VA responds to concerns from Dallas veterans over process to hire new director
DALLAS - The VA is responding after a group of Dallas veterans expressed concern about how the new director of one the North Texas VA health care system was selected.
The VA admits the department never posted the job opening for a director to lead the country's second-largest VA healthcare system in the country.
READ MORE: Some veterans question hiring process to name new director of VA North Texas Health Care System
A spokeswoman says the VA is allowed to fill jobs through a non-competitive process, but that is little comfort to some Dallas veterans.
"I went through a tough time. I swore I would never go back," said Rick Miller, a Vietnam veteran.
Kendrick Brown
Miller says Kendrick Brown helped turn around the North Texas VA system and earned his trust in the process.
"Thank goodness I met someone like Kendrick Brown who turned my thinking around," said Miller.
But now Miller says his trust is broken.
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Brown has served in the number two role at the North Texas VA since 2016, and was recently given the acting director job.
"What you are hearing here is we have good leadership and that is in question now," said Ken Watterson, the president of the Veterans Resource Center. "Also a good opportunity to promote an African American."
But the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs never posted the opening for the permanent job and never interviews Brown for the position.
"Lack of respect, the Secretary should be embarrassed, ashamed of himself for doing that," said Miller.
Jason Cave
The VA gave the job to Jason Cave, who briefly served as acting director for the South Texas VA and previously led a much smaller health care system out of Big Spring, Texas.
That system serves 17,000 veterans compared to the 206,000 at the North Texas VA.
"We are not saying he is not capable, the question is the process. How did he come in the process?" Miller said.
A spokeswoman for the VA released a statement saying:
We asked to see where this policy is spelled out, but the VA would not provide that.
On the VA's website it explains that non-competitive hiring is reserved for "eligible veterans."
The site says, "federal agencies can hire veterans without posting a vacancy announcement."
The VA's announcement about Cave's appointment does not say if Cave is a veteran.
"It upsets me this is happening," said Domingo Rodriguez of the Military Veteran Peer Network. "I feel it is my responsibility to speak out."
"It's a breach of trust at the highest level, to now go in and trust someone with my medical care, how do I trust that?" said Codey Marshall, a board member for Roof 4 Vets.