Of the 900 Veterans Affairs Department employees fired in the past seven months, only eight have been dismissed for their connection to wait time problems that were at the center of a nationwide scandal last year, according information provided to Congress.
That small percentage casts doubt on the assertion by VA officials that they're doing a better job of holding individuals accountable for past failures.
In a "Meet the Press" appearance this week, VA Secretary Bob McDonald insisted that leadership is making "fundamental changes" in operations to help rebuild public trust in the wake of last year's scandals, including punishing employees who fail at their jobs.
"Nine hundred people have been fired since I became secretary," he said. "We've got 60 people that we fired who have manipulated wait times. We've got about 100 senior leaders who are under investigation. ... So we're holding people accountable."
But VA officials later clarified that about 60 employees have faced some type of discipline for actions related to the records errors, including short suspensions and letters of reprimand.
The 900 fired in seven months for any reason appears to represent a slowdown within VA, which has more than 300,000 employees. Congressional testimony from VA leaders last spring indicated that 2,000 to 3,000 individuals are fired each year from the department for a range of infractions.
VA officials this week said those numbers may have been compiled differently, and that the 900 number comes mostly from dismissed Veterans Health Administration workers and represents "an environment of sustainable accountability" within VA.
They also said that 91 percent of VA medical facilities have installed new leadership teams since June, a dramatic turnover in the wake of last year's problems.
And McDonald has mandated that every VA employee "reaffirm their commitment to the mission and core values of the department" each year moving ahead, in an effort to better emphasize expectations of performance.
But the secretary — confirmed by the Senate in July — also has faced repeated criticism from lawmakers that he has not done enough to purge problem employees from VA's ranks, particularly after Congress passed new legislation last summer on the topic.
In a statement Tuesday, Paralyzed Veterans of America Deputy Executive Director Sherman Gillums Jr. called the figure of 900 dismissals encouraging but added that "provoking real change may take firing 9,000 employees, particularly the hardliners who believe 'this too shall pass' in response to calls for sweeping changes and greater accountability in VA."
But he also praised McDonald's efforts so far, saying his group has seen "incremental changes" within the department.
House Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Jeff Miller, R-Fla., called the firing numbers upsetting.
"Though VA leaders have begun to stress the importance of accountability — something department officials almost never did in the past — instilling a climate of accountability at VA will only be achieved through actions, not words," he said. "The fact that VA firings have actually decreased amid the biggest scandal in the department's history is a troubling development VA leaders must explain and remedy."
Leo covers Congress, Veterans Affairs and the White House for Military Times. He has covered Washington, D.C. since 2004, focusing on military personnel and veterans policies. His work has earned numerous honors, including a 2009 Polk award, a 2010 National Headliner Award, the IAVA Leadership in Journalism award and the VFW News Media award.
