LaMalfa Call for Oakland VA Investigation Confirms Gross Mismanagement, Missing Records

Washington, DC – As the result of a yearlong investigation by Congressman LaMalfa and his staff, the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) initiated a review of the Oakland Veterans Affairs Regional Office in mid-2014. The OIG report (click here) of the initial investigation was released today and details a complete failure to maintain records of thousands of veterans' claims.

"This report barely scratches the surface of what my staff uncovered at the Oakland VA and the mismanagement that has delayed veterans receiving benefits for years," said Congressman Doug LaMalfa. "The Inspector General's report verifies that chronic mismanagement has delayed veterans from receiving the benefits and care they deserve, in some cases for over a decade. Veterans should never wait 12 years to simply hear back from the VA regarding their claims. This adds yet another layer of shame to an already scandal-plagued agency."

"While the OIG report identifies some of the problems at the Oakland office, it is by no means the final word on dysfunction at the VA," LaMalfa added. "I will continue working with whistleblowers, veterans' advocates, and the House Veterans Affairs Committee to shed light on dysfunction at the Veterans Benefits Administration."

Key findings of the report on failures at the Oakland VA Regional Office (VARO) include the following:

• "(OIG) substantiated the allegation that Oakland VARO staff had not processed a significant number of informal requests for benefits dating back many years."
• "Some of these informal claims dated back to July 2002."
• "Oakland VARO staff did not perform an adequate review or take actions needed on all of the unprocessed informal claims found by staff when the office was undergoing a construction project."
• "Because of the poor record keeping, (OIG) could not verify the VARO's original document count of 13,184 unprocessed informal claims or the 2,155 identified as requiring additional review or action. We also could not confirm that only 537 informal claims remained to be processed following the special project team's review."

The OIG also confirmed that the Oakland VA office identified at least 13,184 unprocessed claims in 2012, some stretching back over a decade. However, the Veterans Benefit Administration is unable to verify that the 13,184 claims were ever processed or whether the veterans have received the benefits they earned.

To view the full report, please click here.

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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