A permanent director needs to be named to run the Department of Veterans Affairs hospital in Phoenix where allegations of “pervasive fraud and mismanagement” first surfaced, members of Arizona’s congressional delegation said in letter to Secretary Robert McDonald.
The post was vacated when the old director, Sharon Helman, was removed in May after revelations surfaced a month earlier that phony patient appointment lists were being used to hide long delays in delivering care.
Since Helman’s removal, there have been two interim directors, according to the letter, published Friday by The Blaze. The current head of the Phoenix healthcare system, Glenn Costie, is scheduled to leave in early November, members of the delegation, including both senators, said in the letter.
“Surely, we can agree that the circumstances surrounding the recent issues at VA facilities around the country are anything by typical, and that the Phoenix VA hospital would benefit from increased stability among leadership,” the letter says in asking a permanent director be named.
Though procedures to fire Helman were initiated in May, she remains on administrative leave and is still being paid, according to the latest information available from VA.
