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Throwing Money at Problems Doesn’t Work; The VA Is Proof

By Concerned Veterans for America

The Department of Veterans Affairs has had more than its share of problems. In the eyes of many in the VA and in Congress, the way to fix those problems is to increase the VA’s budget. After all, more money means more opportunity to fix wait times, staff shortages and outdated equipment, right?

Wrong.

The VA’s annual budget has quadrupled in the last 20 years, increasing from $45 billion to $200 billion. In the same 20 years, the VA has been plagued with waste, fraud and abuse that money clearly hasn’t fixed.

Veterans still wait weeks to see doctors and are still subject to poor-quality medical care. The VA is still using an inefficient IT system, and facilities aren’t meeting cleanliness standards.

The problem at the VA isn’t the lack of funds – it’s the lack of accountability.

CVA Executive Director Dan Caldwell recently wrote an op-ed on reforms the VA can make to fix waste, fraud and abuse in the department. Here’s his argument:

Throwing more money at the VA will not solve all its problems. Instead, Congress and the VA need to be held accountable to implement urgently needed reforms. Simply dumping more resources into the VA without eliminating waste and inefficiency does a disservice not only to our veterans but to the American taxpayer as well.

Read the rest of Caldwell’s op-ed to learn more about reforms the VA should embrace to better serve veterans.