Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) called on the Department of Veterans Affairs to act “as aggressively as possible” in firing managers that covered up healthcare delays.
“Those VA employees who lied or manipulated data and further exacerbated veterans’ inability to access health care must be held accountable for their actions,” Sanders said Sunday. “The VA must act as aggressively as possible in removing those officials from their positions.”
{mosads}Sanders wrote to VA Secretary Robert McDonald as the agency implements a new VA reform law Sanders helped write. The bicameral legislation came following reports that VA officials falsified documents in order to hide long wait times for VA medical appointments.
The new law makes it easier to fire those involved in the cover-up, but Sanders said it should be done in a way that does not jeopardize Justice Department investigations and other potential criminal cases.
“While we want the VA to act in a timely manner to punish employees who have acted dishonorably, it is imperative that the VA get these personnel actions right — by building an effective case to do so,” Sanders wrote. “The last thing we want is to undermine law enforcement’s efforts to complete their work as well.”