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NO ACCOUNTABILITY FOR LESBIANS AT THE VETERANS BENEFITS ADMINISTRATION
JANUARY 30, 2016 COACH COLLINS
By Jim Emerson, staff writer
Not only are IRS executives above the law, so are executives in the Veteran’s Affairs (VA) business. A Chicago appeals judge has reversed The Department of Veterans’ Affairs demotion of one of two senior executives who allegedly misused their positions to rip off over $400,000 from American taxpayers. Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) senior executives Diana Rubens and Kimberly Graves abused the authority of their positions to relocate to cushy jobs with the same salary and hefty relocation expenses. (1)
Diana Rubens and Kimberly Graves were demoted as a result of a VA inspector general report that found the VBA spent $1.8 million to relocate 23 executives in two years. Acting inspector general reported last September that “Rubens, the director of Veteran’s Benefits Administration’s Philadelphia Regional Office, and Graves, the director of the VBA’s St. Paul Regional Office, had “inappropriately used their positions of authority for personal and financial benefit.” The two zeroed in on the less demanding jobs of two subordinates, forced them out of their positions and then placed themselves in those jobs at higher pay. The two knew the VA would be more than happy to pay more than $400,000 for their relocations.
Congress is looking into the abuse by VBA executives to land easy jobs and perks as part of a general investigation of VA misconduct. The House Armed Services Committee subpoenaed Danny Pummill, acting undersecretary for benefits, Diana Rubens and Kimberly Graves. Mimicking corrupt IRS executives, Rubens and Graves asserted their Fifth Amendment rights under the Constitution to protect themselves against self-incrimination.
Instead of firing the two for unethical behavior they were demoted. The VA then botched the demotion process by not providing the accused with all of the documents. The demotion was the first attempt but it had to be rescinded, Rubens and Graves kept their salary. In an effort to avoid the wrath of Congress VA oversight director Ryan Hedgepeth announced that the agency promises to reinstate the demotions after repairing a paperwork SNAFU that allowed the administrative judge to reverse the Administration’s demotions. Lawmakers and veteran’s advocates had been critical of the VA for not firing the women from the start and charged that the agency’s inability to handle the demotions further demonstrated a need for accountability reform. (1)
The Administration then demoted the two for a second time. “Graves and Rubens were demoted in November and reassigned to new posts as deputy directors in different cities at lower pay”
Didn’t last long
This week an administrative judge reversed the demotion of Kim Graves, director of the St. Paul, Minnesota regional benefits office. Diana Rubens is waiting on her fate. In both cases, the women were brought up on charges less severe than those recommended in the initial VA Inspector General’s report. There is the possibility they may face criminal prosecution, but probably not. The VA, like the IRS, has a policy of “No accountability.”
So what’s the real story?
According to a report published by MilitaryCorruption.com, there is far more going on “behind the scenes” than is likely to be discussed in the national media. Editor in Chief Glenn MacDonald writes:
“Observers want to know if Rubens will take her reputed live-in lover Kimberly Beale with her. Those in the know say Rubens and Beale have been an item ever since they met at the infamous Phoenix V.A. There, Beale was a lowly GS-7, but documents show the younger woman soon leapfrogged over others and ended up a GS-15 only eight years later.”
And why should the fact that the pair are lesbians have any bearing on the case? MilitaryCorruption provides the answer: “What once would have been the kiss of death to a federal career, now is about the most iron-clad “insurance policy” against dismissal one could have.”
After all, remember whose Department of Justice will be charging the two with wrongdoing!
