In a press release today, U.S.
Secretary of Veterans Affairs David J. Shulkin announced one more
step the #VA is taking to open up transparency and accountability. A
public list will now be available on the new Office Of Accountability
and Whistleblower Protection (OAWP) on action taken on employees that
have been reported and found guilty of wrong-doing. The list will be
updated on a weekly basis, and although it will not show the name of
the employee, it will show the persons position, VA region or
administration and type of disciplinary action taken. The list will
include all actions taken since January 20, 2017, when the new
administration took office. The newly formed office maintains a
toll-free telephone number to receive anonymous whistle-blower
disclosures.
VA Secretary Shulkin makes this
announcement two weeks after President Trump signed into law S.1094,
Department of Veterans Affairs Accountability and #Whistleblower
Protection Act of 2017 that was introduced and sponsored by Sen.
Marco Rubio. The law made President Trumps April executive order,
to create a office within the VA that investigates and holds
wrong-doers accountable for their action and protection
whistle-blowers, permanent. Today's action shows Veterans and the
public that accountability will be fully enforced and investigations
will be completed on any known wrong-doing; including, but not
limited to, gross waste of funds, abuse of authority, retaliation and
mismanagement within the Veteran Affairs departments. Veteran Affairs
is the first federal agency to offer this type of information to the
public.
VA Secretary Shulkin also announced
that all monetary settlements with an employee that is over the
amount of $5,000 must have a personal approval of a senior official;
such as the Under Secretary, Assistant Secretary or a senior-level
official within the department that the dispute was first reported.
Because taxpayers deserve to know that VA will engage in good faith
settlement negotiations, Secretary Shulkin stated, “Where required
by third parties, VA will look to settle with employees only when
they clearly have been wronged or when settlement is otherwise in
Veterans’ and taxpayers’ best interests, and not as a matter of
ordinary business.”
Holding employees accountable, from top
to bottom, will expand higher workplace standards throughout the
departments. It will also help improve policies, make clear the
priorities and deliver top-notch services in all areas. After years
of needed reforms, VA Secretary Shulkin is moving as quickly as
possible to deliver changes that produce positive outcomes and
restores trust in the Veteran Administration.
