Golden Fleece to VA for Loss of Over $1 Million in Medical Equipment

The Golden Fleece Award

ARRA News Service: Congressman French Hill (R-AR) named the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) as the latest winner of the July 2018 Golden Fleece Award for their mismanagement and loss of over $1 million in medical equipment in VA facilities in Ohio.

"How any government agency misplaces equipment valued at over $1 million and paid for with hardworking taxpayer dollars boggles the mind," said Rep. Hill. "It's beyond reckless that in the last three years, the VA has misplaced over $1.12 million dollars in medical equipment in the state of Ohio alone. With our mounting national debt and a refocusing of fiscal priorities, it's now more important than ever that our federal agencies act as good stewards of taxpayers' dollars."

In the letter to the Acting Secretary of the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs Peter O'Rourke, Congressman Hill wrote:
The Honorable Peter O'Rourke
Acting Secretary
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
810 Vermont Ave NW
Washington, DC 20420-0001

Dear Secretary O'Rourke:

I write today to inform you that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is this month's recipient of my Golden Fleece Award. I am awarding this to VA for mismanagement and the loss of over one million dollars in medical equipment across several VA facilities in Ohio.

According to recent reports by WBNS-10TV, VA medical facilities in Columbus, Chillicothe, Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Dayton, Ohio combined managed to lose track of $1.12 million worth of medical equipment between 2014 and 2017. [1] Some items reported lost included a $8,500 patient sign-in kiosk, a $12,000 stretcher, and a $28,000 bedside monitor.

Further, in some instances, these Ohio facilities lost the equipment after the VA spent nearly $24 million in Ohio on technology designed to install tracking devices on the medical equipment. This is unacceptable, and VA must do better.

Our nation is currently over $20 trillion in debt, and it is now more important than ever that our federal agencies act as good stewards of taxpayers' dollars.

Should you require any additional authority from Congress to address these concerns, I urge you to notify us as soon as possible. I thank you for your consideration and look forward to working with you to address this important issue.

Sincerely,

French Hill
Member of Congress
About the Golden Fleece Award
Every year, Congress appropriates trillions of dollars to fund the federal government, and every year the federal government wastes portions of these funds in unconscionable ways. As a Member of Congress, and as a taxpayer, this frustrates me to no end. In an attempt to increase accountability for every single government program, Congressman Hill decided to bring back the Golden Fleece Award.

Originally introduced by Democratic U.S. Senator from Wisconsin William Proxmire in March 1975, the Golden Fleece Award was a monthly bulletin on the most frivolous and wasteful uses of hardworking taxpayers' dollars. The Golden Fleece Award became a staple in the U.S. Senate during this time, and Senator Robert Byrd once stated that the awards were "as much a part of the Senate as quorum calls and filibusters."

In reviving this idea, the Golden Fleece Award will again have the opportunity to serve as an important reminder to taxpayers about the need for necessary, commonsense reforms to our federal spending.

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Tags: Rep. French Hill, R-AR, awards, July, 2018, Golden Fleece Award, VA medical facilities, Columbus, Chillicothe, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Dayton, Ohio To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service and "Like" Facebook Page - Thanks!
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