South Carolina Veterans Affairs’ Leader Reassigned

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Dr. David Omura – the leader of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in South Carolina – has been abruptly reassigned from his post amid allegations of corruption. Prior to June 7, 2023, Omura was director and CEO of the much-maligned Williams Jennings Bryan Dorn medical center and its network of satellite facilities.

In this post, he oversaw a health care system responsible for the care of 87,000 veterans with a staff of nearly 3,000 and an annual budget of $840 million.

News of Omura’s reassignment was first reported by the website MilitaryCorruption.com. It was confirmed shortly thereafter by reporter Andrew Fancher of WIS-TV 10 (NBC – Columbia, S.C.).

According to the first source, Omura was “escorted out of the Dorn VA Medical Center” earlier this month after he allegedly absconded with “bonuses that were earmarked for the people who performed so well during the COVID pandemic.”

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The website further stated Omura was facing allegations of “sexual harassment, negligent veteran care due to staff turnover/shortage from retaliation and hostile work environments for whistleblowing.”

 “There is a list of others that are being investigated as well,” the website added.

According to Fancher’s report, Omura was designated for a “special assignment” by Dr. David M. Walker – who has served as head of the VA’s southeastern region since July 2021. The following week, “two eyewitnesses reportedly saw Omura escorted from his medical center office by police officers,” according to Fancher.

Fancher’s report quoted VA regional officials who referred to Omura’s reassignment as “a temporary detail,” but those officials declined to comment further or provide the reporter with Omura’s personnel file.

Last fall, Omura was the focus of a glowing report from the Charleston, S.C. office of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) – which provides construction services for VA facilities.

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That report hailed Omura as a leader in providing “innovative and modern approaches to health care” for America’s veterans.

Here is an excerpt …

When you speak with Omura and walk with him through the campus, it is difficult to grasp the sheer size of the operation he is running. When he smiles and offers a helping hand to everyone he sees, you can’t help but think, ‘how does he do it?’ Walk with him for a little longer, and you will know the answer. He does it with pride, he does it with care, and he does it with love, all for the men and women who, like his father, put their lives on the line for our great country.

In the wake of Omura’s reassignment, John F. Merkle – leader of the Tuscaloosa, Alabama VA system for the past eight years – has been tapped to head up the South Carolina VA system (and the Dorn hospital).

This news outlet is currently working our network of VA sources in the hopes of obtaining additional information about the circumstances which led to Omura’s reassignment.

Dorn – which has a history of problems – isn’t the only South Carolina veterans health care facility to stare down a scandal in recent months. As this news outlet reported last fall, nurses at the Ralph H. Johnson veterans’ medical center in Charleston, S.C. held a public protest to draw attention to chronic “insufficient staffing and underfunding” at the facility. According to the nurses, these issues were “jeopardizing (their) ability to provide adequate care for our valued veterans.”

Nationally, the VA was embroiled in controversy during the administration of former president Barack Obama over its negligence in caring for America’s veterans.

Remember, FITSNews has an open microphone policy which affords anyone named in our stories – and anyone with an intelligent perspective on these matters – the opportunity to share their views with our audience. We are happy to publish such responses unedited and in their entirety as part of our commitment to the marketplace of ideas.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …

Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and seven children.

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