call, investors and analysts should dial (800) 715-9871 (domestic) or +1 (646) 307-1963 (international) and provide the conference ID number 8901384. Please access the website at least 15 minutes prior to the start of the call. A replay of the call will be posted at as soon as it is available. About Stride Inc. Stride Inc. (NYSE: LRN) is redefining lifelong learning with innovative, high-quality education solutions. Serving learners in primary, secondary, and postsecondary settings, Stride provides a wide range of services including K-12 education, career learning, professional skills training, and talent development. Stride reaches learners in all 50 states and over 100 countries. Learn more at
Politico
16 hours ago
- Business
- Politico
Elizabeth Warren won't back VA funding package, firing a warning shot to Republicans
Sen. Elizabeth Warren will vote against moving forward on the Senate's first package of government funding bills. It serves as an early warning shot from a standard-bearer of the progressive base ahead of the Sept. 30 deadline to avoid a government shutdown — and a sign that Democrats more broadly could be gearing up to play hardball ahead of the funding cliff. The Massachusetts Democrat said in a statement Tuesday, shared first with POLITICO, that she would oppose all votes related to advancing the bundle of Senate Appropriations Committee-passed bills, citing the Trump administration's moves to cut and freeze funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs. One of the spending measures expected to be included in the so-called minibus coming to the floor this week — with a vote to tee up consideration scheduled for later Tuesday afternoon — is legislation to fund the VA and certain military infrastructure programs. Warren is the ranking member on the Senate Armed Services subcommittee on personnel. 'The Trump administration's actions are disgraceful — freezing VA grants, cutting funds for veterans' suicide prevention, stripping support for veteran homelessness, firing VA workers, gutting programs to help veterans avoid foreclosure and get mental health support in times of crisis,' said Warren in the statement. 'Nothing in this bill puts a stop to those actions.' Since January, about 17,000 jobs at VA have been vacated through a combination of retirements, resignations and department hiring freezes. Voluntary retirements and resignations are expected to further cull 30,000 VA employee positions by the end of September, the department announced earlier this month. But Warren also went further in her statement, drawing a red line that other Democrats have started to put down, too: Republicans should not expect full Democratic cooperation in the larger government funding process if the GOP continues to support actions that undermine Congress' authority to direct federal spending decisions. 'I cannot in good conscience support this funding bill while the Trump administration illegally withholds funding for programs appropriated by Congress for veterans in need and Republicans unilaterally claw back bipartisan funding that Donald Trump doesn't like,' Warren said. 'Congress is a co-equal branch of government,' she continued. 'When we vote to protect our veterans, we need to stand by that vote. We swore an oath to the Constitution, not to a king. If Republicans want support for this bill, they can start by demonstrating they will uphold the law.' Democrats are huddling for their weekly lunch Tuesday ahead of the first procedural vote on the appropriations package, which also could include bills funding Capitol operations, federal agriculture programs and the Food and Drug Administration. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is expected to lead his caucus in a discussion about whether Democratic senators want to help Republicans shore up the 60 votes necessary to bring the minibus to the floor. Warren's hard-line position could set a tone for the conversation about whether Democrats are prepared at this point to show Republicans they can't take their votes for granted.
