Statement of Congresswoman Shelley Berkley, Veterans Committee Hearing, Waste, Fraud and Abuse at the Department of Veterans Affairs, May 8, 2003 (1 page)

Statement of Congresswoman Shelley Berkley Veterans Committee Hearing Waste, Fraud and Abuse at the Department of Veterans Affairs May 8, 2003 Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for holding this hearing today. Eliminating waste, fraud and abuse at the Department of Veterans Affairs is important, but it is essential that in doing so the VA does not jeopardize the health and safety of our veterans. Clark County has one of the fastest growing veterans population in the country. The VA has projected that the number of enrolled veterans in Las Vegas will increase by 18% from 2001- 2022. This growth is occurring in only one other area in the country, and went unrecognized by the VA planners for far too long. The veterans health community is struggling to meet the needs of the population growth, and this is compounded by the evacuation of the Addeliar D. Guy III Ambulatory Care Clinic that is currently underway. This clinic, which was built in 1997, was closed because it is structurally unsound. For the next three years, veterans in my district will suffer the inconvenience of shuttling between ten different locations, in Nevada summer heat, to have their health care needs met. The VA has committed to building a new ambulatory care clinic in Las Vegas by 2006. As the VA determines whether the construction will be completed by the VA or contracted out as a lease-back option, I encourage the VA to provide not only fiscal oversight, but on-site supervision of every step in the construction process. Only close supervision by the VA will prevent the wasteful situation that occurred in Las Vegas - closing a five year old building and spending millions of dollars to rent temporary health care service locations. In addition, I am concerned that the VA is using both the CARES and the Planning Initiatives data from the 1990 census to evaluate the elimination of waste and allocation of future resources. This does not adequately reflect the growth in areas such as Las Vegas. I would ask the VA to ensure that the planning for the new ambulatory care clinic, the future in-patient needs served at Michael O'Callaghan Federal Hospital and the long term care needs of veterans in my district and all VISNs are based on 2000 census data and report back to this committee. Finally, based on the increase in enrolled veterans in Las Vegas, the CARES planning initiative proposed that the VA add 70 in-patient beds to Michael O'Callaghan Federal Hospital, a VA/DoD joint venture site in Las Vegas. I am concerned that the space available at the hospital for this expansion is not enough to accommodate both future Air Force and VA needs. I would like to ask the VA to determine the future in-patient needs of the Air Force at the Michael O'Callaghan Federal Hospital and report to this committee the number of beds needed by the Air Force through 2022, and how the facility will accommodate both VA and Air Force needs. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.