The VA is circulating a position paper to Congress stressing that it is taking disciplinary actions against its employees, in opposition to a bill pending a House vote (HR-1994) that would largely extend restrictions on appeal rights enacted last year affecting senior executives at the VA to the entire VA workforce, while lengthening the probationary period there to 18 months.
The department said it has fired some 1,500 employees in the 12 months since current Secretary Robert McDonald was installed. That number includes both tenured and probationary employees, the VA said, while not providing a breakdown of each nor a breakdown of the basis for the discipline.
VA also said it has proposed disciplinary actions—not necessarily firing–against 130 employees on charges related to data manipulation or patient care.
“When taking any adverse employment action, VA must ensure that the action is legally supportable and that the subject employee is afforded the appropriate protections under the law, including the right to review and respond to the evidence VA has relied upon to take the action,” the fact sheet says.
VA said it has used the shortened disciplinary process against six SES members; four of them have been removed from federal service and the other two retired.
