Baldwin disciplines top two aides for Tomah VA missteps

[riversedge]

Last edited Mon Mar 16, 2015, 02:18 PM - Edit history (2)

I think she handled it well.
Meanwhile Sen. Johnson has not done anything to improve his staff.
it is rather a long detailed article--but worth the time to read.



Baldwin disciplines top two aides for Tomah VA missteps


By Daniel Bice of the Journal Sentinel

March 13, 2015


U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin announced Friday that she has demoted her state director and docked her chief of staff one month's pay for bungling complaints about the troubled Tomah VA Medical Center.

Bill Murat, her veteran chief of staff, will take a one-time cut of more than $14,000 this year. He earns $169,000 annually.

In addition, Doug Hill will lose his job as Baldwin's state director to become her outreach boss. Hill's salary will be sliced from $131,300 annually to $80,800 a year — a cut of more than $50,000.

Earlier, Baldwin fired her deputy state director and bumped another staffer from handling veterans issues for the Wisconsin Democrat. His pay was not reduced.

"Mistakes were made," Baldwin said in a Friday interview, providing her first substantive remarks on the controversy.

"I have taken actions commensurate with the mistakes," she continued. "I want to assure my Wisconsin constituents that we take their concerns seriously."

The disciplinary actions were taken in response to an internal review of her staff's handling of whistle-blower complaints about overmedication and other problems at the Tomah hospital.....



http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/report-assigns-blame-on-baldwins-staff-to-tomah-va-missteps-b99461747z1-296231261.html







U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin speaks at EMILY's List 30th Anniversary Gala at the Washington Hilton on March 3. On Friday, Baldwin released a report that assigned blame to some on her staff for the mishandling of complaints concerning the prescribing of painkillers at the Tomah Veterans Affairs hospital.

Getty

[Wellstone ruled]

1. Well well,

someone just assured ones self reelection.

[riversedge]

2. External Review Finds Baldwin Did Not Sit On Tomah VA Report-Another short article

very short. Read the OP for more details.





http://www.wpr.org/external-review-finds-baldwin-did-not-sit-tomah-va-report

External Review Finds Baldwin Did Not Sit On Tomah VA Report



Senator Says She'll Take Responsibility For Miscommunication



Friday, March 13, 2015, 12:05pm




By The Associated Press

.

A report commissioned by U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin's office blames her constituent services team for mishandling a report on overmedication problems at a Tomah Department of Veterans Affairs hospital, but also acknowledges that senior staff members made mistakes.

The review, done by Perkins Coie, a Seattle-based law firm, found that Baldwin's office ineffectively communicated constituent concerns about the Tomah hospital, but did not intentionally sit on the report. Baldwin's office released the findings Friday.

[Wellstone ruled]

3. Tomah V.A. has had to many

issues and this disciplinary action will quill tons of Vets complaints hopefully. The V.A. system has had it fair share of complaints and in saying that,it has been the dump ground of Political hacks as a patronage job.

[riversedge]

4. @SenRonJohnson: 'Job Interviews And Stuff' Slowed Response--just makes excuses

Yes, both offices failed but Baldwin, upon learning about this took action-did a review and disciplined, demoted fired staff while Johnson just made excuses. No mention of any action to his staff on this. No review done


@SenRonJohnson: 'Job Interviews And Stuff' Slowed Response To Whistleblower Report http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/ron-johnson-tomah-va-whistleblower … Johnson makes excuses #wipolitics