The Department of Veterans Affairs came under fire last week over another localized scandal, this time in Illinois. A veterans hospital near Chicago, already beset by a myriad of other problems, is accused of leaving the bodies of several dead veterans to rot for up to two months.

Such stories remind us that a lack of accountability among government employees has severe consequences. It should also remind us that it doesn’t have to be this way. Laws can be changed and agencies can be reformed, if the public demands it and there is the political will.