Federal Drive with Tom Temin

At 14 Warrior Transition Units across the country, the Army has used a mix of traditional medical and psychological care, adaptive sports and physical therapy to help ill and wounded soldiers transition back into military service or civilian life. But the Warrior Transition Battalion at Madigan Army Medical Center in Washington State has added a slightly unusual activity to the mix: Diving with sharks. The program is a partnership with a local aquarium, and its meant to treat pain, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Brian Caskin, a physical therapy assistant at Madigan, talked to Federal News Radios Jared Serbu on Federal Drive with Tom Temin about Operation Shark Dive

Most large companies have upgraded their systems, but not the federal government. The administration still uses a personnel system designed three generations ago. The Volcker Alliance and the Partnership for Public Service have launched a fresh try at reforming federal civil service. Margo Conrad, director of education and outreach at the Partnership for Public Service, joined Federal Drive with Tom Temin to discuss the details.

The U.S. Army is making plans to complete an upgrade project in two years that was estimated to take five, according to Col. Troy Crosby

New diversity efforts include requiring any open ambassador position to include at least one minority candidate.

From the DATA Act to the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act, Congress finds itself involved in details of technology policy. Yet few professional staff members on Capitol Hill have formal technology backgrounds to help draft that legislation. A group called TechCongress is trying to address that problem by recruiting technology experts as Congressional Innovation Fellows. The program, now in its third year, is actively looking for candidates for the 2018 fellowship program. Travis Moore is the founder and director of TechCongress. He talked with Federal News Radio's Jared Serbu about the fellowship, and how it got started.

Congress lost at least a day because storms have given so many House members trouble returning to Washington. In the Senate, there is a new argument over State Department funding. For the latest on what you need to know what's happening on capitol hill, Roll Call Senior Editor David Hawkings.

A thaw in government-industry collaboration for acquisitions has never quite materialized. More than six years since the first so-called mythbusters memo from the Office of Federal Procurement Policy, the freeze at many agencies remains as deep as permafrost. But there are signs that the sheet of ice is starting to crack. In his weekly Reporter's Notebook, Executive Editor Jason Miller writes about reasons for hope that vendors and federal acquisition people can work together a little more effectively.

The National Background Investigations Bureau is coming up on its one-year anniversary, and with it a replacement for the beleaguered e-QIP system. Federal News Radio's Meredith Somers tells us more about clearance management and that stubborn applications backlog.

Using evidence to improve policy seems like a great idea. So how come it happens so rarely in government? Now a group called the Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking aims to move data-based public policy from a random occurrence to a routine practice. Here with more on the group's 22 recommendations, Federal News Radio's Meredith Somers.

Last week was filled with developments affecting federal contractors, including progress, if you can call it that, on the budget front, people moving closer to key administration positions and fresh problems for background investigations. Alan Chvotkin, senior vice president and counsel at the Professional Services Council, offers his take on Federal Drive with Tom Temin.