MONTGOMERY, Ala. – On Monday, Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) Sloan Gibson proposed that James Talton, the embattled Director of the Central Alabama Veterans Health Care System (CAVHCS), be permanently removed from his post for neglect of duty.
The Deputy Secretary’s recommendation follows an investigation into misconduct at CAVHCS in which the allegations of neglect of duty were substantiated.
“The proposed removal of the director underscores VA’s commitment to hold leaders accountable and get Veterans the care they need,” the Dept. of Veterans Affairs said in a release.
Robin Jackson, Deputy Network Director for the VA’s southeast region, has been designated acting CAVHCS director.
UPDATE: Rep. Martha Roby, who has taken the lead on this issue from day one, released the following statement:
Numerous instances of misconduct, negligence and cover-up within the Central Alabama VA led to our system becoming one of the nation’s worst. Secretary McDonald’s decision to begin termination proceedings for the director who presided over this troubled system is a major step toward instilling accountability at the VA and building trust with Alabama veterans.
Congress acted to give the VA Secretary special authority to swiftly fire senior managers for misconduct or poor performance, and we have been eager to see him use it. Many have understandably worried that, despite the new law and public outrage, nothing would really change at the VA. Today’s action is a positive sign that the new VA leadership is committed to removing bad actors and improving the healthcare system.
Rep. Roby also thanked the whistleblowers who provided the inside information that led to the exposure of myriad problems within CAVHCS.
This action would not have been possible without those who, risking their jobs, reached out to let me know what was really happening inside the Central Alabama VA. We have kept their identities confidential and will continue to, but it is the whistleblowers who really deserve the credit for making sure misconduct and mismanagement did not get swept under the rug. I want to thank our brave whistleblowers and the journalists who told their stories.
Sen. Richard Shelby released the following statement in response to the news:
Today’s announcement that the CAVHCS Director James Talton will be removed from his position for ‘neglect of duty’ is welcome news. Under Talton’s supervision, the CAVHCS has been at the forefront of disturbing practices and negligence in the VA Medical System. I am pleased that the VA recognizes that this type of inexcusable mismanagement must not be tolerated. New leadership is a much-needed first step in ensuring that the CAVHCS will better serve our veterans who have dutifully served our nation.
Further background on the Central Alabama VA scandal:
In May, the VA’s Office of Inspector General confirmed numerous allegations of rampant abuse and mismanagement at a VA health care facility in Phoenix, Arizona. Rep. Roby said the Phoenix revelations, particularly the scheduling fraud, “sounded familiar” compared to the many complaints she received from veteran constituents.
In June, Yellowhammer reported that CAVHCS employees had engaged in particularly egregious scheduling manipulation. And, even with the artificially inflated numbers, CAVHCS had some of the longest wait times for veterans patients in the country.
During a meeting to discuss the troubling findings, Talton led Rep. Roby to believe disciplinary action, including the removal of employees, had been taken against those responsible for misconduct within Central Alabama. That was not true, Rep. Roby soon learned by talking with multiple whistleblowers who contacted her office with special knowledge of CAVHCS.
After what she called this “breach of trust,” Roby and her staff began digging deeper to find out what was really happening inside CAVHCS. She joined with U.S. Senator Richard Shelby to call national attention to the problems within CAVHCS, including disturbing instances of malfeasance and cover-up. Continued exposure of misconduct led to action being taken in late August to place Talton and Robinson on administrative leave and install new leadership.
We will continue to update this article as more information and comments come in.
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