San Antonio, TX — The recently-discovered leadership “reshuffle” at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) impacted a San Antonio VA, leaving local veterans with a director who has been previously involved with falsified wait times.
Robert Walton was sent to the VA’s San Antonio clinic last November to “shape it up.” He was transferred from the Harlingen VA, where under his leadership federal investigators discovered supervisors pressured staff to falsify wait times.
As the VA leadership re-shuffling continues, VA Secretary McDonald asserts that 90% of the VA’s medical centers have “new leadership” since the agency has been under his watch.
CVA National Outreach Director Director Cody McGregor issued the following statement:
“Note to Bob McDonald: transferring incompetent VA managers from hospital to hospital does not constitute ‘new leadership’ by any standards. While the VA tries and fails to use PR stunts to cover up its systemic failings, veterans continue to suffer. CVA urges veterans to get out and vote for policy makers who will advocate for the VA reform solutions on the table in Congress right now.”
A recent USA TODAY investigation found that the VA has hired just eight new medical center directors from outside the agency since McDonald took his role in 2014. Since July 2014, the VA has appointed 92 new directors — 84 of these directors already worked at the VA.
CVA supports The VA Accountability First and Appeals Modernization Act of 2016 which would restore accountability at the VA by expediting the removal of problem employees, increasing the power of the VA Secretary to remove problem employees, and preventing bonuses for senior executives for the next five years. The bill also addresses the broken claims process – giving veterans more choices when it comes to appealing VA Regional Office’s initial decisions.
To schedule a TV, print or radio interview with a CVA expert, or for media inquiries or requests for comment, please email press@cv4a.org.
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Concerned Veterans for America is a non-partisan, non-profit, 501(c)(4) organization that advocates for policies that will preserve the freedom and prosperity we and our families so proudly fought and sacrificed to defend.