Trump signs law allowing VA workers to be fired more easily
WASHINGTON — There are fewer protections for employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs accused of misconduct now that President Donald Trump has signed a VA reform bill into law.
On a 368-55 vote last week, the U.S. House sent Mr. Trump the Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act, which speeds up the process for the VA to fire employees at every level and to rescind bonuses for any employees convicted of felonies related to their duties. Mr. Trump signed it Friday. A 2014 law already made it easier for managers to be fired, but the new law now applies to all employees.
Lawmakers sought to expand that in 2015 after problems surfaced at VA facilities in Phoenix and elsewhere, where employees were falsifying records in order to qualify for bonuses based partly on the amount of time veterans had to wait for appointments.
“We all remember the nightmare that veterans suffered during the VA scandals that were exposed a few years ago,” Mr. Trump said during Friday’s bill-signing ceremony. “Veterans were put on secret wait lists, given the wrong medication, given the bad treatments, and ignored in moments of crisis for them.”
Veterans died waiting for services, while employees involved in the scandals remained in their jobs because “outdated laws” prevented termination, Mr. Trump said.
Under the new law, the VA can more quickly and easily fire employees “who fail and endanger our veterans,” Mr. Trump said. “At the same time, this bill protects whistleblowers who do the right thing.”
The law expedites the appeals
process for employees who are fired, demoted or suspended for misconduct.
Friday’s bill signing fulfills a campaign promise to reform the VA.
“This is only the beginning,” Mr. Trump said. “We will not rest until the job is 100 percent complete for our great veterans.”
Mr. Trump, who promised to improve health care for veterans during his campaign, said the bill was one of the largest reforms to the VA in its history and is “essential to making sure our veterans are treated with respect.”
The bill passed the House with bipartisan support June 13 and the Senate on June 6. Although the bill is widely supported by veterans advocacy groups, civil servant unions condemn the legislation as a way to get around long-standing protections for government employees and whistleblowers. The bill would put more decision-making power in the hands of Secretary of Veterans Affairs David Shulkin.
The reform, Mr. Shulkin said, will not be used as a “tool for mass firings,” but rather a way to raise morale throughout the department and attract new employees. “Slow, steady, incremental change isn’t what this organization needs,” Mr. Shulkin said. “Right now, I believe this is progress.”