Military & Veterans

As far back as 2012, a Department of Veterans Affairs advisory board was warning about excessive sway that reverse auction firm FedBid, a well-connected contractor employing former top White House officials, had on VA contracting officers. One internal VA email obtained by The Washington Times shows that the VA advisory group warned in 2012 that contracting officers inside the Veterans Health Administration had been told that “the use of FedBid is mandatory, and that they can take no other path... Read more

At first glance, the ongoing scandal at the Department of Veterans Affairs appears to be that rare bipartisan moment. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have fallen over each other to exclaim just how upset they are and how much they value the men and women who served in uniform. But for most of them, their strong words haven't translated into strong actions in support of veterans. That's why Colorado Congressman Mike Coffman deserves special praise. He identified and tried to fix the problem... Read more

A House panel says the head of the VA’s Board of Veterans’ Appeals continues to mismanage the legal office and may have been “untruthful” in her sworn congressional testimony claiming improvements in processing vet appeals last month. Despite reassurances to lawmakers, Board Vice Chairman Laura Eskenazi appears to have still promoted unqualified attorneys, not properly advertised open job positions and created new employee positions that will not decrease the board’s growing backlog, according ... Read more

Members of both political parties are calling for change after learning about bonuses awarded to local VA officials. 9Wants to Know obtained Veterans Affairs Department data showing that VA executives nationwide have received $23 million in bonuses since 2007. "It seems to be in the Veterans Administration, if you are in leadership, as long as you have a pulse, you are going to get a bonus," said Rep. Mike Coffman (R-Colorado). "I think it's fundamentally wrong." "It's absolutely outrageous," s... Read more

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 subco... Read more

A prominent Republican representative on the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs has called on VA Secretary Robert McDonald to explain what, if any, punitive action he plans to take against a former deputy chief procurement officer at the Veterans Health Administration who was found to have engaged in violations of federal procurement law and has called on the agency to evaluate whether the reverse auction company at the heart of the scandal, FedBid Inc., remains a “responsible contractor” und... Read more

Rep. Mike Coffman (R-Colo.), the chairman of the Veterans Affairs subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, is pressing VA Secretary Bob McDonald to live up to his word and deal with wrongdoers swiftly. More specifically, Coffman wants to know what steps McDonald will take to address the allegations of procurement fraud, whistleblower retaliation, conflict of interest and lying to investigators the agency's inspector general highlighted in its recent report about Susan Taylor, the deputy ch... Read more

Rep. Mike Coffman (R-Colo.) on Tuesday criticized the Department of Veterans Affairs for continuing to talk tough about employee discipline, but refusing to fire anyone involved in the VA health care scandal. Coffman wrote just a day after the VA announced it had settled three cases involving retaliation against VA workers who blew the whistle on corruption and shoddy practices at the VA heath center in Phoenix. While the VA said it doesn’t tolerate retaliation against whistleblowers, it gave n... Read more

The Department of Veterans Affairs has added another layer of oversight into how lease contracts are awarded after the deal for the planned outpatient health care center project in Butler Township fell apart, the VA said. The General Services Administration is now looking at all leases, “regardless of the size or scope ... for review and delegation,” VA spokeswoman Genevieve Billia said. Westar Development Co. beat out five other companies in May 2012 to build the $75 million outpatient center,... Read more

Earlier this year, Congress passed a measure that will cost $17 billion over 10 years to address unconscionable delays in treatment at medical facilities run by the Department of Veterans Affairs. End of story? Hardly. The VA is still fumbling major construction projects, including in Aurora, where the cost overrun for a new hospital is catastrophic, escalating from a $600 million estimate to $1 billion — and delays almost equally staggering. Fortunately, the means of addressing these fiascos i... Read more