Montana VA director "reassigned" out of state

Montana's VA director reassigned out of state pending administrative investigation

By CINDY UKEN

Embattled VA Montana Director Robin Korogi has been reassigned to the VA's regional office in Denver, effective Monday.

The move is necessary "so the results from an administrative investigation board can be thoroughly reviewed and evaluated," said Anita Urdiales, executive assistant to Ralph Gigliotti, director of VA Rocky Mountain Network 19, which includes facilities in Colorado, Montana, Wyoming and Utah. "Ms. Korogi will be assigned to assist with special projects at the (regional) level in the interim."

Steve Young, director of the Salt Lake City VAMC, will take over as interim director of VA Montana effective Monday.

"VA is committed to ensuring the veterans of Montana experience a smooth transition that keeps our focus on delivering the high quality health care they have earned with their service to a grateful nation," Urdiales said.

The move follows a series of Billings Gazette stories investigating Korogi's inability to recruit inpatient psychiatrists for the new acute psychiatric wing of the $7 million, 24,000-square-foot inpatient mental health facility at Fort Harrison.


As a result, the eight-bed wing remains unopened, forcing some veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder or military sexual trauma to travel out of state for treatment.
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