Department of Veterans Affairs issued a notice to remove three top executives of the Phoenix VA health care system. Three officials were involved in wait list scandal at the hospital due to which many veterans died for being unable to receive treatment on time. The removal announced on Tuesday came after two years of disclosure of scandal.

The three officials included in the current order are Dr. Darren Deering, the hospital's chief of staff; Lance Robinson, the hospital's associate director; and Brad Curry, chief of health administration services. The executives can no more enjoy their professional status, but they can challenge their removal under VA rules.

Deputy VA Secretary Sloan Gibson showed disappointment towards long time spent on coming to removal of guilty officials. "Have served as a distraction to the progress being made to improve the care we provide in Phoenix and across the nation. Today marks an important step in moving past the events of the past and refocusing solely on caring for our nation's veterans," said Gibson on the removal.

Sharon Helman, hospital's former director, was fired in 2014 after being found guilty of false financial disclosures to the federal government about yearly gifts. Last month, Helman pleaded guilty for her false practices while serving at hospital.

Helman supervised the Carl T. Hayden VA Medical Center in Phoenix from 2012 to 2014. She was fired when whistleblowers disclosed to Congress that nearly 40 veterans died while waiting for care as they faced delay. Later through investigation, it came out that VA officials in Phoenix had created secret waiting lists throughout the nation and other falsified records to cover up the delays.