VA supervisor resigns after email controversy

Tony Cook, | The Indianapolis Star

INDIANAPOLIS — The supervisor at Roudebush Veterans Affairs Medical Center who sent an email that appears to mock veteran suicides has resigned.

Robin Paul, who managed the Indianapolis hospital's transitional clinic for returning veterans, submitted her resignation on Tuesday.

"Even though I have had an excellent work history with the VA, my career with the VA is effectively over as a result of this incident and the resulting public and political pressure," she said in a statement provided to The Indianapolis Star through her attorney, Barclay Wong.

Paul said she and her family have been subjected to "harassment and hostility" as a result of the email's publication.

"I received death threats, my minor child was harassed, and we had to seek police protection," she said.

Paul said the email was taken out of context and was never intended to mock veterans.

"The 'elf' email I sent in December 2014 was to an internal staff email group following a clinic holiday lunch party," she said. "I take full responsibility for sending the email; however, the intent of the email and pictures has been misrepresented. My intent was not to mock Veterans; the intent was to thank the team for their work in dealing with tough issues on a daily basis. The elf did not represent a Veteran; it was a toy elf — nothing more."

The Dec. 14 email, first disclosed in The Star, includes photographs of a toy Christmas elf pleading for anxiety medication and hanging itself with an electrical cord.

Paul sent the email to employees of the hospital's Seamless Transition Integrated Care Clinic, which provides mental health and readjustment services for returning veterans.

Paul said she understood how the email could be "taken out of context" and "misconstrued."

"I used poor judgment in sending out this email," she said. " I am truly sorry to our Veterans and anyone else who I offended by my actions — that was not my intent. I seek the public's forgiveness, and I respectfully request that the public refrain from directing further hatred and hostility toward me, my family or the VA."

Paul's resignation comes after she agreed to a temporary 90-day suspension of her social work license last month while the Indiana Attorney General's Office continued an investigation into the email.

She had been on paid administrative leave at the hospital pending an internal VA investigation.

The email provoked national outrage at a time when the nation is grappling with a scourge of veteran suicides, which happen at a pace of 22 a day, according to the VA.

Some of the nation's largest veteran advocacy organizations, including the Veterans of Foreign Wars, called for Paul's removal. So, too, did some members of Congress.

"We can only hope that the other 350,000 VA employees completely understand the wake-up call that comes from this unfortunate yet preventable incident — that veterans are the only reason your federal department exists, which means serving them must be a 100 percent, all in commitment by every employee, every day," said Joe Davis, a spokesman for the VFW.

U.S. Rep. Jackie Walorski, a member of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, said she still has concerns about the VA's handling of the situation.

"While Ms. Paul has recognized her use of poor judgment and until December, appeared to be a fair employee, her actions were reprehensible and I'm concerned that the VA did not act more decisively," Walorski, R-Jimtown, said. "This case continues to demonstrate the culture at the VA where bad actors are not held accountable. I will continue to monitor this case and see if the VA holds others involved in this event accountable."

But Martina Sternberg, an Air Force veteran who worked with Paul to plan an annual symposium on veteran transition issues at Purdue University, said Paul is passionate about veterans and has been treated unfairly.

"It sickens me," she said. "We've all made mistakes."

Julie Webb, a spokeswoman for Roudebush, said she couldn't comment on the circumstances surrounding Paul's resignation. But she emphasized that the email did not represent the VA's values.

"She said it wasn't intended to mock veterans, but a lot of veterans took it personally," Webb said. "The hospital would not mock veterans in any way shape or form. We maintain that the email was inappropriate. We take veteran's health and welfare very seriously."

Webb said the VA's investigation into the email will continue despite Paul's resignation.

Full statement from Robin Paul

The "elf" email I sent in December 2014 was to an internal staff email group following a clinic holiday lunch party. I take full responsibility for sending the email; however, the intent of the email and pictures has been misrepresented. My intent was not to mock Veterans; the intent was to thank the team for their work in dealing with tough issues on a daily basis. The elf did not represent a Veteran; it was a toy elf — nothing more. However, I understand how taken out of context, the email and pictures could be misconstrued. I used poor judgment in sending out this email.

Since the initial press coverage, my family and I have been subjected to harassment and hostility. I received death threats, my minor child was harassed, and we had to seek police protection. In the best interest of the VA and my family, I voluntarily agreed to a temporary summary suspension of my license pending further investigation.

Even though I have had an excellent work history with the VA, my career with the VA is effectively over as a result of this incident and the resulting public and political pressure. Accordingly, on April 7, 2015, I voluntarily resigned from the VA. I am truly sorry to our Veterans and anyone else who I offended by my actions — that was not my intent. I seek the public's forgiveness, and I respectfully request that the public refrain from directing further hatred and hostility toward me, my family or the VA.