By Jayvee Vallejera
The Department of Veterans Affairs' Office of the Inspector General is investigating Edward “Doc” Santos for alleged serious misconduct when he was the director of the Guam Vet Center.
Guam Del. James Moylan—himself a veteran—disclosed that serious misconduct appeared to have occurred at the Vet Center.
However, because of the nature of the OIG investigation, Moylan said he was unable to share details of the alleged misconduct and the nature of the complaints against Santos.
In an online press briefing last week, Moylan assured that the OIG would handle the matter without bias.
In the meantime, a permanent replacement for Santos will soon be assigned at the Guam Vet Center and an additional counseling employee will be hired, he added.
Moylan’s chief of staff, Bobby Shringi, said the allegations covered "a little bit of everything,” but he declined to elaborate as well.
He also said the matter is now at the “highest place possible…but we weren’t provided the specifics of it.”
Moylan said his team has been investigating the matter since it was brought to their attention late last year.
“Over the last few months, I’ve worked closely with the House Veterans Affairs Committee and VA to get answers on this. I have been reassured that the quality of care service was not interrupted and continues to be available for our veterans at the Guam Vet Center,” he added.
Shringi said the VA has also committed to initiating a number of outreach efforts, some of which will be coordinated with Moylan’s office and veterans groups in Guam.
“While this is a challenging situation and it’s unfortunate that we’re at this point, the silver lining in all of this is that…we will be able to build from this and overcome this with the efforts of the new Department of Veterans Affairs and the support of the House VA Committee,” he added.
When asked if Moylan had talked to Guam veterans about what was happening at the Vet Center, Shringi said, “Not directly, because there is an ongoing investigation. We will share as much as we’re allowed to share. We do plan to start these conversations very soon with the veterans’ groups. …Obviously, we can’t talk about what is being investigated. However, we will be talking about where this is going and whether care will be improved.”
Moylan said both the House VA Committee and the VA office are deeply troubled and recognize a serious need for reform.
Moylan said he has also opened talks with VA about possibly increasing the number of counselors in Guam.
Moylan said he is also pushing for major structural changes at the VA, like creating a new site director position in Guam and creating a new district director position to oversee healthcare and readjustment service in the region. He promised to share more details soon.
“I know this issue is very important to our island veterans and their families, and I want to reassure you that your frustrations and concerns have been heard,” Moylan said. “We are doing everything in our power to resolve this situation as soon as possible.”
He said the new administration has also signaled that “change is coming” to benefit veterans.
Issues at the Guam Vet Center came to a head after Moylan attended a community roundtable at the center on Oct. 15, 2024, during which he was made aware of what was happening there. At that point, Santos had just abruptly resigned from his post.
He said he met with the director of the Readjustment Counseling Services at the Vet Center and he was made aware of what had occurred there and insights into what led to Santos’ resignation.
“I was deeply troubled by what I heard,” Moylan said. “What was shared was incredibly concerning and we knew that swift action was needed.”
Moylan said he and his team immediately notified the House of Representatives’ VA Committee, senior staff, and the VA headquarters in Washington, D.C.
He said more information had been provided over the last few months to clarify the situation, but was unable to share those details much earlier because “we faced resistance and delays from the previous administration to many questions we had asked.”
Moylan is quite positive that Santos won’t be returning to the Guam Vet Center. “Mr. Santos was not terminated, but resigned in lieu of termination due to performance issues,” he said.
Following Santos’ resignation, several issues appeared which triggered the ongoing investigation by the OIG. “Because of this investigation, I can’t share any specific details,” he added.
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