May 20 2014
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) sent a letter
today to President Obama calling on the President to withdraw his
nomination of Dr. Jeffrey Murawsky to serve as Under Secretary of Health
at the Department of Veterans Affairs. Dr. Murawsky was nominated
earlier this month to replace Dr. Robert Petzel who announced his plans
to retire last year, and resigned last Friday.
“Instead of nominating a reformer from outside the VA system who
can bring fresh leadership as the next Under Secretary for Health—a key
position responsible for overseeing the VHA—you have appointed Dr.
Jeffrey A. Murawsky, a career administrator whose own tenure at the VA
raises serious concerns.
“[F]rom February 2010 through February 2012, Dr. Murawsky directly
supervised Sharon Helman, the current director of the Phoenix VA Health
Care System who has been placed on administrative leave due to similar
allegations of secret wait lists and resulting veteran deaths there.
“It is time for immediate and decisive action, and I urge you to
begin by withdrawing Dr. Murawsky’s nomination and replacing it with an
individual who can and will bring real reform to the VHA.”
A copy of the letter is attached and below.
President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20500
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20500
Dear Mr. President:
As shocking revelations continue to emerge from Department of
Veterans Affairs (VA) medical facilities across the country, there is a
growing crisis of competence and trust. Now more than ever, the VA
needs leaders who are willing to ask tough questions, cut through red
tape, and where necessary turn the VA bureaucracy on its head. The next
leader of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) must have the
objectivity, the ability, and the will to identify the systemic and
cultural problems underlying this crisis and solve them. As such, I
write to urge you to withdraw your nomination of Dr. Jeffrey Murawsky to
serve as Under Secretary of Health at the VA.
As you know, last month, news reports began to appear regarding
dozens of veterans who died while waiting for medical appointments in
the Phoenix VA Health Care System. Since that time, numerous
individuals have come forward to share similar stories of mistreatment
and neglect at VA facilities across the country, including many in
Texas. Instead of demonstrating leadership and squarely addressing this
issue, you continue to insist that Secretary Shinseki remains capable
of reforming the broken VA system. Your reluctance to hold Secretary
Shinseki accountable, and his reluctance to hold his subordinates
accountable, precludes us from living up to our promises to our nations’
heroes. They deserve more than the hollow gesture of the resignation
of an undersecretary who already announced his retirement months ago.
Instead of nominating a reformer from outside the VA system who can
bring fresh leadership as the next Under Secretary for Health—a key
position responsible for overseeing the VHA—you have appointed Dr.
Jeffrey A. Murawsky, a career administrator whose own tenure at the VA
raises serious concerns. It is my understanding that Dr. Murawsky,
employed by the VA since 2001, currently serves as Network Director of
the VA Great Lakes Health Care System (VISN 12). In his capacity as
Network Director, a position he has held since March 2009, Dr. Murawsky
is responsible for oversight of the Hines VA Hospital in Hines,
Illinois, as well as numerous other facilities.
Last week, a social worker at Hines reportedly came forward with
allegations of more “secret waiting lists” being used by executives
there to artificially meet standards and justify bonuses. If
substantiated, these allegations would raise very serious questions
about Dr. Murawsky’s ability to effectively and responsibly lead the
health care operations of VISN 12 – just one of 22 such entities across
the VHA that he would oversee, if confirmed by the Senate.
In addition, from February 2010 through February 2012, Dr. Murawsky
directly supervised Sharon Helman, the current director of the Phoenix
VA Health Care System who has been placed on administrative leave due to
similar allegations of secret wait lists and resulting veteran deaths
there. During that time, Ms. Helman was employed as the Hospital
Director of the Hines VA Hospital, and it has not yet been determined
whether her tenure at Hines was characterized by similar malfeasance.
The growing number of reports of veterans suffering and dying as a
result of the VA failing in its core mission should be enough to garner
your personal attention to addressing this crisis. It is time for
immediate and decisive action, and I urge you to begin by withdrawing
Dr. Murawsky’s nomination and replacing it with an individual who can
and will bring real reform to the VHA.
Sincerely,
JOHN CORNYN
United States Senator
