Veterans Affairs’s HR chief resigns amid conference scandal

VA’s HR chief resigns amid conference scandal
Army Times
By Rick Maze
Staff writer
Posted : Monday Oct 1, 2012

Two multimillion-dollar conferences for Veterans Affairs Department human resources officials have resulted in the resignation of the agency’s top personnel official, as an internal investigation found excessive spending and evidence that some of those planning the events had improperly accepted gifts from potential vendors.

The report, released Monday by the VA’s Office of Inspector General, found $6.1 million spent on two weeklong conferences at the Orlando Marriott World Center Golf and Spa Resort, held in July and August 2011, with about $762,00 being on “unauthorized,” “unnecessary” or “wasteful” expenses, according to the report.

The report is especially hard on John Sepulveda, the VA assistant secretary for human resources, who “abdicated his responsibilities when he failed to provide proper guidance and oversight to his senior executives,” the report says. Sepulveda has resigned.
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