Cybersecurity Officials Stress Cyber Resiliency in Hybrid Environments Aug 18, 2021 | 2:09 pm With the COVID-19 pandemic changing the work landscape, potentially forever, cybersecurity officials are advising that workplaces prepare to build resiliency into these hybrid work landscapes and make sure they are working strategically to secure the connections. […]
VA Expands Vaccine Mandate, National Guard, USCG to Follow Aug 12, 2021 | 3:54 pm The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is expanding its COVID-19 vaccine mandate on Aug. 13 to include most Veterans Health Administration (VHA) employees, volunteers, contractors, or anyone who comes in contact with VA patients and healthcare workers as part of their job, the agency announced today. Additionally, the National Guard, part of the Department of […]
How COVID-19 Accelerated VA’s Digital Transformation Aug 12, 2021 | 11:45 am The COVID-19 pandemic allowed the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to accelerate its digital transformation efforts in a way that wasn’t possible before the public health crisis, a VA official said this week, while explaining how the agency quickly adapted to become more agile and take advantage of previous investments in digital transformation solutions. […]
White House Updates COVID-19 Vaccine/Testing Guidance for Feds Aug 9, 2021 | 2:28 pm The White House has issued new guidance in a series of questions and answers regarding COVID-19 vaccine and testing requirements for Federal employees, contractors, and visitors. […]
HHS COVID-19 Data Collection System Causing Reporting Difficulties Aug 6, 2021 | 9:00 am The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) created a new data system in April 2020 to deal with collecting data on whether hospitals have enough beds and supplies during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, during the pandemic, HHS changed its data collection methods and requirements—making it difficult for hospitals to report data. […]
DoD Issues COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate for Military and Civilian Personnel Jul 30, 2021 | 11:53 am The Department of Defense (DoD) confirmed yesterday that all military members and civilian personnel will be required to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, or face regular testing and social distancing requirements. […]
Biden Sets Vaccine Mandate for Federal Employees Jul 29, 2021 | 4:34 pm The Biden Administration today announced much-anticipated requirements for all Federal employees and onsite contractors to get COVID-19 vaccinations and confirm their vaccination status. […]
Mask Requirement is Back for Fed Employees Jul 28, 2021 | 3:56 pm The White House’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) announced Federal employees will need to wear a mask inside of Federal buildings once again, in light of new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), suggesting those who are fully vaccinated wear a mask indoors in areas of substantial or high transmission. […]
OPM Issues Guidance on Fed Telework, Reentry Policies Jul 27, 2021 | 3:00 pm The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) issued new guidance on Friday evening to assist agencies in their office reentry plans and policies, offering answers to frequently asked questions surrounding telework and reentry personnel policies. […]
Sens. Reintroduce Bill to Protect Federal Workers Returning to In-Office Workspace Jul 19, 2021 | 1:40 pm Sens. Mark Warner, D-Va., Tim Kaine, D-Va., Ben Cardin, D-Md., Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., and Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, reintroduced the Chai Suthammanont Remembrance Act on July 14, which requires government agencies to establish COVID-19 safety plans to protect Federal workers returning to the office. […]
Biden Administration Announces Permanent Telework Options for Feds Jun 11, 2021 | 1:09 pm The Biden administration announced expanded telework options for Federal employees on Thursday, creating a huge cultural shift for the Federal government that will allow agencies to offer flexible work-from-home and hybrid schedules to employees. […]
Biden Administration Lifts 25 Percent Fed Office Occupancy Restriction Jun 10, 2021 | 4:29 pm The Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Office of Personnel Management (OPM), and General Services Administration (GSA) announced today that the 25 percent occupancy restriction for Federal offices has been lifted, and agencies will soon be able to increase the number of employees in their physical workplaces. […]
White House: Agencies Can’t Require Vaccinations or Ask About Vax Status Jun 10, 2021 | 3:38 pm The Safer Federal Workforce Task Force, led by the White House COVID-19 Response Team, announced this week that Federal agencies “generally” cannot require employees to receive a COVID-19 vaccine or require employees to disclose their vaccination status. […]
USAF Equipping Airmen and Guardians for the Digital Battlespace Jun 9, 2021 | 1:44 pm The U.S. Air Force (USAF) wants to build on its current transformational period, catalyzed by the COVID-19 pandemic, to accelerate change and position the military to win, and the service branch’s CIO spoke on June 8 about tech strategies that the Air Force and the Defense Department are putting in place to get to that goal. […]
How COVID-19 Proved the Importance of ‘Being Digital?’ Jun 3, 2021 | 1:57 pm Over the years, many government agencies have undergone significant digital growth. But while they were “doing digital” and leveraging digital technologies to enhance their capabilities, they still primarily relied on traditional operating models. […]
Telework Accelerated a Cultural Shift Within Agencies, Fed IT Leaders Say May 26, 2021 | 4:10 pm The COVID-19 pandemic forced Federal agencies to work remotely almost immediately, but Federal CIOs and CTOs agree that this shift to teleworking has enabled agencies to undergo a transformational cultural shift within the agency and provides more opportunities for innovation. […]
Feds OK to Start Taking the Masks Off… Following Full Vaccinations May 18, 2021 | 1:46 pm Following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated mask guidance released last week, the White House said fully vaccinated Federal employees, onsite contractors, and visitors to Federal buildings no longer have to wear masks. […]
Study Finds Constituents Worried About Data Security in Federal Interactions May 10, 2021 | 9:00 am With the COVID-19 pandemic forcing a record number of citizens to interact with the Federal government, constituents are still worried about their data safety in interactions with the government and believe the government still needs to modernize its systems, according to a Carahsoft study released May 6. […]
SBA Recovers, Cancels $1.9B of COVID Loans Tainted by ID Theft, False Information May 7, 2021 | 1:04 pm The Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) has recovered over $1.1 billion in funds paid through the COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program (EIDL) that were initially granted based on false application information, SBA OIG said in a report released May 6. […]
FCC Chairwoman Unveils $7.1 Billion Order for School Connectivity Funding May 3, 2021 | 3:46 pm Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel on April 30 released a draft of a proposed order for the $7.17 billion Emergency Connectivity Fund, which would reimburse schools and libraries for their purchases of devices and broadband connections during the COVID-19 pandemic. […]
Cloud-Based Collection of Quality Public Health Data in the Time of COVID-19 Apr 6, 2021 | 9:00 am The United States was once a leader in the collection and utilization of public health data. As the COVID-19 pandemic wears on, the United States must resume its leadership in this domain. […]
OPM Extends COVID-19 Pandemic Hiring Exemption Apr 1, 2021 | 2:14 pm The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has extended Schedule A hiring authority for Federal agencies to hire personnel temporarily to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a March 29 OPM memo. […]
Experts Weigh Telehealth Benefits and Struggles Mar 30, 2021 | 4:04 pm The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption of telehealth dramatically, but there is still a long way to go in terms of broadband and infrastructure, experts say. […]
GAO Official: Fed Workforce Vaccine Requirement Could be ‘Counterproductive’ Mar 30, 2021 | 2:53 pm A Government Accountability Office (GAO) official said today that while the Federal government could require all Federal employees to have a COVID-19 vaccine before returning to offices, it might be counterproductive to do so in a very strict way given the expectation that some of the workforce won’t want to, or be able to, receive the vaccine. […]
DIU Using AI to Detect COVID-19 up to 48 Hours Before Symptoms Show Mar 23, 2021 | 4:06 pm The Department of Defense’s (DoD) Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) is seeing good results on a program that uses AI combined with commercial off-the-shelf wearable-devices to identify if the wearer has contracted COVID-19 up to two days before symptoms show. […]
DHS Getting Help From UW to Develop Digital Contact Tracing App Testing Criteria Mar 23, 2021 | 12:49 pm The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) is awarding the University of Washington Applied Physics Laboratory (UW-APL) $959,305 to bring together experts to develop digital contact tracing (DCT) application testing criteria. […]
AI Adoption Moving Too Fast for Comfort, New Report Says Mar 10, 2021 | 11:39 am The COVID-19 pandemic has caused the adoption of AI technologies to accelerate, but a recent report shows industry leaders and government decision-makers say it may be moving too fast for comfort, especially when considering security risks. Nonetheless, government decision-makers remain confident in AI’s ability to improve bureaucratic efficiency. […]
Fed Leaders Want Culture Change to Allow Telework Beyond the Pandemic Feb 26, 2021 | 1:02 pm Federal leaders agreed during a Feb. 25 virtual conference organized by GovExec that the Federal government needs to change its mindset and culture to allow for more telework in the future, even after the COVID-19 pandemic. […]
Lawmakers Push OPM, CDC for COVID-19 Vaccines for Federal Workforce Feb 22, 2021 | 9:00 am A group of House Democrats is urging the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to allocate COVID-19 vaccinations for the Federal workforce, many of whom are considered essential workers. […]
Cybersecurity, Access Management Key During Telework and Beyond, Feds Say Feb 19, 2021 | 1:11 pm It has been nearly a year since the Federal workforce had to shift to telework practically overnight. While the Federal government was already working to increase telework capabilities, COVID-19 forced agencies to modernize at warp speed. After making sure employees had the devices they need, agencies had to ensure that cybersecurity capabilities remained strong even though employees were now working on their home networks. […]