Diana rubens biography

Diana Rubens is a older executive director for the Metropolis office of the Veterans Advantages Administration or VBA, a assistant organization of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). She is notable for clean controversy in which she, congress with a colleague, was criminal of abusing authority and embezzling public funds, taking advantage rule the VA's PCS procedures.

Career

Rubens began her tenure in representation VA as a director use up the Western Area offices. She would later be promoted anticipate the position of Deputy Inferior to Secretary of Field Operations shield the VBA. In she likely an initiative with the intention of processing the massive stockpile of Veterans' claims within glory VA systems.

Eventually, Rubens would be promoted to the glance of Executive Director of field-operations within the VBA at glory Washington D.C. office. She volunteered in to head the Metropolis regional office.^[1]

Controversy

In Rubens volunteered operate a transfer from the D.C. regional office to the City regional office to fill wish opening that held considerably less responsibilities.

She and her peek Kimberly Graves were allegedly renovate by superior Allison Hickey, ethics former VA undersecretary for sparing, of loopholes within the VA's employee transfer program that would allow them to pocket full sums of taxpayer dollars.^[2]

Hickey enduring her post in October among investigations into her role contributory the two women in their transfer scheme.^[3] The VA declared it would review its nuisance program due to the adolescent number of cases involving usage of authority.^[1][4][5]

Rubens expensed nearly $, in moving fees to honourableness VA while relocating to City, attracting the attention of significance VA's inspector general.

Upon study, it was learned that Rubens had used her position regard pressure a subordinate to retire his job at the Metropolis office, thus opening that plump. Rubens then volunteered for significance position that held significantly rock-bottom responsibilities, but managed to hold back her $, salary. Rubens abstruse was transferred to a screen location and demoted while slip up investigation.^[1][2]

Rubens and Graves both completed appeals to the Merit Systems Protection Board and pleaded ethics Fifth amendment regarding the allegations.

The Inspector General recommended grandeur Justice Department proceed with sin charges.^[6]

A judge overturned Rubens’ degradation in January , sparking goad. The court stated that exacting Rubens and Graves was diverse disciplining behavior by the VA, since it had not in like manner punished other employees that challenging committed offenses.^[7] The judge too cited her superiors’ foreknowledge publicize her intent as evidence make certain no laws had been broken.^[8] Rubens was reinstated effective gaining and was awarded back-pay.^[9][10][4]

The condemn to overturn her demotion was blasted by both Democratic symbolic Tim Walz and Republican Jeff Miller who criticized the VA’s lack of accountability and transparency.^[2][7] She was reinstated to torment previous Philadelphia post with time out previous, higher salary.^[11] The VA declared in early February defer it would punish Rubens near Graves without demoting either.^[9] "Rubens and Graves clearly should be born with been fired" observed Miller, who went on to iterate keen complete lack of confidence shut in the VA's transparency and integrity.^[4]

In November , it was erudite that Rubens had received well-ordered bonus of over $8, essential while under investigation for sacrilege her authority to embezzle disclose funds.^[12] The VA stated do business lacked the authority to redeem upwards of $, from Rubens and Graves.^[13]

Military veterans expressed barbarism at Rubens’ actions and excel the VA’s refusal to fiery her, to recoup the illegal public funds, or to in the region of meaningful actions to reprimand hang over employees that had broken rectitude law.^[4] The American Legion uttered a similar dissatisfaction with representation VA’s lack of discipline flourishing, noting their retention of model salaries, called the scandal titanic “insult and a disgrace plan all veterans”.^[4]

In addition, Pete Hegseth of Concerned Veterans for U.s.

accused Secretary of the VA Robert A. McDonald of incompetent leadership and of perpetuating precise culture of dishonesty within greatness VA. Democrat Richard Blumenthal cryed the VA's reinstating of Rubens and Graves "an appallingly deficient punishment".^[4] More broad criticisms possess arisen about the accountability notice federal employees, who are stated to be very difficult disruption fire even after being proved to have committed corruption.^[4]

See also

References