Jailed veterans still receiving benefits from Veterans Affairs

In today's Top Federal Headlines, vets who are jailed for over 60 days are supposed to have their benefits reduced, that isn't always happening. Plus, Virginia ...

The Federal Headlines is a daily compilation of the stories you hear discussed on  Federal Drive with Tom Temin.

  • Veterans who are sent to prison for over 60 days are supposed to have their benefits payments reduced, but Veterans Affairs’ Office of Inspector General says that isn’t always happening. A new report shows the Veterans Benefits Administration failed to reduce benefits for 53 percent of cases between 2008 and 2015, resulting in nearly $60 million in improper payments. (Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General)
  • The bill that would have set funding levels for Veterans Affairs, the Transportation Department, and other agencies for fiscal 2017 is voted down by the Senate. It also would have provided over $1 billion to fight the Zika virus. Many Democrats voted against it because of spending restrictions it would have put on Planned Parenthood. (Associated Press)
  • The Pentagon has confirmed it will be releasing a policy on transgender individuals in the military. Many think the policy will lift the ban on transgender people in the military as soon as Friday. The plan will more than likely give military services a one-year period to create new policies for recruiting, uniforms, and bathrooms for transgender service members. The Obama administration has opened the military to a number of groups previously banned from serving. Defense Secretary Ash Carter approved a strategy allowing women to serve in combat positions earlier this year. (Federal News Radio)
  • Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D-Va.) is hoping to make it easier for military medical personnel to transition into civilian life. He signed a bill creating a pilot program, which will allow active-duty medical personnel to earn credentials or licenses recognized by civilian health care organizations. The program will start accepting applications this fall. (Navy)
  • The IRS said it be adding new authentication codes to 50 million W-2 forms for the next filing season. It’s also expanding its information sharing platform with states and local governments and industry tax organizations under the IRS Security Summit. The agency said the first year of the summit has been successful. The IRS stopped identity thieves from claiming over $1 billion in fraudulent tax returns during the first four months of 2016. That’s better than the $754 million it collected during the same time last year. (IRS)
  • Agencies who use geospatial data are about to get a clearer view of the earth. Google launched an upgrade to its Google Earth product. It will use imagery from the Landsat 8 satellite, operated by NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey, to enhance its so-called cloud-free world view. It said images of the earth will be far sharper than they are now. Google says it mined a petabyte of data to pick the best images. (Google)
  • Lockheed Martin will continue servicing the Advanced Electronic Guidance and Instrumentation System, or AEGIS, after winning a $421 million contract from the Department of Defense. The contract also involves foreign military sales. It calls for Lockheed’s mission systems and sensors business will provide engineering and maintenance support. (Defense Department)
  • The process for patenting cancer immunotherapy treatments gets a speed boost. The Patent and Trademark Office said it will start fast tracking applications pertaining to cancer immunotherapy. It’s launching a pilot program that will allow it to process them out of turn. This is in support of the White House’s national $1 billion “Cancer Moonshot.” (Federal Register)

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