Senators want a permanent inspector general for VA

Posted 2015-06-26 17:36 by Grunt Report with 0 comments

The Veterans Affairs Department needs an inspector general, according to Congress.

On Thursday, a bipartisan group of 10 senators urged President Obama to name a permanent inspector general for the department, noting that the important oversight post has been vacant since late 2013.

Richard Griffin, appointed deputy inspector general in 2008, has served as the acting IG since George Opfer stepped down from the job 18 months ago.

In a letter to Obama, the group wrote that a permanent appointee for the office will “provide stable leadership and oversight” for an agency sorely in need of them.

“Over the past two years, VA has faced well-documented challenges, including the failure to provide timely health care nationwide,” the letter stated. “A permanent IG would help to address these failures and would play a critical role in auditing and evaluating VA programs, conducting health care inspections and investigating allegations of serious violations.”

The letter did not criticize Griffin but noted that his nonpermanent status raises questions about the long-term goals and focus of the office.

The White House drew similar criticism for the vacancy earlier this month during a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing looking at watchdog roles within federal agencies.

Officials have struggled to fill VA leadership roles since the resignation of former VA Secretary Eric Shinseki in May 2014, thanks to a combination of sparse nominations from the White House and slow confirmation work by the Senate.

Earlier this week, following a three-month wait in the Senate, lawmakers confirmed David Shulkin as the department’s new undersecretary for health and LaVerne Council as the new assistant secretary for information and technology.

The same day, the department announced the departure of Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Maura Sullivan, slated to take over press operations at the Pentagon later this summer. Four of VA’s 15 other top posts also have acting or interim leaders.