Policy & Regulation News

Four Senior Executives Fired by VA after Phoenix Scandal

By Ryan Mcaskill

- The Phoenix wait list scandal has been a major black eye for the Office of Veteran Affairs (VA) since it was first reported in April 2014. It is another link in a growing chain of frustration surrounding how the VA handles patient care, alleged cover ups and the backlog it is attempting to overcome.

Major steps have been taken this year to improve operations including the implementation of electronic health records (EHRs) and several changes to management and government oversight. Now, according to the Associated Press, more changes are happening to clean up the Phoenix scandal by firing four senior executives.

This is the first such move of this kind since Congress passed the Veterans Access, Choice and Accountability Act of 2014 in August. It added $16 billion in supplemental funding, $10 billion of which is designated for Veterans experiencing delays to receive private medical care and services outside of the VA’s network of hospitals and clinics. The law also makes it easier for the agency to let go of senior personnel that it suspects of wrongdoing. The appeals process has also been shortened to 28 days.

“VA will actively and aggressively pursue disciplinary action against those who violate our values,” Deputy VA Secretary Sloan Gibson told the news source this week. “There should be no doubt that when we discover evidence of wrongdoing, we will hold employees accountable.”

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  • The executives being let go come from different departments within the VA: a purchasing officer for Veterans Health Administration (VHA); two directors of VA hospitals in Dublin, GA and Pittsburgh, PA; and a regional hospital director in Alabama. Each one was facing different accusations of corruption or failure to do their job.

    Susan Taylor, the deputy chief procurement officer for the VHA, is accused of steering some of the $15 billion a year in federal contracts to a private company through “reverse auctions,” a practice that is also under investigation. The report also states that she misused resources and her position and interfered with the inspector general’s investigation.

    Terry Gerigk Wolf, director of the Pittsburgh VA Healthcare System, is being fired for “conduct unbecoming.” Wolf has been on leave since June due to an investigation into a Legionnaire’s disease outbreak between February 2011 and November 2012. During this time, at least six patients died and an additional 16 were sickened. It was traced to a water treatment problem.

    James Talton, director of the Central Alabama VA Healthcare System, is being fired following an investigation of “neglect of duty” by the VA’s Office of Accountability Review.

    John Goldman, director of the Carl Vinson VA Medical Center in Dublin, is being fired following an investigation where employees admitting to keeping false records to hide long wait times. There is some controversy with this move as Goldman had announced his retirement prior to being fired.