VA moves to fire three hospital executives in Phoenix scandal

Two years after it was revealed that workers at a Veterans Affairs hospital in Phoenix kept secret wait lists to cover up long wait times for veterans and unnecessary deaths, the Department of Veterans affairs announced Tuesday that it had proposed firing three more executives from the troubled facility. 

Dr. Darren Deering, the hospital’s chief of staff; Lance Robinson, the hospital’s associate director; and Brad Curry, chief of health administration services, were all formally proposed for removal from the VA on Tuesday. The officials will be able to challenge their dismissals under the VA rules, The Associated Press reported. 

Mr. Robinson and Mr. Curry were both placed on leave in May 2014, but had recently returned to work at the VA. 

Deputy VA Secretary Sloan Gibson said he was disappointed it took so long for the executives to be removed, but he said the firings should help the VA “move past” the scandal that has overshadowed the agency. 

The high-profile Phoenix cases “have served as a distraction to the progress being made to improve the care we provide in Phoenix and across the nation,” Mr. Gibson said. “Today marks an important step in moving past the events of the past and refocusing solely on caring for our nation’s veterans.”

In a statement, Concerned Veterans for America said the group was “pleased” that the VA finally made good on its promise to “hold those responsible for veteran wait lists accountable.” 

“Though these are merely proposals for termination, we hope the VA acts affirmatively in support of true accountability. We also encourage the federal bureaucrats at the Merit Systems Protection Board to recognize the need to restore trust in the Department of Veterans Affairs and the broader civil service, and uphold these measures when they are inevitably appealed,” the statement said. 

The removal of the three executives follows the 2014 firing of Sharon Helman, the hospital’s former director. Ms. Helman pleaded guilty last month to making false financial disclosures to the federal government about yearly gifts.

The scandal also saw the resignation of then-VA Secretary Eric Shinseki. 

Whistleblowers disclosed to Congress that veterans seeking appointments at the facility faced delays up to a year and as many as 40 veterans died while waiting for care. 

Subsequent investigations revealed that the problem affected VA hospitals across the country where employees had created secret wait lists to falsify records and cover up long wait times.