Top VA officials reprimanded for relocation scheme. But is it enough?
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) plans to suspend the top official of the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA), acting chief Danny Pummill, for 15 days without pay after two of his employees successfully manipulated money from the agency鈥檚 relocation process.聽
Controversy has surrounded Mr. Pummill and two lower-ranking officials since in September when聽an 聽charged Kimberly Graves and Diana Rubens of abusing their authority. As senior executives (the highest rank of employees at the VBA) Ms. Graves and Ms. Rubens made lower-ranking regional managers at the St. Paul, Minn., and Philadelphia regional offices accept job transfers against their will. The two women then moved into the newly-vacated, lower-ranking positions themselves, keeping their high salaries but assuming fewer responsibilities.
Already earning salaries between $173,000 and $181,500 a year, Graves and Rubens also obtained to compensate for moving expenses.聽
Some news reports say former VBA chief Allison Hickey approved of Graves and Rubens鈥� scheme, prompting her to resign in October and replaced by Pummill.聽
But Pummill, Rubens, and Graves are all facing the music now, says US Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs Sloan Gibson Wednesday. Or are they?
In a press release Wednesday, the VA ruled that along with Pummill鈥檚 suspension for 鈥渉is regarding Ms. Rubens鈥� and Ms. Graves鈥� actions in connection with their relocations,鈥� Rubens and Graves will also be reprimanded. Rubens and Graves will keep their self-appointed jobs as directors of the Philadelphia and St. Paul Regional Offices respectively, but they will also receive a 10 percent salary reduction.聽
鈥淲e have already reinstated Diana Rubens and Kim Graves to their positions as Regional Office Directors and I have been encouraged by their immediate effort to get back to work,鈥� says Gibson in a press release. 鈥淯ltimately, that is what these decisions are about: .鈥澛�
But some disagree with Gibson, saying that it is the VA鈥檚 job to protect veterans and their benefits by hiring honest employees.聽
VA鈥檚 failure to fire Rubens and Graves is 鈥渁n insult and ,鈥� says Dale Barnett, national commander of the American Legion.聽
Rep. Jeff Miller (R) of Florida, chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, told The Associated Press last year that the two women 鈥�,鈥� and 鈥渇or those wondering whether VA is committed to real accountability for corrupt employees, VA leaders answered that question with a resounding 鈥榥o.鈥� 鈥澛犅�
Veteran Affairs鈥� failure to fire Graves and Rubens back in November 鈥済ives me no hope the department will do the right thing and take steps to recover the more than $400,000 in taxpayer dollars Rubens and Graves fraudulently obtained,鈥� added Mr. Miller.
And Miller feels no differently now.聽
Graves and Rubens鈥� disciplinary actions are 鈥�,鈥� and accountability at the VA 鈥渋s almost non-existent,鈥� says Miller. 鈥淥ne thing is clear: the 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.鈥�
This report contains material from The Associated Press.
