Press Releases

Leaders of the House and Senate Committees on Veterans’ Affairs this week called on the Department of Veterans Affairs to address the ongoing problems that have plagued the replacement Denver VA Medical Center hospital, including mismanagement that has led to hundreds of millions in cost overruns and repeated delays.

In a letter to VA Secretary Robert McDonald, Sens. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., chairman and ranking member of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, respectively, along with Reps. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., and Corrine Brown, D-Fla., chairman and ranking member of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, respectively, requested a detailed analysis of the project’s construction costs and updates on efforts to hold those responsible for the cost overruns and delays accountable.

After sending the letter, the lawmakers released the following statements.

“Months after the biggest construction failure in VA history, and weeks before work is yet again set to stop on the replacement Denver VA Medical Center, the department hasn’t provided Congress the information required to get the effort back on track,” said Rep. Jeff Miller, Chairman, House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. “Since the project’s inception, the cost of the hospital has ballooned from $328 million to $800 million, and now it looks as if the price tag could top $1 billion. Absent a VA plan to hold the employees responsible for this massive failure accountable and ensure the project is completed in a timely fashion, authorizing any more money for this project would simply be irresponsible. We are committed to ensuring all veterans receive the best health care possible. But in order for that to happen, VA must put forth a plan to solve its construction challenges once and for all. That hasn’t happened yet.”

“It is crucial that we get answers from Secretary McDonald about his plans to address these issues surrounding the construction cost overruns and serious schedule delays at the Denver VA Medical Center,” said Isakson, chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. “First and foremost, we must ensure the veterans of Colorado are provided for, and completion of the project is critical in providing necessary care and support. We must also get to the bottom of what went wrong here and hold accountable the VA and those responsible for the gross mismanagement of this construction project. As one of my top priorities to bring oversight directly to the VA, I intend to make Denver one of the next in a series of VA site visits and field hearings conducted by the Senate VA committee.”

"Veterans in Denver and the surrounding area deserve the best medical care available in the state-of-the-art facility they were promised years and years ago—delays and mismanagement of the construction for the replacement VA Medical Center are simply unacceptable,” said Blumenthal, ranking member of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. “Secretary McDonald must be more transparent regarding the ongoing issues that led to these delays and cost overruns, and any actions the VA is taking to prevent them on future projects. Further, the American public, particularly our nation’s veterans, deserve to know who is responsible and what will be done to remedy these serious issues. As Ranking Member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, I will continue to call on the Secretary to make good on his promise of transparency and accountability at the VA."

“As the Ranking Member on the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, I urge the VA to immediately address the serious issues concerning funding at the Denver VA Medical Center,” said Rep. Corrine Brown, Ranking Member, House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. “We must ensure that America’s veterans, who have made tremendous sacrifices for our great nation, receive the best care available from our VA medical facilities.   I am confident that under the leadership of Secretary McDonald, the Department of Veterans Affairs is capable of bringing a quick resolution to the management problems at this facility.  Along with my colleagues on the committee, I will be vigilant in ensuring that the VA carries out this important task.”

The group has requested a response from Secretary McDonald no later than Monday, March 16, 2015.

View the letter here.