Hill Awards Golden Fleece to VA for Loss of Over $1 Million in Medical Equipment
Washington,
July 19, 2018
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman French Hill (R-AR) named the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) as the latest winner of the Golden Fleece award for their mismanagement and loss of over $1 million in medical equipment in VA facilities in Ohio. “How any government agency misplaces equipment valued at over $1 million and paid for with hardworking taxpayer dollars boggles the mind," said Rep. Hill. It’s beyond reckless that in the last three years, the VA has misplaced over $1.12 million dollars in medical equipment in the state of Ohio alone. With our mounting national debt and a refocusing of fiscal priorities, it’s now more important than ever that our federal agencies act as good stewards of taxpayers’ dollars.” In the letter to the Acting Secretary of the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs Peter O’Rourke, Congressman Hill wrote: The Honorable Peter O’Rourke Acting Secretary U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs 810 Vermont Ave NW Washington, DC 20420-0001 Dear Secretary O’Rourke: I write today to inform you that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is this month’s recipient of my Golden Fleece Award. I am awarding this to VA for mismanagement and the loss of over one million dollars in medical equipment across several VA facilities in Ohio. According to recent reports by WBNS-10TV, VA medical facilities in Columbus, Chillicothe, Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Dayton, Ohio combined managed to lose track of $1.12 million worth of medical equipment between 2014 and 2017. [1] Some items reported lost included a $8,500 patient sign-in kiosk, a $12,000 stretcher, and a $28,000 bedside monitor. Further, in some instances, these Ohio facilities lost the equipment after the VA spent nearly $24 million in Ohio on technology designed to install tracking devices on the medical equipment. This is unacceptable, and VA must do better. Our nation is currently over $20 trillion in debt, and it is now more important than ever that our federal agencies act as good stewards of taxpayers’ dollars. Should you require any additional authority from Congress to address these concerns, I urge you to notify us as soon as possible. I thank you for your consideration and look forward to working with you to address this important issue. Sincerely, French Hill Member of Congress |
