{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/news/?id=F7DA378F-58AD-4140-A370-67D1865D4EBD", "VA Accreditation Program Open to Abuse, GAO Says", "2013-08-30", "2013", "2013-08", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "VA Accreditation Program Open to Abuse, GAO Says\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tFriday, August 30, 2013\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\tWASHINGTON, Aug. 30 \u2013 Leaders of the Senate Committee on Veterans\u2019 Affairs and the Special Committee on Aging said today that they are \u201cdeeply troubled\u201d by the Department of Veterans Affairs\u2019 lax oversight of private advisers to veterans applying for pensions and other benefits.\r\nThe senators cited a new report by the Government Accountability Office that faulted the VA for loosely enforcing its own vague rules on accrediting private financial planners, attorneys, insurance agents and others. The nonpartisan congressional agency that audits federal programs also criticized the VA for leaving itself vulnerable to abuses and for keeping veterans in the dark about their rights.\r\nThe\u00a0GAO report\u00a0was cited in a\u00a0letter\u00a0to Secretary Eric Shinseki from Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Richard Burr (R-N.C.), the chairman and ranking member of the veterans\u2019 committee. Sens. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), a veterans\u2019 committee member and former chairman, and Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), the Senate Special Committee on Aging chairman, also signed the letter.\r\n\u201cWe are deeply troubled by the findings indicating weaknesses in the accreditation program, which may prevent VA from ensuring that veterans are served by knowledgeable, qualified, and trustworthy representatives,\u201d the senators wrote.\u00a0\r\nThe senators said the accreditation procedures should be strengthened to protect veterans from unscrupulous advisers among the 20,000 approved by the department. They also echoed a GAO recommendation and urged the department to do a better job letting veterans know how to report abuses. Problems with the accreditation program are compounded by a lack of staff and inadequate technology, the senators added.\u00a0\r\nThe latest GAO report builds on an investigation last year that found weak oversight and unclear rules made the VA ripe for abuse. That report found that some firms overcharge veterans for services or sell financial products that end up limiting veteran\u2019s access to the benefits that they deserve.\r\nTo read the GAO report, click\u00a0here.\r\nTo read the senators\u2019 letter to the VA secretary, click\u00a0here.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/news/?id=F7DA378F-58AD-4140-A370-67D1865D4EBD"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.0424968786537647, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}