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LaMalfa & House Committee Confront Veterans Affairs Officials on Failures at Oakland VA

April 22, 2015

Washington, DC – Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-CA) participated in a House Committee on Veterans' Affairs hearing today on systemic failures and dysfunction at the Oakland Veterans' Affairs (VA) Regional Office. The hearing also examined horrific reports of mismanagement and data manipulation at the Philadelphia VA Regional Office. Officials from the Department of Veterans Affairs and whistleblowers from these two regional offices testified before the committee today. Beginning over a year ago, LaMalfa's office received reports that over 13,184 veterans' benefit claims had been overlooked, some for over a decade. A recent report by the VA Inspector General confirmed that the claims had not been properly processed and that the Oakland VA Office had failed to maintain any records of the claims.

"I want to thank all of the whistleblowers who testified today and helped give Congress a clearer picture of how things have gone so terribly wrong within the VA system," said Rep. LaMalfa. "It is extremely concerning that the Director of the Oakland VA is unable to definitively state whether the 13,184 claims that were discovered in 2012 have been processed, and we're still receiving conflicting information about these claims. Contrary to VA leadership's statements, the Office of Inspector General definitively testified that these claims were not duplicates and included actionable benefit claims. Clearly, more questions need to be asked and I am encouraged that OIG is continuing to investigate the Oakland VA."

Congressman Doug LaMalfa is a lifelong farmer representing California's First Congressional District, including Butte, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou and Tehama Counties.

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