Two U.S. Veterans Affairs officials have retired, three have been reprimanded and others are facing unspecified “actions” following reports of rampant mismanagement and patient deaths at the Atlanta VA Medical Center in Decatur, a top VA official said Wednesday.
“A number of people have had both corrective and administrative action taken,” Robert Petzel, undersecretary for health for the VA, said at a congressional hearing in Atlanta.
“Two people involved in this process have resigned – retired from the VA. There are number of actions, which are still in the process.”
Petzel did not identify the VA officials involved and said he could not offer more specifics. But he said he has shared additional details with the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee.
U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson led Wednesday’s hearing at Georgia State University in downtown Atlanta. The panel also heard testimony from the VA Office of Inspector General and was expected to hear from the Georgia National Guard, a veteran with the Wounded Warrior Project and community mental healthcare officials.
Isakson called for the hearing after federal inspectors issued scathing audits about the Atlanta VA Medical Center in April. The audits linked pervasive mismanagement to the deaths of three veterans at the 405-bed hospital.
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