Members of the Committee, my name is Ken Wilson and I presently am employed at the VA Medical Center in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. My federal service began with three (3) years in the U.S. Navy and twenty-seven years with the Veterans Administration. My career with the VA began as a GS-3 Supply Clerk and after various moves to seven (7) Medical Centers, I obtained the title of Chief, Acquisition and Materiels Management Service. My reason for being here today is to provide a brief synopsis of the events that led to my being eliminated from my career field and placed in a status of not having a position description nor a defined job assignment.

The VA Medical center, Montgomery, Alabama became my duty station in July of 1988. My position of Chief, Acquisition and Materiels Management Service required me to be an integral part of the day-to-day administrative effort to strive to ensure the best possible care to this nation’s veterans through support to the clinical care providers at the Montgomery VA. In this effort, I received numerous outstanding performance ratings and awards for my efforts.

In 1996, it was determined that the VAMC, Montgomery and VAMC, Tuskegee, Alabama would be consolidated into the Central Alabama Veterans Healthcare System. In late December 1996, my counterpart at the VAMC, Tuskegee left federal service and I was asked to manage both Medical Centers’ logistics operations. In March of 1997, the Acting Director of the combined Medical Centers, Mr. Clay, presented me with an outstanding performance award. In the fall of 1997, the position of which I occupied was advertised nationally and I in effect applied for my own job. This process also took place for other service chiefs serving at both VAMCs. I was advised by the Associate Director, Mr. Hawkins, that I was not selected for the position. My questions to the Associate Director, what qualifications did I not possess to be selected and/or what leadership skills did I not have to be selected were not answered except to say I was fully qualified but he, Mr. Hawkins, wanted his own man in the job. I asked what my new job would be but was not given an answer. I did receive a memorandum informing me that I would be an Administrative Assistant to the new chief. In January 1998, I chose to transfer to another VA to remove myself from this situation.

My failure to be selected was and still is the results of my being part of a group of employees who cooperated with the VA IG Investigation into the integration and my association with Congressman Everett’s Office in the review of this integration process. My non-selection also stems from my not cooperating in the expenditure of funds for a function that violated regulations. Before my removal as Service Chief, I was instructed to write a purchase order for a "picnic" for employees of the combined VA Medical Centers at Montgomery and Tuskegee. The cost of this "picnic" would have totaled just under $25,000 for food and entertainment. I informed the Associate Director, Mr. Hawkins, that this transaction was illegal and could not be accomplished within the regulations. I was given a copy of an agreement signed by Mr. Hawkins that detailed what was to be provided by the vendor and repeatedly told to write the purchase order. My refusal to act on this matter lead to my conferring with the Network Acquisition Office for advice and guidance. The picnic was cancelled the day before it was scheduled. This situation lead to my being labeled as "not a team player" and being against the integration process.

After this incident and numerous others mentioned in the VA OIG Report took place, a group of employees chose to contact Congressman Terry Everett’s Office for assistance. To this day, if it had not been for the intervention by Congressman Everett, this situation would have continued to deteriorate and brought down the level of patient care to an unacceptable level. To this day, the situation at Central Alabama Veterans Healthcare Systems remains unsettled and in turmoil. No end in site.

Without reliving all the details of the integration of the VAMC Montgomery and Tuskegee, please allow me to say that there is no provisions in the VA System to protect those employees who cooperate with the VA Office of Inspection General. There is no mechanism to stop the injustice to employees who attempt to prevent the gross mismanagement of VA activities. The attempts to make higher level officials aware of these activities fall on deaf ears. Middle management staff are at risk every day in the performance of their duties, of being singled out or grouped together as undesirable and their careers are over.

Some of the CAVHCS employees chose to resign and find other jobs, some chose to "early out" and reduce their retirement benefits, others chose to give up their homes and VA family and seek other VA positions, some chose to stay and be subjected to a multitude of harassing and embarrassing situations. Some chose to pursue the EEO System for resolution, some (who could afford it) chose to hire legal counsel to seek relief, some chose to walk away and give up, some of us still hold out with a faith in our VA System will correct these wrong doings and compensate those effected by these actions. To date, the system has managed to loose quite a few dedicated, loyal employees who cannot be replaced easily, the system has completely shattered the pride of many employees who have spent their adult lives in the VA System. The system has not only failed those employees, it has failed the veterans these employees have served long and faithfully for.

In closing, I would hope that through these hearings, that some mechanism will be developed in ensure that employees of this agency have some avenue of protection and that policies are defined and carried out equally and fairly.

My thanks to the Committee for this opportunity to speak, and to Congressman Everett for his role in this situation. I was asked if I had any reservations about testifying before this Committee, my reply was – gone is my career field, my job, my VA family, my home, my faith in the system that I’ve spent 27 years in, what else can I loose.