GAO: VA Misused Travel Budget

<B> GAO: VA Misused Travel Budget</B>

By Barbara Cook

The Department of Veterans Affairs has spent $61 million in funds earmarked for travel for other purposes since 1993, and has allowed several top departmental officials to authorize and approve their own travel expenses, according to the findings of a new report by the General Accounting Office.

The audit was requested by the Senate Appropriations Committee, which requires that it be notified if funds totaling more than $250,000 are reprogrammed from one account to another. In an often critical tone, the GAO report called for the department to develop better budgeting techniques and stronger internal spending controls.

In its review of specific spending from travel accounts, GAO noted that VA's travel budget requests have exceeded its actual travel expenditures by millions of dollars in recent years. The department then reprogrammed these excess funds to cover general operating expenses, including salaries and equipment.

Although the VA had been directed to inform the Senate committee prior to any reprogramming exceeding $250,000, the department failed to do so because it did not consider switching excess travel funds to other line items as reprogramming, GAO said. Although it disagreed with the department's conclusion, it stated that this failure to inform the committee does not constitute a violation of law.

GAO found that no VA central office staff monitored the travel of field employees who had limited open travel authorizations or delegated travel authority, except for when their travel was the subject of complaints made to the department's Inspector General. "This lack of internal controls over open travel authorizations and delegated travel authority increases the potential for abuse and has hindered VA's ability to prevent and detect noncompliance with travel requirements," GAO said.

GAO noted further that VA does not have a central travel office. VA rather administers employee travel in a decentralized manner and each field facility processes travel for employees working onsite. Some VA facilities have their own travel policies that supplement the department's travel policy.

Among other recommendations, GAO said the secretary of VA should improve the accuracy of the department's travel budget requests, inform the Senate Committee prior to reprogramming more than $250,000 in excess travel funds, periodically monitor travel taken by employees who may authorize and approve their own travel and employees who have limited open travel authorizations to assess compliance with travel policies and regulations.

VA's travel budget request has averaged $70 million annually since 1996. The department spent nearly $62 million on travel in fiscal year 1998, up from $44 million in fiscal year 1996.

In response to the report, VA officials maintained that the department's current means of developing a travel budget estimate is sound and ensures that adequate funds are available to cover the programs it administers. However, the officials did agree to monitor the travel of employees who may authorize and approve their own and who have limited open travel authorization. VA also agreed to reevaluate the way in which limited open travel authorizations are administered.