re: #169 CleverToad

Yes to both of these observations. Short-term, immediate solutions that can be provided by working with existing local resources while we’re working on the very necessary long-term investments for our veterans. Housing as well as medical facilities. Support in as many aspects as we can provide for the veterans and their families — we owe it to them.

And yes, competent leaders and managers at all levels of the VA would be a good thing. Reliable funding with a whole lot fewer political strings just might possibly maybe y’know help achieve that goal…?

In a large agency such as the DoVA, political strings attached will always happen. Members of Congress are always going to care more about revenues and jobs brought into thier districts than overall system effectiveness, because its district gains that get them reelected.

As for reliable funding, that’s been less about the Congress and more about the DoVA in recent years. Systematic dishonesty about conditions at facilities meant that monies for renovations, repairs, and in some cases even hiring new staff was often misspent, stolen, or left unused.

They good news on that latter front is Congressman Jason Chaffetz. The new chairman of the House Committee on Government Reform is working with the DoVA’s inspector General to get proper oversight in place and to ensure fraud and waste get identified and the latter prevented going forward and the former punished.