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Editorial: Rubio's VA reforms a step forward

 
An effort to make the VA more accountable was led by Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla.
An effort to make the VA more accountable was led by Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla.
Published June 28, 2017

President Donald Trump has signed into law legislation that should inject more accountability into the Department of Veterans Affairs. The bipartisan effort led by Sen. Marco Rubio offers a combination of carrots and sticks aimed at making it easier to uncover problems and punish wrongdoers. The reforms should help address the systemic issues that persistently plague the VA and prevent too many veterans from getting the care and services they deserve.

The law, which Trump signed Friday, makes disciplining bad employees easier while providing protection for whistleblowers. On the disciplinary side, it shortens the appeals process, broadens the VA secretary's disciplinary authority and reduces the standard of evidence from a preponderance to substantial. Employee unions objected to these changes, but the law should allow for accountability while still providing due process to workers.

A failure to hold bad employees accountable at the VA has been a glaring problem for years. Reform efforts were spurred in 2014 by reports of neglect and the cover-up of lengthy appointment delays across the nation, leading to then-VA Secretary Eric Shinseki's resignation and an FBI criminal investigation. Fewer than 10 employees connected to the wait list scandal were fired. Across the nation, VA employees have committed armed robbery, watched pornography on the job and stolen prescription drugs without being dismissed, as Rubio and two fellow senators noted in a Military Times column.

A responsible, efficient VA is especially important for the Tampa Bay area, which has a significant veteran population and two major VA centers in the James A. Haley Veterans Center in Hillsborough County and the Bay Pines VA Healthcare System in Pinellas County. In January 2016, an investigation found tens of thousands of unprocessed claims from Florida veterans at a St. Petersburg regional office. In February 2016, a veteran's body was left in a shower room for hours at Bay Pines. After the Tampa Bay Times reported on that incident, the VA disclosed that two staffers were fired. This legislation helps address the clear need for a higher level of accountability.

The law also establishes the Office of Accountability and Whistleblower Protection within the VA. The office will help protect whistleblowers from retaliation for reporting wrongdoing to officials. Previous reports demonstrate how much these protections are needed. Amid an accusation of intimidating, bullying and harassing those who called out misconduct, a Bay Pines employee claimed to change jobs from chief of police to the engineering department for health reasons, the Tampa Bay Times' Howard Altman reported in March. That official's department was previously accused of "a pattern and practice of retaliation" in a lawsuit the VA settled for $1.3 million. This new level of oversight and accountability is a sorely needed change for the second-largest government agency in the nation.

There is still much work to be done in improving the VA, and this is far from a comprehensive fix. Changing the culture of an institution takes time and a serious long-term commitment. Congress should make it a priority to closely oversee the department for signs of improvement or regression. There also are about 45,000 vacancies that need to be filled, and Congress should ensure those are filled diligently with highly skilled professionals. Rubio's legislation is a welcome step forward, but it cannot be the last.