Toomey, Casey Team Up to Tackle VA Fraud and Abuse

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) and Bob Casey (D-Pa.) are working together to enact meaningful reforms at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

Sens. Toomey and Casey, along with Sens. Moran (R-Kan.) and Blumenthal (D-Conn.), introduced a bipartisan amendment to the Military Construction and VA (MilCon-VA) Appropriations Act to prohibit exorbitant relocation fees for VA employees. Sens. Toomey and Casey also introduced an amendment to ensure no taxpayer funds can be used for claims data manipulation or secret waitlists at the VA. These amendments were adopted and attached to the MilCon-VA appropriations bill, which the Senate passed today by a 93-0 vote and includes additional funding to help address ongoing issues such as health staff shortages and benefit claims backlogs.

"While the VA was embroiled in major scandals and providing inadequate care, some senior VA executives used their position of authority for their own personal financial gain. Pennsylvanians care deeply for our veterans and we are all outraged that taxpayer dollars to the VA have been inexcusably pocketed by bureaucrats," said Sen. Toomey. "Furthermore, officials at the VA used taxpayer funds to create and maintain unofficial records, adding significant time to the waitlist, and in some cases, costing veterans their lives. This is outrageous, and I'm glad that the Senate has stepped up to the plate today to help address this serious problem."

"These commonsense amendments will provide an important measure of accountability at the VA when it comes to the issue of waitlists and the concerns first raised in Philadelphia about relocation expenses," said Sen. Casey. "Substantial delays for our veterans seeking basic care is unacceptable. These measures are one step towards fulfilling the obligations we have to those who have served our nation."

Sens. Toomey and Casey are both members of the bipartisan Senate VA Backlog Working Group - a group designed to find solutions to the logjam of veterans' disability claims which has caused severe delays since 2005.

###