Miller praises Legion for taking on VA scandal

Addressing The American Legion’s annual Washington Conference, U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller called last year’s Department of Veterans Affairs scandal one “unlike any scandal that has ever befallen that agency. Then the chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs praised the Legion for its role in addressing the scandal and leading to positive changes in the department.

“We saw a lack of accountability, a lack of transparency unlike anything that had ever been seen in the federal government,” Miller told Legion family members on Feb. 24. “But you took an active role, your organization on (Capitol Hill), educating members of Congress, other federal agencies and the public about the extent of VA’s problems. And you did make difference. Your efforts helped pave the way for some of the most significant changes to the Department of Veterans Affairs in history. With your effort, Congress passed and the president signed the Veterans Choice and Accountability Act.”

Miller said the Legion’s efforts during the VA scandal were representative of what the organization has done since its inception. “You and your organization are making a difference,” he said. “You have been working and fighting and bringing to the attention of the American people – and certainly to Congress – the necessary things that must be done in order to ensure that the benefits that have been earned are in fact given. That tradition is alive and well today.”

Switching back to VA, Miller said his committee is focused on giving VA Secretary Bob McDonald the tools he needs to ensure VA executives exhibiting negligence be dealt with severely. Legislation has been introduced that would allow a reduction of a senior VA executive’s pension upon conviction of a crime.

“Right now, if an executive commits a crime while they are in employ of the VA that deals specifically with their job, the secretary can’t … do anything with their pension,” Miller said. “If they’ve been harming veterans, they should not be able to retire with their full pension.

“Quite simply, any VA administrator(s) who purposely manipulated data, covered up problems related against whistleblowers or was involved in malfeasance that harmed veterans have to be fired."

Miller said legislation isn’t the only solution. “We’ve got to have a VA that is trying,” he said. “And while VA is trying to fix some of these problems, their past struggles with transparency, with honesty and with accountability, we have to trust but verify what they’re telling us. "If VA is ever to regain the trust of America’s veterans, Congress and the American people, it’s going to have to place a premium on transparency. Our veterans deserve a VA that sets the standard for openness, for honesty and for transparency.”