The Department of Veterans Affairs has spent $6 billion a year for several years on purchases that violate federal contracting rules in a hasty attempt to expedite veteran care, reported The Washington Post.
According to a 35-page document, because the VA circumvented federal laws, it has cost American taxpayers billions of dollars, which is indicative of the incompetence and laziness of the VA. Jan Frye is the deputy assistant secretary for acquisition and logistics and is the person who wrote the report.
“Doors are swung wide open for fraud, waste and abuse,” said Frye. “I can state without reservation that VA has and continues to waste millions of dollars by paying excessive prices for goods and services due to breaches of Federal laws.”
The VA is required by law to either participate in competitive bidding or sign contracts with hospitals or health care facilities outside the VA network to ensure economical yet quality health care and goods for our veterans. However, the VA ignored that procedure and increased the use of purchase cards which resulted in gross overspending.
The Post also noted that the VA can’t offer some services which is another reason why contracts and competitive bidding are important. This instance leaves veterans receiving no care, or the VA overpaying for services it can’t provide.
“These unlawful acts may potentially result in serious harm or death to America’s veterans,” said Frye. “Collectively, I believe they serve to decay the entire VA health-care system.”
The VA has been caught in a frenzy of fraud, incompetence, mismanagement, and wasteful spending. Because the VA is so poorly run, many veterans have received poor care, and that’s if they do receive care. Some veterans wait so long for the VA that they die before receiving life-saving medical treatment.
There is such a backlog of veterans on the VA’s wait list, that some veterans have been dead for years before a VA employee even opens their file. In that case, the VA typically buries that file to improve its efficiency number.
It’s an absolute shame that our government can ask for the lives of our veterans, but can’t give anything back when the veterans ask of the government. The VA is in serious need of a complete overhaul.
