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VA Not Rushing To Fire Inept, Corrupt Officials
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House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman
Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., is asking about the VA’s plans
to fire employees, but has come up empty so far.
(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
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The Department of Veterans Affairs has offered few indications in the last few weeks that it’s willing to move aggressively to fire incompetent or corrupt officials involved in the VA health care scandal, and so far is keeping Congress in the dark about its plans.
These signs are leading some to worry that few officials will be punished for the scandal that left thousands of veterans waiting months or even years for health care appointments.
In late July, the VA announced that it might discipline six officials, but it declined to name them, and indicated that only two of them may be fired.
That vague announcement prompted House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Jeff Miller (R-Fla.) to ask the VA’s Office of Inspector General for details about these six officials. But as of Monday, the IG had yet to respond to Miller’s July 31 letter, according to a House aide.
Miller also asked new VA Secretary Robert McDonald on July 30 for a weekly update on all disciplinary actions taken against VA officials, something that Miller asked for earlier in the summer.
“I requested that the VA begin providing the committee with weekly updates on all adverse employment actions being initiated against VA employees, officials and contractors,” Miller wrote. “I requested that the first production of such information be provided to the committee by Friday, June 6, 2014. To date, we have received no information regarding this request.”
Miller’s letter asked for weekly updates to begin on August 8, but the House aide said the VA has yet to comply.
The slow start to the firing process comes despite recent evidence that many VA officials were involved in the scandal. In late July, Rep. Martha Roby (R-Ala.) said she learned that more than half of the employees surveyed were told to manipulate veterans’ health care wait times in Central Alabama, and that one doctor manipulated 1,200 patient records to pretend tests were done that never took place.
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