Veterans Affairs Manager Mocks Veteran Suicides, Still Employed [Updated]
Veterans Affairs manager Robin Paul was outed for sending a series of emails that appear to make light of veteran suicides.
Paul works at the Roudebush Veteran Affairs Medical Center in Indianapolis, and yes, that’s “works.” Since the scandal was revealed by the Indy Star and then migrated to national news sites like Politico, she has managed to keep her job, but it hasn’t been without a dose of outrage against Paul, a social worker, who earns more than $80,000 annually in her position.
The emails can be seen in their entirety at this link, and the images above are only a part of why veterans, military personnel, and their supporters, are furious.
In one photo, that we can’t show you but that you can see by clicking the link above, Paul uses an elf, positioning it between a Barbie doll’s legs with the caption, “Trying his skills as a primary care provider (doing a pap).”
A second email makes light of mental health issues with a post-it that says “out of XANAX, Please help!”
One of the images above shows the elf hanging by a string of Christmas lights with the caption, “Caught in the act of suicidal behavior (trying to hang himself from an electrical cord).”
Finally, there is an elf sitting behind the photo of a case worker. That email reads, “Thankfully, he was saved by his monthly case management contact plan.”
When the Indy Star approached Robin Paul about the emails, she responded first with this — “Oh my goodness” — and referred the newspaper to public affairs.
Later, the Veterans Affairs branch issued the following statement on her behalf.
“I would like to sincerely apologize for the email message and I take full responsibility for this poor judgment… I have put my heart and soul into my work with Veterans for many years. I hold all Veterans and military personnel in the highest regard and am deeply remorseful for any hurt this may have caused.”
Roudebush spokesperson Julie Webb followed that up with these comments.
“The email is totally inappropriate and does not convey our commitment to veterans… We apologize to our veterans and take suicide and mental health treatment seriously, striving to provide the highest quality.”
What do you think about this, readers? Did the Veterans Affairs manager learn her lesson in making light of veteran suicide, or should the VA terminate her? Sound off in the comments section.
Editor’s note: In the original published version of this story, the writer incorrectly identified the elf figure described in the story as The Elf on the Shelf.
