Congress is out of town in preparation for the November elections, but that hasn't stopped lawmakers' scrutiny of the Veterans Affairs operations in Washington, D.C.
The department continues to take near daily criticism from elected officials and outside advocates over access and accountability issues. As re-election campaigns heat up, many are giving a national platform to local VA headaches, and promising changes throughout the system.
Earlier this week, House Veterans Affairs oversight subcommittee chairman Rep. Mike Coffman, R-Colo., demanded immediate action from top VA officials after reports that the department's deputy chief procurement officer gave unfair financial advantages to an outside federal contractor with whom she was having an affair.
In a letter to VA Secretary Bob McDonald, Coffman said the incident is just the latest example of "the morally bankrupt and ethically impaired culture that exists within the department."
Fellow committee member Rep. Jackie Walorski, R-Ind., petitioned the same federal officials this week to intervene in the case of an Indiana veteran who suffered a life-threatening blood clot after waiting months for a thorough medical appointment. Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colo., has stated that VA leadership promises for an independent audit of health care operations is taking too long.
House Veterans Affairs Chairman Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., has said he wants investigators looking into data manipulation and fraud cases at VA regional facilities to also focus their attention on the department's leadership, to see whether other top officials covered up systemic problems.
Nearly all of the most senior VA officials have left since former VA Secretary Eric Shinseki resigned from his post in May. But Miller and others have complained that those resignations may not have gone far enough to root out problem employees at the agency.
Also this week, officials from Concerned Veterans of America launched their newest oversight effort, a "Fixing Veterans Health Care" task force designed to scrutinize not just current care problems but also examine alternative plans to overhaul the VA's operations.
The effort will be led by former Republican Senate Majority Leader William Frist, former Georgia Democratic congressman Jim Marshall, and former Undersecretary of Veterans Affairs for Health Mike Kussman. In a statement, Frist said VA's "current inefficiencies and lack of transparency" are stopping veterans from getting the care they deserve.
Pete Hegseth, chief executive officer for CVA, said the effort isn't tied to any pre-election campaigning, but is designed to keep focus on reforming the department. He's also hopeful the final report to be released in December can help influence next year's incoming Congress.
"We're not excluding any ideas," he said. "Our only litmus test is whether it improves veteran's access to quality and timely care."
McDonald has promised a host of reforms and retaining throughout the department by Veterans Day in November, but has also publicly pledged to work with critics on find ways to fix operations and rebuild the department's reputation.
Leo covers Congress, Veterans Affairs and the White House for Military Times. He has covered Washington, D.C. since 2004, focusing on military personnel and veterans policies. His work has earned numerous honors, including a 2009 Polk award, a 2010 National Headliner Award, the IAVA Leadership in Journalism award and the VFW News Media award.
