Kirk, Dent Call on President Obama to Nominate a Permanent VA Inspector General to Oversee Scandal-Plagued Agency

Permanent IG Position Has Been Vacant Since 2013

Pattern of Agency Misconduct and Corruption with No Accountability Needs to Change

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) and U.S. Representative Charlie Dent (R-Pa.-15), the chairmen of the Senate and House Appropriations Subcommittees on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, sent a letter to President Barack Obama urging him to nominate a permanent Inspector General (IG) to oversee the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the numerous ongoing investigations into misconduct, mistreatment of veterans, and retaliation against whistleblowers at the agency. Just recently, Acting IG Richard Griffin suddenly retired, leaving the agency with yet another Acting IG and no permanent replacement. The VA Office of Inspector General (OIG) has not had a permanent IG since 2013.

“Thousands of veterans across the country have suffered at the hands of corrupt VA bureaucrats, and only a permanent, thoughtful, and aggressive Inspector General can provide the answers they deserve,” Chairman Kirk said. “For too long the VA has gone unchecked. The President needs to appoint a permanent Inspector General as soon as possible to provide consistency and accountability where there currently is none.”

“A permanent, independent leader of the VA OIG focused on protecting the health and rights of our country’s veterans is absolutely necessary if the VA is to move forward in a positive manner and resume capably meeting the needs of America’s veterans. President Obama needs to act with speed and deliberation by making a qualified nomination for a permanent Inspector General of the VA,” said Chairman Dent.

Citing ongoing investigations throughout the country, the chairmen called for an “aggressive and truly independent permanent leader” to be appointed in order to ensure America’s veterans are receiving the care they deserve. The Edward J. Hines, Jr., VA facility in Maywood, Ill., was plagued by allegations of secret wait lists and mistreatment during the eruption of the VA scandal in 2014. Senator Kirk met with whistleblowers and patients who had been affected by the misconduct and poor management at Hines. The VA OIG began an investigation into the Hines facility following these allegations, but the Office of Special Counsel (OSC) deemed the initial investigation deficient and ordered another investigation to be completed within 60 days. More than 150 days later, the OIG has yet to produce the second requested report.

The text of the letter can be seen here and below.

July 10, 2015

The President
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President:

As Chairmen of the Senate and House Appropriations subcommittees that fund the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), we are extremely troubled by the lack of permanent leadership at the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) of the VA.  Richard Griffin’s sudden retirement, after calls for him to be removed, leaves the VA with another Acting Inspector General.  The pattern of inability to hold the VA accountable to veterans is unacceptable and necessitates nomination of a capable, permanent VA Inspector General.

According to the Project on Government Oversight (POGO), the VA OIG “is in desperate need of new leadership”.  More troubling is this blunt warning from POGO:  “Instead of being a champion of whistleblowers, [the Acting IG] was part of the VA’s toxic culture of intimidation and retaliation.” The VA IG must ensure that it remains an independent entity dedicated to protecting whistleblowers and carrying out its statutory responsibilities as laid out in the Inspector General Act of 1978 (P.L. 95-452).

The VA OIG’s at times inadequate investigations, long delays in completing reports, and lack of transparency have brought warranted concern and must not be allowed to become a recurring pattern.  In November 2014, for example, the Office of Special Counsel (OSC) found that an initial OIG investigation into allegations of secret waiting lists and mistreatment of veterans at the VA Medical Center at Hines, Illinois was deficient and ordered a second investigation to be completed within 60 days. More than 150 days later, the VA OIG has yet to produce the second report ordered by OSC. At the VA Medical Center in Tomah, Wisconsin, a March 2014 VA OIG investigation failed to include outside pharmacists’ warnings that the Tomah VA was dispensing excessive amounts of opiates to veterans.  Despite these warnings, the VA OIG continued to rely upon local and regional VA officials to fix the problems and closed the case without issuing a report to the public or to Congress.  The appointment of a permanent Inspector General within OIG would be a significant first step toward ensuring that investigations are properly executed, preventing unacceptable delays on reports in the future, and providing appropriate whistleblower protections.

An aggressive and truly independent permanent leader at the Office of Inspector General can regain Americans’ trust that our veterans are receiving the care and benefits they were promised. We urge you to immediately nominate a permanent IG to provide this new leadership.

Thank you for your attention to this important matter.

Sincerely,

Mark Kirk
Charles W. Dent