The high-level procurement official at the Department of Veterans Affairs slammed for leaking inside information to a private contractor retired from the agency Tuesday, the Washington Examiner has learned.
Susan Taylor, the subject of a scathing inspector general’s report issued Sept. 26, had been targeted for firing by VA officials.
She is one of four senior executives the agency was trying to oust under the provisions of a new law, signed in August by President Obama, that enhanced the power of the VA secretary to discipline members of the Senior Executive Service for misconduct or poor performance.
The law was passed in reaction to the nationwide scandal over falsified patient waiting lists.
But Taylor was not involved in that scandal. Instead, the IG found that she leaked confidential information and pressured subordinates to ensure a lucrative procurement contract went to a Virginia-based company, FedBid Inc.
“Ms. Taylor had complete disregard for the laws, regulations, and VA policies which governed her ethical conduct,” the IG concluded. “We found that Ms. Taylor continually misused her position.”
The Examiner obtained an email from Taylor to others in the VA acquisitions office saying that “after 29 years of federal service, I have decided to resign and retire, effective Oct. 14th.”
The email makes no mention of the IG report.
A VA spokesman confirmed Taylor’s retirement notice, saying “when evidence of wrongdoing is discovered, VA will continue to use all authorities at its disposal to hold employees accountable and take action as quickly as legally possible.”
The spokesman added, however, that “it is important to note in the case of a retirement-eligible employee who retires after receiving notice of proposed adverse action, VA has no legal authority to stop the employee from retiring or prevent the retirement from taking effect before the removal takes effect.”
The spokesman would not comment on whether Taylor will receive payment as part of a severance agreement, something VA has done to ease the departure of other employees under fire.
Taylor could not be reached for comment.
The Examiner reported Oct. 2 that Taylor got a job as a top procurement official at the Department of Energy, despite the IG’s findings. She was set to begin at Energy on October 5, barely a week after the IG report was publicly released.
That job offer was rescinded after the Examiner contacted DOE to find out if officials there were aware of the IG report.
Taylor was apparently allowed to return to VA, even though she had resigned to take the new position at Energy.
DOE officials claimed they were unaware of the IG investigation when they hired Taylor in early September.
Last week, Sloan Gibson, deputy VA secretary, announced four top agency officials had been proposed for removal from the civil service, agency-speak for being fired.
Taylor was one of the four, as was another administrator implicated in the falsification of wait times who had already announced his retirement.
Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, has repeatedly criticized the VA for failing to hold top executives accountable for misconduct, but instead letting them resign or retire without consequences.
This story was first published on Oct. 14 at 5:38 p.m.
