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Subscribe to RSSMembers of Congress angrily vowed Wednesday to crank its investigative floodlights far brighter on the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, accusing agency leaders of dodging direct questions on travel and conference spending, failing to disclose a gathering in Las Vegas, and exhibiting “total incompetence” as veterans wait in record-long lines for medical help.
During a hearing before the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, chairman Jeff Miller, R-Fla., said that one day after he and VA Deputy Secretary Scott Gould had held a “civil conversation” on the same issues, Gould’s vague responses to the panel's precise and lengthy interrogation “raised the hackles on the back of my neck.”
“The truce is over. It lasted less than 24 hours. Expect much more oversight from this committee,” Miller said. “Expect more questions from this committee because they’re coming — in great volumes.”
The fiery, two-hour hearing was primarily held to examine how the VA plans to prevent future, exorbitant spending lapses like the estimated $9 million the agency doled out for two Orlando gatherings in 2011. During those conferences for VA human resources personnel, the VA invested, for example, $84,000 for VA-branded promotional items, including pens, highlighters and hand sanitizers, according to Office of the Inspector General. But at the close of the hearing, Gould complained the committee’s line of questioning had devolved into “a slap at the employees who work at VA every day.”
Miller interrupted Gould.
“No, no, no, no,” Miller said, his voice rising. “Don’t you ever accuse a Democrat or a Republican on this committee of slapping any of the hardworking 300,000 VA employees. Rest assured, it’s the leadership that we’re concerned with.”
Earlier, Gould opened by describing the VA’s beefed-up oversight to block other Orlando-type escapades, which he called: “abdications of responsibility, failures of judgment, and serious lapses of stewardship.”
Those tightened measures include requirements that all VA conference planning now include “a detailed business case analysis.” And, from this point, any VA gatherings estimated to cost $20,000 to $100,000 must receive prior approval by a VA under secretary or assistant secretary, conferences estimated to cost $100,000 to $500,000 must be approved by the deputy secretary, and conferences costing more than $500,000 “are generally not permitted,” he said.
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But the hearing quickly turned into larger prosecution of VA leadership by the committee. The members complained about what they called the VA’s chronic lack of responses — or its fuzzy answers — to dozens of congressional requests for information on items ranging from VA spending to its internal discipline of employees caught making ethical errors.
For example, on Aug. 16, Congress asked the VA to disclose how much it spent during 2011 on conferences. According to Miller, the VA first reported the price of those events was $20 million but later amended that figure to more than $100 million. At Wednesday’s hearing, VA Chief Financial Officer Todd Grams testified that the events cost, in total, $86.5 million.
Miller asked Gould if he “or anyone at the table” had been ordered to withhold information from Congress. Gould responded: “No.” Miller then blasted VA leaders for failing to answer 75 specific congressional questions.
“Unfortunately, lengthy delays or not responding to requests at all has become normal for VA,” Miller said. “We clearly have a problem here.”
The Orlando conferences had served as the initial spark for ramped up congressional scrutiny of the agency. But several members said the VA’s lack of answers had left them increasingly irked — and several members sounded so Wednesday, their voices sometimes breaking or shaking, including Rep. Tim Huelskamp, R-Kan.
“It’s been 106 days since I asked some of these questions. I have asked for: a list of the attendees at the July 2011 conference in Orlando; a list of attendees at the August 2011 conference in Orlando; a list of individuals involved in planning these conferences; the names and titles of employees who are being held accountable. Why have you refused to answer all of these?” Huelskamp asked Gould. “Those were all ignored. When will you find it out — in another 106 days? These are simple questions.
“This is an issue of competence, the failure to either know the answers or refuse to answer them,” Huelskamp added. “It’s about a gentleman in Syracuse, Kan., who had to drive 522 miles to the nearest VA hospital. In that time, you could fly folks to Orlando for a great conference. And you won’t even tell the American people who attended? Either you’re trying to hide something or it’s total incompetence.”
In response, Gould testified that VA leaders “understand we have an obligation to respond to Congress.” He further testified that, following the many information requests from Congress, the VA has supplied 35,000 documents and answered 6,000 policy questions and attended 100 hearings and 1,100 staff briefings.
“Sir,” Gould added, “you can sit here and shake your head, but the reality is there’s a tremendous amount of information that flows to this committee and others on a daily basis by a very competent team.”
But Congress has grown so impatient with the VA’s silence on the issues, Miller said, he and other congressional members and their staffs have begun perusing VA’s Facebook and Twitter accounts to try to independently piece together a more complete list of the VA conferences and training seminars.
Miller discovered, for example, posts on the VA Facebook page about a VA senior management conference at Las Vegas' Venetian Hotel in August 2010. That event included teachings on “yoga, massage therapy (and) acupuncture,” according to the VA Facebook post, which showed pictures of people — ostensibly VA employees — getting massages. Beneath those images, someone commented: “Sounds like my kind of conference!” That observation was followed by a comment posted by the administrator of the Facebook page for VA’s Veterans Canteen Services: “It’s amazing how immediate the results are!”
Miller asked Gould why the VA had not mentioned the Vegas conference when Congress had requested a full accounting of all VA conferences since 2005.
Gould testified that he had no explanation other than the VA has hosted thousands of conferences since 2005.
That post on the VA Facebook page was removed shortly after the hearing.
“The perception out there, if you’re a taxpayer just barely getting by ... is you’ve got one set of rules for people in government, and (another set for) the rest of us out there in the real world, said Rep. Phil Roe, R-Tenn. “And perception is reality.
"It’s embarrassing for me to go home and try to explain to people why their money is being wasted,” added Roe, a physician. “I have veterans who come up and say, ‘I can’t get into a hospital down here, Doc. I’m in a line 40 miles long.’ And then they show me this plush event that occurred in Orlando. It’s very hard to explain that to people. It’s embarrassing for the 300,000 hardworking VA people who are then tagged with this.”
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There needs to be better oversight of the Veterans Administration, but as a 100% disabled veteran, I find it pretty hard to believe Congress when they annually vote themselves large COLAs every year and we only get a 1.7% increase for 2013 and none for 2012.
Fire evry last one of them, keep the doctors, physician assistants, nurses, and front line workers and fire the rest. 300,000 employees, really, that's 6,000 employees per state on average. Obvoiusly the administration portion of the VA needs to have the fat cut out of it.
massage conference.....really...the nerve of these a-holes.
Mark my words, they'll keep the conferences and all the other perks, and stick it to the vets.
The VA needs to be set straight, but Congress sure as hell ain't the ones to do it.
Can't we just get the rich to pay a little more... some more china money.... or print it in the backroom and add to the debt? The majorit of American socialist don't care as long as it doesn't interfer with their handouts...what do those defending our country deserve anyway? Didn't they volunteer to be shot and blown up in the first place. Shame on those greedy veterans....
To the person who suggested a general be appointed to head the VA, Obama already did. This guy, Eric Shenseki's big claim to fame was taking the black beret away from our elite Rangers. Loser in many people's book, and his leadership or lack therof is what we are reading about now. Dump him and his "staff." Also, the sickening way both the president and Shenseki purport to be supporting jobs for vets. All window washing. As a disabled vet, retired U.S. Army officer with combat record, master's degree in business, CEO and COO level experience at the corporate level, I applied for a job at the VA many, many times last summer. I couldn't even get a job as a van driver at a VA hospital despite being in the highest category for employment. Veteran's preferences are a farce as well at this organization. Their focus is obviously on their next big party at our expense. Do the honorable thing Shenseki and get out.
@advocate - guess what. as a retired officer and someone who held all those positions, if you did retire as an officer and held those positions (I question it), you have yours. And if yu don't then you should never have held the positions.
Don't apply to the VA, dude. Go for the gold and get a job commensurate with the education and whatever you have. If you're only qualified as a van driver, then your credentials are bogus.
I think you're a stone-cold liar.
Shensenki has only been there a few years, these problems have been going on a lot longer than him. I also agree with jackieboy, if you have all that why would you apply for a van driver position? You are far too qualified and they would give the job to someone with van driving experience ~ just saying...
Shinseki's claim to fame was giving the cold hard truth to the President about the Iraq war. Giving the black beret's to everyone in the US Army was more of a side note.
The VA is like the rest of the government agencies are, a joke. It's who you know as to what help you get, or benefits , not what you deserve or need. More of the capitalistic way. The VA sucks. Preferences and help starts from the top down, not the other way around. Typical capitalistic equality.
And yet another Dept. proving to be corrupt and incompetant yet again, nothing will come of it. Well all you liberal wind bags, you wanted this for your country, collapse is just around the corner!!
Yolds this started long before this election, it is just now coming into the open. Get it straight.
Yolds- it's Bush's fault....and sfter another 4 years it will be Bush's fault...The new america it is always someone elses fault.....
Hey Kent no one said a dam thing about Ass Wipe Bush. You must have a guilty feeling. I said it started long before this election and it did. Been going on for a long period of time , get you some dam glasses so you can read right. Oh and get Yolds a pair too.
The pot (CONGRESS) is calling the kettle (VA) black! What hypocrites. They have their own Insurance, their own retirement and literally, answer to no one. (Not even their voters)! They (Congress) are a disgrace.
Its time to play hard-ball politics with these graft-mongers! I was just speaking with one of my students, an Iraqi war vet, about his difficulty getting support services from the VA for his injuries!!
Due to some paper-work incompetency, his injury wasn't "detailed enough" for him to receive any services/benefits to help address it!! Its deplorable that these people "partied on" while such vets, males and females, received rejection letters regarding their claims! Criminal charges should be levied by congress!!
And criminal charges should be levied against congress.
The congressional outrage is fine but I'd like to know why they didn't discover the abuses long ago. I imagine many of these Congressmen have been on this VA oversight committee many years yet feign shock at how massive this mismanagement was. Isn't being sure the money provided to the VA is well spent one of the primary responsibilities? Pointing out absurd wastes of money since at least 2005 makes me wonder what the hell they've been doing every time they meet. Maybe they better save some of the outrage for themselves.
I think its a big deal now when the Congressman are no longer flush with money and have to make hard budget decisions. If Republicans are going to have to consider tax hikes, and Democrats consider entitlement changes, you can be sure they are going to be suddenly very particular about government waste.
Don't let this article fool you. In spite of the waste and extravagance, the biggest enemy the veteran faces is the Washington politicians of both parties who turn their backs on the veterans every time they get the chance. The first thing they should do is get rid of this silly ass enrollment system, where you have to be on their computers and fill out financial statements and see your doctor once a year even if you feel fine, or they kick you out of their computer system and all you get is emergency care.
Edward C. Stengel, Sp4, US Army, 10/1967-5/22/69, 221st Recon Airplane Co., Soc Trang, Vietnam
and the never, never, never, ever, ever money wasting politicians said, "how can money be wasted like this?" I know go on TV and blame it on a YouTube video. SUCKERS!!!!
This is not a real problem. We merely need to raise more taxes in order to cover the costs of the conferences and then the problem is solved.
Absolutely despicable! All that money spent on conferences, massages, yoga, acupuncture and God-knows-what-else, when vets like myself have been waiting for FOUR years just to get their packets to the med board for review. I thought complete and utter incompetence lie only at the lowest level in the med board process, but now I’m realizing it runs all the way up to the top. Again....absolutely despicable!
Why didn't that $86.5 million go to hiring more people so the med board process
wouldn't take as long and vets could get medical assistance/serves sooner? Or why
didn’t they give that money to the hospitals where the vets go for treatment?
Or better yet, why didn’t they give it to the vets who need it (and deserve it), so they could quit denying legitimate disability claims? The individuals who attended
those conferences and received the “medical service” demonstrations (i.e., massages, yoga and acupuncture) should all be fired for lack of ethics.
where is flip-flop on this discussion ?? john mccain used to stand up for vterans rights till he ran for president.......his masters told him to be quiet ?? the so-called author of the mccain-feinstein finance bill ????
another republican diversion....but what are you pointing your fingers at this time ????
As A Vietnam Vet I suggest they get rid of the top management and anyone authorizing any conference in the last 5 years costing more than $20,000. There are many conferences that VA employees can attend from counselors to food service at maybe about $500 a week for hotel and conference.
I worked in state government for the last 20 years of my work life and I paid for my own conference costs altho' I was paid my regular paycheck but no additional $$$ for lunch/dinner or breakfast. The VA employees can do it too if management stops providing million dollar conferences. I do support employees attending conferences to get new ideas and meet others in the same field.
GOP oversight committees have been in full gear since Jan 2011, with nothing to show except a lot of receipts and wasted taxpayer money. Not one has actually come to a conclusion on anything. What a freaking waste of resources.
Nine Million Dollars for two Orlando meetings?? Eighty Four thousand dollars for Pens??? I think a Lot of people have to go to prison over this. This is Bull#$%$#@$!%&#. Who the hell is watching the Piggy Bank in Washington??? Why is Nobody held Accountable? Why is there no oversight?
Government agencies at there best. Steeling our money for there own personal gain and entertainment. There are to many agencies in government that do nothing for the people of the country except waist our tax dollars. Cut the agencies would help our deficit.
Dodging questions
fake budget numbers
and tons of perks
I thought that was congresses job I can see why congress is upset
Have we become the most Crooked country in the World Yet?? If we haven't we sure are mighty close to taking the lead.
hey spot STFU I have been going to VA for years and have found the service great the employees and medical staff have always been respectful as well as caring and competent. As far as going after the top mgmt wasting $ yes call them on it and while these congressmen are at it they might put an end to their own wasteful ways and selfserving junkets and deals with lobbyists.
Here, here!
86 million in 7 years with 300,000 employees works out to $41 per employee per year for conferences. What is the bitch again? Does anybody have any idea how valuable conferences are for professionals to share ideas?
Give me a break. Congress is one big conference... with less results than the VA.
Error, Oh the Axe.