Economic Opportunity Chairman Van Orden Holds Hearing on Cutting Waste, Fraud, and Abuse in VA Employment and Education Program for Disabled Veterans

Economic Opportunity Chairman Van Orden Holds Hearing on Cutting Waste, Fraud, and Abuse in VA Employment and Education Program for Disabled Veterans

Today, Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-Wis.), the Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity, delivered the following opening remarks, as prepared, at the start of the subcommittee's oversight hearing to examine the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Veteran Readiness and Employment program (VR&E) to ensure it is fiscally responsible for tomorrow's disabled veterans and that current and potential waste, fraud, and abuse are eliminated. This hearing comes as the Subcommittee continues to look at ways to improve and modernize VA's education and employment programs on behalf of the veterans they serve.

Good afternoon.

The Subcommittee will come to order.

I want to thank everyone for being here today to discuss the Veteran Readiness & Employment program, or VR&E.

The purpose of this program is to assist veterans who have service-connected disabilities with the training and skills they need in order to obtain meaningful employment or live fully independent lives.

I know the doors this program can open for veterans and their families that they otherwise may not have access to.

This is a wonderful benefit, however, that doesn't mean Congress should be giving VA a blank check for VR&E.

Today we will examine the potential waste, fraud, and abuse that continues to occur in this multibillion-dollar VA program.

Here are just a few examples of what VA has approved for purchase:

• $31,000 for three custom raised flower beds for a veteran to learn how to live independently. The average market price for a flower bed is between $1,100 to $3,175.

• And $917,000 for initial evaluation and case management.

The federal government is having to pay over market price on items that are meant to help veterans find and maintain gainful employment.

This is not fiscally responsible and shows that more guardrails and justification are needed to approve these purchases.

The issue here is that these purchases were made without employment metrics and outcomes. This is due to the VR&E program sliding under the radar.

If VA were to provide information that shows how these purchases resulted in veteran employment, then I'm all for it.

As student veterans should be provided with the necessary items they need for self-employment, economic opportunity, and for their academic betterment.

However, we must ensure that taxpayers are also protected as the costs for this program continue to skyrocket.

One individual has spent over $800,000 in less than three years, and over $300,000 in one year. This is an absurd amount of money and goes against the intent of the VR&E program. My legislation would also cap the amount of money that can be spent annually on supplies for VR&E enrollees.

The issue here is that we do not know the outcome and more oversight is needed. VA projects the program's cost to double over the next two fiscal years.

We need to make sure this program works for the veteran, and it is not a blank check to continuously stay in the program and not reach the ultimate goal of the program - meaningful employment.

Under current law, there is no cap on the number of times you can enter this program. We have seen several individuals who have been in the program for over 20 years.

If disabled veterans are truly in need we can and should help them, but I think we can all agree that a training program that continues for 20 years is not meeting the needs of the veteran or the taxpayer.

We must examine VA's path forward in VR&E to ensure there are checks and balances in the program to safeguard the integrity of this benefit.

I look forward to hearing from VA about how the Department ensures that every purchase is made with the taxpayer and veterans in mind.

With that, I now yield to the Ranking Member for his opening remarks.

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