***VIDEO FILE INCLUDED*** Rep. Lee Questions Veterans Affairs Officials on Department’s Widespread Vacancies, Lack of Leadership

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Washington, D.C. – Chair of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Technology Modernization Susie Lee (Nev.-03) questioned Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and U.S. Government Accountability Office (U.S. GAO) officials about the alarmingly high vacancy rate across the VA, and whether the high turnover rate, specifically in leadership positions, is having an effect on the department's day-to-day work, long term goals, and $16 billion project to modernize health records.

Below is an exchange between Rep. Lee and Mr. Robert Goldenkoff, Director of Strategic Issues for U.S. GAO, regarding the numerous leadership vacancies at the VA:

Rep. Lee: "Mr. Goldenkoff, I wanted to ask you, there's been some leadership turnover. How has that affected the [Department of Veterans Affairs'] ability to make sustainable improvements in human capital management?"

Mr. Goldenkoff: "It's been extremely problematic. Leadership continuity is so important because if you have a plan in place, if you have a strategy in place, leaders set the tone. So long as there is that consistent turnover, a lot of that just never happens or is much more difficult to happen when essentially the people at the top are temporary employees."

BACKGROUND: As Chair of the Subcommittee overseeing the Department of Veteran's Affairs implementation of the Electronic Health Records Modernization (EHRM) program, Rep. Lee has continually expressed concern over the VA's trouble with leadership and accountability, and the fact that widespread vacancies could hurt the rollout of the $16 billion EHRM program that will affect the quality of health care for millions of veterans.

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