Second VA Official Resigns After Release of OIG Report on Conference Overspending

Government Exec reports:

Another Veterans Affairs Department official has resigned in the aftermath of a scathing inspector general’s report on poor oversight of spending on two training conferences held in Orlando, Fla., in 2011.

A VA spokeswoman on Tuesday partially confirmed press reports that Alice Muellerweiss, dean of the VA’s Learning University, left on Friday, and that Tonya Deanes, associate deputy assistant secretary for VA’s Office of Human Resource Management, was reassigned to other duties. The two, along with John Sepúlveda, the assistant secretary for human resources and administration who resigned in late September, were named in the IG report released in October. It said they failed to provide proper oversight in the planning and execution of the two conferences and that “this lack of proper oversight resulted in imprudent expenditures” by senior employees, conference planners and other human resources employees.

“As recommended in the OIG report, VA has taken action to implement policies that strengthen oversight of training conferences, improve accountability, and safeguard taxpayer dollars,” said the new VA statement, which did not use the employees’ names.