VA Wants to Hear from You

The Veterans Affairs Department has opened up a new Web portal to solicit ideas from the public and from department employees on how it can become more transparent, collaborative and all those other open government buzzwords.

Some veterans view this as yet another forum to complain about benefits delayed or denied, and some VA employees view it as a place to take their gripes.

But there also are some real gems of suggestions on how to improve transparency, including one from an employee who recommended, "We should record (audio & video) and broadcast all the major budget meetings that take place at the SES level and above, specifically the one where the decisions that determine program funding are made."

I imagine that watching a bunch of SESers slice and dice even a small portion of the department's proposed $125 billion fiscal 2011 budget would not only enhance transparency but also induce sleep, saving VA money on sleeping pills.

The department will keep its transparency portal open until March 29.