FederalDaily - December 6, 2006
GAO: VA Comes Up Short on Funding Promise
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) came up about 20 percent short of a promise to increase spending
by $300 million during the past two years for enhanced mental health care for veterans, a new government
report said. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) in a Nov. 21 report looked at the VA’s
allocation and use of funding for mental health strategic plan initiatives in Fiscal Years 2005 and
2006. In FY 2005, the VA left unspent $12 million of a promised $100 million for enhanced mental health
services. In FY 2006, $46 million was returned to the VA by its network of 21 regional healthcare centers
because it could not be spent that year, the report said. The additional funding was to upgrade services,
such as the expansion of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) care and the augmentation of programs
for the treatment of substance abuse disorders. GAO also said that VA tracking of spending for plan
initiatives was inadequate. To see more, go to: www.gao.gov/docsearch/abstract.php?rptno=GAO-07-66
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Lawmakers Seek Probe of Ex-Agents’ Convictions
A number of members of Congress are calling on House Judiciary Chairman James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis.,
to hold a hearing to review the convictions of a pair of former Border Patrol agents who shot and injured
a fleeing suspected drug smuggler on the Mexican border. Agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Alonso Compean
were convicted in the Feb. 17, 2005, shooting of Osvaldo Aldrete-Davila, a legal resident alien, just
north of the border near El Paso. Ramos was sentenced to 11 years in federal prison and Compean received
12 years. Led by Reps. Walter B. Jones, R-N.C., and Ted Poe, R-Texas, a contingent of 15 members asked
Sensenbrenner to look into alleged problems in the case. “There are several discrepancies in
this case which strongly question whether justice was served,” the letter said, “thus demonstrating
the need for an immediate Congressional hearing.” The letter also noted that “their (Ramos
and Compean) struggle to overturn these convictions would be greatly aided by a Congressional inquiry
into their case.” To see the press release, go to: http://jones.house.gov/html/release.cfm?id=461
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IG Says DoD Violated Purchasing Rules with NASA Contracts
A study of Department of Defense (DoD) contracts made through a NASA government-wide acquisition process
found that most of the DoD purchases were either improperly executed, improperly funded or both. The
DoD Inspector General (IG) reviewed contracts placed through NASA’s Scientific and Engineering
Workstation Procurement (SEWP) contract vehicle. DoD reported placing 6,569 orders worth $343.2 million
through SEWP contracts in Fiscal Year 2005. Of the 111 orders reviewed, valued at approximately $85.9
million, 98 violated purchasing rules, the IG found in a report dated Nov. 13. For example, of those
reviewed, 71 orders—valued at $73.4 million—had little or no justification in the files
for using a non-DoD contract vehicle like NASA SEWP. In addition, 69 orders—valued at $49.5 million—were
awarded without providing fair opportunity to all contractors qualified under the multiple-award contracts,
the IG said. “As a result, DoD has no assurance it received the best value, competition
was limited, and funds were not used as intended by Congress,” the report said. To see more,
go to: www.dodig.osd.mil/Audit/reports/FY07/07-023.pdf
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