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Fellow Veteran ~ VA takes issue with accountability bills in Congress
9/19/2015 11:43:25 PM

The Veterans Affairs Department is pushing back against a legislative proposal to hold VA senior executives accountable by capping the number of top managers eligible for the highest performance ratings and cutting retirement pay for officials convicted of felonies related to their jobs.

The legislation, sponsored by Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., also seeks to protect whistleblowers and reduce cronyism by requiring that Senior Executive Service managers be reassigned to different locations every five years.

Moran says the bill, S 290, is needed because the VA is “still not doing enough to hold those responsible accountable for their corrupt behavior," according to a statement released by the senator's office.

But Thomas Lynch, the VA assistant deputy undersecretary for health clinical operations, told Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee members on Wednesday that a bill would hamper the VA’s ability to attract quality leaders.

“VA already is challenged to recruit and retain highly qualified senior executives, in that many take a pay cut to join or stay at VA,” Lynch said. “This bill as currently drafted would compound the challenges facing VA.”

Lawmakers have called for the department to improve its system for disciplining and firing employees who break the law, skirt regulations or fail to meet standards.

The chorus has grown in Congress as administrative investigations into employee wrongdoing in high profile scandals — manipulated appointment scheduling, prolonged wait times for medical care, prescription mismanagement and $1 billion in construction cost overruns at a Denver medical facility — have dragged on, allowing executives responsible for the problems to retire from their posts without facing disciplinary action or collect salaries as they wait for results.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., has sponsored a bill designed to improve accountability at VA that would allow for suspension and removal of VA employees for performance and misconduct, as well as further measures.

On Wednesday, Lynch said Blumenthal's bill, S 1856, is "less onerous" than others, like Moran's. But he added that the VA still has "legal and policy concerns" with the proposal.

"My position is that I am concerned with some of the accountability that is imposed, and I think it might deter some individuals, some good individuals, from coming to work at the VA," Lynch said.

But Blumenthal said he believes employees would welcome the higher standards.

"There's no question in the wake of the debacle we saw in Phoenix and elsewhere that there is a need for accountability in the department," Blumenthal said.

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A breakthrough in Veteran Choice Program
12/13/2015 6:23:13 AM
On 12/08/2015, treatment for HepC exposure via GI-Clinic at VAMC-ATL in 2010 has commenced.

I no longer seek treatment at VAMC-ATL since the exposure, VAMC-Dublin is taking care of business. My physician is in the private sector. I highly recommend the professionals at Consultative Gastroenterology.
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RE: Welcome Fellow Veteran
6/5/2016 12:27:30 AM





Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti says, "Instead of allowing blighted properties to decay, let's use them to make powerful change."
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RE: Welcome Fellow Veteran
6/5/2016 12:32:14 AM
Walmart Marks Anniversary of Veterans Welcome Home Commitment with Announcement of 5,406 Veteran Hires in Georgia

ATLANTA – Today, Walmart announced it has hired 130,828 veterans since it announced its Veterans Welcome Home Commitment in May 2013*, including 5,406 in Georgia. Many of these hired veterans are advancing within the company, as more than 15,000 have been promoted to higher positions, including 610 in Georgia.
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RE: Welcome Fellow Veteran
6/5/2016 12:36:20 AM
Military veteran finds a mission nursing fellow vets at VA

(AP Photo/Bruce Smith). In this Monday, May 2, 2016 photo, Tom Alligood, a veteran and certified nursing assistant, speaks during an interview at the Dorn Veterans Administration Hospital in Columbia, S.C., Alligood knows all about the bad press sugges...
(AP Photo/Bruce Smith). In this Monday, May 2, 2016 photo, Tom Alligood, a veteran and certified nursing assistant, speaks during an interview at the Dorn Veterans Administration Hospital in Columbia, S.C., Alligood knows all about the bad press sugges...

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - Nursing assistant Tom Alligood wears camouflage scrubs during his emergency room shifts at the Dorn VA hospital because he says it helps other veteran patients realize they've "walked over the same dirt," the 62-year-old former Army tanker says.
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