WASHINGTON — Today House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Jeff Miller (R-FL-1) released the below statement following VA’s announcement that no employees will be seriously disciplined for the biggest construction failure in VA history as well as a separate $400,000 relocation scandal.
“Nearly every day we are reminded that accountability at the Department of Veterans Affairs is almost non-existent. Today’s announcement from VA that no one will be seriously disciplined for wasting more than $1 billion on a failed construction project and that a few executives might receive a weak slap on the wrist or a temporary written warning for a relocation scandal that cost taxpayers more than $400,000 is more proof of this sad fact. One thing is clear: this dysfunctional status quo will never change until we eliminate arcane civil service rules that put the job security of VA bureaucrats ahead of the veterans they are charged with serving. The House acted to do just that last summer with passage of the VA Accountability Act, which would give the VA secretary the authority to swiftly fire or demote any VA employee for poor performance or misconduct while protecting whistleblowers and limiting the agency’s ability to place misbehaving employees on paid leave. If the Senate doesn’t follow suit with similar legislation to do the same thing, it is illogical to think VA’s many problems will ever be fixed.” – Rep. Jeff Miller, Chairman, House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs
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After Employee is Charged with Killing Veteran, VA Pays $215K Settlement But Fires No One
VA didn’t fire nurse who participated in surgery while drunk
Instead of Disciplining Bad Docs, VA Pays Them to Do Nothing, Restricting Vets’ Access to Care
VA Doesn’t Fire Heroin-Dealing, Cocaine-Abusing Employees
Top VA Official Admits It’s “Almost Impossible” To Discipline Most VA Employees
*SOURCE: Press Release, U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, March 23, 2016.
