By The Iowa Statesman
Today, a bipartisan group of United States Senators, including U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA), sent a letter to President Barack Obama, urging him to nominate an Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs as soon as possible to help rebuild the trust that was lost “through systematic failures in accountability and transparency” at the Department.
“It is imperative that you nominate a permanent IG for the VA to provide stable leadership and oversight of the agency. Over the past two years, the VA has faced well-documented challenges, including the failure to provide timely health care nationwide. A permanent IG would help to address these failures and would play a critical role in auditing and evaluating VA programs, conducting health care inspections and investigating allegations of serious violations of policies and procedures by high-ranking members of the Department,” the Senators wrote.
The former Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs left the position in late 2013 and Mr. Richard Griffin assumed the IG duties at the department. However, he is not serving in a permanent capacity. The absence of a permanent IG at the department has raised concerns about shortcomings in accountability and transparency at the VA.
The Senators wrote to President Obama, “Providing adequate p
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