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Veterans Affairs Department employees are now answering 99.8 percent of veterans' calls to the VA crisis hotline, and fewer than 1 percent of those calls are rolling over to backup centers. But the VA Inspector General and lawmakers still see some troubling challenges.
The Government Accountability Office is questioning whether the right people, skills and leadership were devoted to the Veterans Affairs Department's past efforts to remove VA healthcare from the High-Risk List. But current VA leadership insisted it's paying attention and asked for patience as it continues to transform the department.
Since Michael Missal took over as inspector general at the Veterans Affairs Department about a year ago, his office has turned up some improvements, some deteriorations and the odd surprise.
Last year, after a long gap, the Veterans Affairs Department got a permanent inspector general. Federal Drive with Tom Temin interviews the VA's new IG, Michael Missal, about the Veterans Choice Act and how the department responded when Congress updated it.
Both the Government Accountability Office and the department's inspector general say leadership at the Veterans Affairs Department is committed to removing VA health care from GAO's High-Risk List. But they've seen little concrete action beyond VA's promises of commitment.
Two locations typify the ongoing management issues at the Veterans Affairs Department. Fresh investigations by the VA inspector general show what went wrong with the replacement hospital under construction near Denver and how the department wasted nearly $1 billion and scheduling problems continue to plague the Phoenix medical center. VA Inspector General Michael Missal share the details on Federal Drive with Tom Temin.
The House Veterans Affairs Committee wrote to the Justice Department, asking that DOJ investigate whether VA officials lied before Congress when they testified about ongoing schedule and cost overruns for new medical center in Denver. A new report from VA's inspector general slammed the department's leadership for making poor decisions about the hospital's construction that weren't in the best interest of the veterans they hope to serve.
One congressman and the Veterans Affairs Department's number two both suggested the VA doesn't need another policy or rule to help the agency turn around years of mismanagement and a "culture of fear" at some medical centers.
For the second time this year, the Office of Special Counsel said the Veterans Affairs Inspector General isn't properly addressing three cases of whistleblower allegations. OSC Special Counsel Carolyn Lerner voiced similar concerns about two other cases to President Barack Obama in February.
There isn't much more the Veterans Affairs Department can do, now that the Merit Systems Protection Board overturned punishments for two of four senior executives accused of misconduct. The VA handed out lighter punishments to the four VBA leaders, despite criticism from Congress.
The President's picks for VA inspector general and special counsel at the Office of Special Counsel told lawmakers on Tuesday that they would work to provide protection for whistleblowers and transparency when dealing with congressional oversight and reform.
Michael Missal, the president's nominee to lead the VA's Office of Inspector General, appeared before the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs to answer questions on how he plans to hold accountable the struggling agency.