“A group of 21 Democratic senators has asked the Department of Veterans Affairs to explain why it spent just $57,000 of $6.2 million budgeted for paid media advertising campaigns directed at suicide prevention in fiscal 2018, a deficiency they called “appalling” for its lack of oversight.”
“The lawmakers, led by Senate Veterans Affairs Committee ranking member Sen. Jon Tester of Montana, demanded a full accounting of the $17.7 million budgeted by VA for suicide prevention outreach, which includes both paid advertising such as radio spots, billboards and digital ads, as well as unpaid outreach such as public service announcements, social media and the VA’s own Crisis Line website…”
“In congressional testimony and response to the GAO report, VA officials said they used $1.5 million — not $57,000 — of the $6.2 million and have conducted…” Read the full article here.
Source: Senators Want Answers on Unspent VA Suicide Prevention Funds – By Patricia Kime, January 4, 2019. Military.com.
