HR Official Resigns Prior to Report on Spending

The human resources official for the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, John Sepulveda, has chosen to resign exactly one day before the release of a report on spending. The inspector general had asked for a schedule release of the report after questioning the spending ton two separate conferences that took place in the state of Florida. The United States Department of Veterans Affairs made an announcement the other day, stating that the resignation for John Sepulveda was accepted. The inspector general still has planned to release the spending report at some point during the day. It is believed that some of the planners for the conference received numerous gifts, including tickets to shows and helicopter rides from their hotel. Both of the conferences that have been in question took place at the Marriott International Inc. resort, which is located right near Disney World.

Sepulveda, who happens to be 58-years-old, took on the position as the human resources official back in 2009. At that point in time, he was sworn into his position by Shinseki. In an interview over the phone, Sepulveda said that he submitted his resignation at the end of September, on the 28^th to be exact. He also said that his resignation was accepted and put into effect. The former assistant secretary has chosen not to discuss anything that may have taken place during the conferences or what the inspector general has reported. In the meantime, Sepulveda has said, “It’s been a great experience working at VA serving veterans and serving under a really great leader.” He also said, “I’ve been privileged to be part of this team.”

Some of the costs for the conference included thousands of dollars that were spent toward a video spoof of the movie, Patton. This particular spoof film should not have been created and taxpayer money should not have been used to create such a film. The deputy assistant secretary for public affairs, Nathan Naylor, says that the misuse of these funds is simply unacceptable. He also said that there have been new rules put in place for spending. The VA officials had spent millions of dollars during the fiscal year on the conferences, which included the cost of traveling. The total amount was close to $100 million spent. At this point, the VA is looking to receive assistance from a company that can review the conference in detail and find out more about the spending that went on, including gifts that may have been purchased and other unbilled services that were provided to employees.