[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Ranking Member Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) today released the following statement on Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Doug Collins’ cancellation of an estimated 875 contracts that provide critical services to veterans and their families, and allow VA to conduct oversight operations to identify waste, fraud, and abuse:

“The hundreds of contracts Doug Collins proudly canceled today provide critical and direct services to veterans across the country. These contracts allow VA to recruit and retain doctors, inform veterans about their earned benefits, and perform safety inspections at VA medical facilities. Many of these contracts were also used by VA to conduct oversight of its spending and ensure veterans programs operate efficiently for veterans and taxpayers. To say abruptly cancelling these services won’t impact veterans’ care and benefits is another unrealistic promise from Collins. Make no mistake—this is just another reckless cost-cutting decision that will harm veterans and taxpayers for years to come.”

These contracts provide services to veterans nationally, help VA run national programs serving veterans, and perform oversight to detect and prevent fraud.

Some contracts that were cancelled include:

Contracts to improve the delivery of veterans’ benefits

• Cancelled a contract that enables VA to locate military records to process VA disability compensation benefits, impacting VA’s ability to timely process benefits claims. This includes extracting scanned veterans’ records from the National Archives, the Naval History and Heritage Command and other locations to more quickly process veterans’ disability claims.
• Cancelled a contract that was helping modernize its VA Home Loan Program to deliver home loans more efficiently and effectively to veterans.
• Cancelled a contract that provided training to VBA employees so that the claims decisions they make are more accurate and of higher quality for veterans.
• Cancelled a contract which VA’s National Cemetery Administration (NCA) uses to conduct outreach to veterans and their families so they are aware of burial services and options provided through NCA’s at one of its more than 155 national cemeteries or through benefits that can be used at a private cemetery.

Contracts to improve veterans’ health care

• Cancelled a contract that helps VA recruit doctors and other medical staff, particularly in areas of the country – including in rural America - with critical vacancies. Without it, VA’s struggle to attract and retain doctors and nurses will be compounded, leading to additional workforce shortages, care delays, and rising costs. This VA’s only contract connecting VA recruiters to job boards for sourcing physicians and other critical roles for direct veteran care.
• Cancelled a contract for the National Oncology and Precision Medicine program which is focused on providing the highest quality cancer care, advanced pharmacogenomics, increasing radiation oncology services, and improving precision oncology testing for veterans. This contract helps VA health leaders in developing and implementing cutting-edge cancer health treatment efforts.
• Cancelled a contract which performed oversight and inventory functions for VA’s medical supply purchasing program which VA’s more than 2,000 medical facilities use to deliver safe care to veterans.

Contracts to ensure safety of veterans at VA facilities and programs

• Cancelled a contract to safely dispose of chemical waste.
• Cancelled a contract VA uses to ensure housing for formerly homeless veterans meet all relevant safety standards including for lead-based paint.
• Cancelled a contract on environmental testing of facility conditions to meet The Joint Commission standards for patient safety. Without this contract, VA health facilities may need to close or risk an increase in hospital acquired infections.
• Cancelled a contract which performed inspection, calibration, and radiation detection services for imaging equipment such as X-rays, MRI, CAT scan, and related services.
• Cancelled a contract required for The Joint Commission and environmental compliance standards to ensure safe facilities for veterans and staff.
• Cancelled a contract for VA employees in the respiratory protection program to ensure safe working conditions, and the fitting, testing, and training of respiratory protection equipment usage.
• Cancelled a contract for the secure storage of veterans' private records.

Contracts to ensure oversight of VA for veterans and taxpayers

• Cancelled a contract to help VA provide stronger oversight of its financial management systems so that taxpayer funds are paid only to intended recipients. Cancelling this contract will reduce oversight and increase risk of waste.
• Cancelled a contract to ensure VA does not overpay private sector doctors for services rendered. This is a contract meant to save taxpayer dollars
• Cancelled a contract to process medical disability examination payments, which threatens timeliness and accuracy of delivery of VA disability compensation benefits.
• Cancelled a contract to process medical disability examination payments, which threatens timeliness and accuracy of delivery of VA disability compensation benefits.
• Cancelled more than one contract focused on patient health, and safety oversight.