Weekly Federal Labor Roundup — VA & AFGE News (September 25–October 2, 2026)

Here is your weekly look at the federal labor news that touches our jobs at Hampton VA Medical Center, from your union, American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Local 2328. This week: a real win on shutdown layoffs, a pay proposal worth watching, and several Department of Veterans Affairs notices now open for public comment.

VA & Veterans

• The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is renewing the residency verification paperwork it requires from veterans and survivors. The notice ran in the Federal Register on October 2 and is open for public comment, and it is also a signal about the claims workload coming to the staff who process these forms. Read more
• VA is also renewing the Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance (SGLI) spouse coverage election and certificate form. A second Federal Register notice, published September 30, covers the form spouses use to elect or certify that coverage. Read more
• A Post-9/11 GI Bill form for retroactive education benefits is in front of the White House for approval. The Federal Register notice, published September 30, puts the Chapter 33 retroactive induction request under Office of Management and Budget (OMB) review. Read more
• The Defense Health Agency (DHA) is rebuilding how it contracts out health data management. Washington Technology reports DHA is shaping a new contract strategy for the military health records and data that VA systems also have to work with. Read more

Threats to Federal Workers’ Protections

• The White House has proposed no across-the-board pay raise for most federal workers next year. People’s World reports the proposal would leave most of the federal workforce, VA employees included, at zero percent in 2027. Read more
• At the same time, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is making it easier for agencies to hand out bonuses as large as $25,000. Government Executive reports the new guidance loosens the rules on big performance awards, which means discretionary money for a few while an across-the-board raise is off the table for everyone. Read more
• The Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) plans to give less weight to how arbitrators read our union contracts. A MetaFilter roundup of the decision explains that FLRA will limit its deference to arbitrators’ interpretations of collective bargaining agreements, which makes a grievance win at arbitration harder to hold onto. Read more
• The Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) has finalized changes to how the Douglas factors are analyzed in discipline cases. The federal employment law firm Gilbert Employment Law walks through the final rule, which affects how a penalty gets reviewed when an employee appeals discipline. Read more
• The union at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is suing management for tearing up its contract. Government Executive reports the union went to court after the agency terminated its collective bargaining agreement, a fight other federal unions are watching closely. Read more

Union Wins & the Bigger Picture

• Federal unions forced the administration to rescind its shutdown mass-firing policy. Government Executive reports the policy that would have allowed mass layoffs during a government shutdown was withdrawn as part of a settlement with unions. Read more
• A court order pushed OPM to drop its “favorite executive order” question for job applicants. Government Executive reports the agency replaced the essay prompt on federal job applications after losing in court. Read more
• Nurses at two Prime Healthcare hospitals voted to go union. People’s World reports both elections, a reminder that health care workers are still organizing and winning in the middle of all this. Read more
• Unions have a playbook for reversing the privatization of public health care. Labor Notes lays out how organized workers have clawed back privatized Medicaid services, which matters to anyone who has watched contracting creep into public health systems like ours. Read more

Have a question about your rights, your contract, or anything in this roundup? Reach out — talk to your steward or contact the local. That is what we are here for.

In solidarity,
AFGE Local 2328 — Representing the employees of Hampton VA Medical Center