Court Upholds Firing Of Phoenix VA Director Over Gifts, Not Wait Times
A judge has ruled that the Department of Veterans Affairs was justified in firing the former director of its Phoenix office.
Chief Administrative Law Judge Stephen C. Mish did rule in favor of the VA but not because of delays in care and secret waiting lists that consumed the agency this year.
Instead, Mish said that the VA could fire Sharon Helman over several gifts she received from a health care consulting organization, including plane tickets and tickets to a Beyonce concert.
Helman was removed from her job as the Phoenix VA became the focus of a national scandal over the quality of care for veterans amid allegations that patients were dying while waiting to see a doctor.
A VA investigation found that at least 40 patients died while awaiting appointments in Phoenix, but officials could not "conclusively assert" that the delays caused the deaths. The judge also found that Helman could not be fired because of the wait lists and delays in care, saying the VA did not prove its case in that regard.
An attorney for Helman said the former director was, in her words, "scapegoated to appease Congress."
