Year Later, Few Officials Have Been Held to Account in VA Scandal

More than a year after it was learned that the veterans seeking medical care experienced lengthy wait times and that the Department of Veteran Affairs had falsified records in order to hide the delays, only three officials have been fired as a result of their actions, reports The New York Times.

In the wake of reports of manipulation of wait time records, Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki submitted his resignation, but documents provided to The New York Times show that only one official was terminated, another chose to retire and a third individual is waiting on a decision from the VA.

The Times reports that of the 280,000 employees who were involved in the largest scandal in the VA's history, just eight have received some form of reprimand or suspension.

The "VA is committed to holding employees accountable for misconduct," said a statement sent to The Times on Wednesday evening.

"VA's chief problem — a widespread lack of accountability among failed employees — is as prevalent today as it was a year ago," House Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Jeff Miller said on the one-year anniversary of the scandal.

"Further, VA employees at the heart of the scandal in Phoenix remain on paid leave to this day. Everyone knows accountability is a major problem at VA, and right now the department needs to work with Congress to ensure VA has every tool possible to swiftly hold problem employees accountable," said Miller.

Miller has introduced the VA Accountability Act, which would reduce the period of time an employee could appeal a termination to less than 30 days, but the VA has not backed its passage, according to the Times.

Despite the fact that the VA Inspector General's office reported patient care problems and widespread mismanagement within VA facilities, the department continues to hand out favorable performance reviews, cash bonuses of up to $63,000, and relocation incentives for officials involved in the scandal, according to The Washington Times.

Diana Rubens, the VA executive overseeing nearly 60 offices responsible for processing disability benefits compensation claims, collected almost $60,000 in bonuses and also received more than $300,000 to relocate from Washington to Philadelphia last year, reports Government Executive.

Appearing before the House Veterans Committee on Wednesday, Rubens said she "didn't know" whether she would have relocated without the incentives, a response which drew an exasperated response from Chairman Miller.

"While such an expenditure may have been totally legal, it does not pass the smell test," Miller said in his opening statement. "Paying such an exorbitant amount on behalf of a federal employee to move three hours down the road is an outrageous abuse of taxpayer funds in this fiscal climate, or any fiscal climate for that matter."

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