New details emerge on revisions to paid administrative leave regulations

The Social Security Administration is seeing improvements to service delivery in all metrics after implementing a digital-first approach. New numbers from the agency show historic productivity gains over the past two years for the workforce and increased service delivery speed for customers. SSA also surpassed 105 million registered users of my Social Security, which made it the largest digital financial services provider. The agency also highlighted its most recent achievement related to the Social Security number database. SSA corrected roughly 15% of all active Social Security numbers by adding missing death date and citizenship status information. SSA says it is implementing stronger internal controls to prevent future data-entry inaccuracies.

The Veterans Affairs Department added 15 new or updated features to its electronic health records system just ahead of two new rollouts. VA says the updates began at the end of September. Among the changes, clinicians can now see vital signs, documentation, orders and key events on one streamlined timeline. VA says that supports faster, more informed decision making in urgent situations. Another feature lets ultrasound images flow directly into the federal EHR, which VA says will reduce duplicate tests and give clinicians timely access to diagnostic information. VA says it will roll out the EHR to facilities in Alaska and Cleveland starting next week. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A federal union is calling on Congress to intervene in the Small Business Administration’s planned office relocations. The American Federation of Government Employees says SBA’s relocations should all be paused, at least until the agency releases more information about its plans. SBA has been looking to relocate offices in Washington, D.C., Boston, Atlanta and Denver, along with several other cities. In a letter to congressional committee leaders this week, AFGE alleges that SBA has not fully analyzed how the relocations will affect public-facing services or the possibility of employees quitting. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Five overarching goals will define agencies’ hiring strategies for the next couple of years. The Trump administration is calling for skills-based assessments, expanded outreach, transparency and digitization, pooled hiring and data-driven decisions. The Office of Personnel Management’s new strategic recruitment plan for 2026-28 comes as OPM is also pushing for increased hiring of tech talent, as well as younger employees. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The top-ranking Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee is ringing alarm bells over waste, fraud and abuse at the Department of Homeland Security. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., wants DHS to provide answers to seven questions regarding how it has spent the $260 billion it received under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and the Secure America Act. Peters says recent reporting and the agency's lack of cooperation with its inspector general cast doubt on DHS's management of the funding. Among other things, Peters wants to know how DHS is ensuring accountability and transparency in its spending. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.