Sharon Helman, director of the Phoenix VA Health Care System, was finally fired after “nearly seven months after she and two high-ranking officials were placed on administrative leave amid an investigation into allegations that 40 veterans died while awaiting treatment,” the Associated Press reported.
VA Secretary Robert McDonald announced the termination on Monday, saying, “Lack of oversight and misconduct by VA leaders runs counter to our mission of serving veterans, and VA will not tolerate it. … We depend on VA employees and leaders to put the needs of veterans first.”
However, the VA has come under fire for taking so long to fire the director of a facility that has been at the center of problems within the Department of Veterans of Affairs. Helman is the is the fifth senior executive to be fired or forced to resign in recent weeks in response to the VA wait-time scandal.