It didn't seem possible for the Department of Veterans Affairs to become any more embattled than it already was following the demotion of two department administrators in November, but the VA's recent decision not to attempt a recovery of the nearly $400,000 in relocation expenses paid out to the administrators may have done just that. However, new legislation proposed by Rep. Jeff Miller, the chairman of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, would allow the VA to recoup any payments regarded as illegal or improper.
Miller's proposal would apply to not only the reallocation funds dolled out to Diana Rubens in Philadelphia and Kimberly Graves in St. Paul, Minnesota – the two VA officials removed from their posts – but also to any future incident. The Military Times reported that an internal investigation conducted by the VA found that both Rubens and Graves leveraged their power to receive thousands of dollars in moving fees and to receive undue promotions.
According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, Rubens would be forced to repay the $274,000 the federal government spent relocating her to Delaware County from Washington, D.C. last year. It was alleged that Rubens desired the move because the position offered the same pay but fewer responsibilities. She has since been reassigned to the VA's office in Houston. Graves, meanwhile, will have to return about $130,000.
The VA sent Rep. Miller a letter last month stating that they couldn't pursue reimbursement due to legal reasons. Miller decided that wasn't good enough. "If, as VA officials have claimed, the department truly lacks the legal authority to recoup the money Rubens and Graves benefited from as part of their scheme, we aim to fix that with this bill," said Miller in a statement.
It isn't yet clear whether or not the proposed legislation can become law. A related measure was passed in 2014, simplifying the process for firing senior VA executives who have failed to support veterans in their life after service, but Miller's bill still faces a long road ahead.