Newswire:

VA Spends Cash On Sharper Image, Casino Trips

Not enough cash to treat soldiers returning from war with mental problems. Veterans showing up in homeless shelters. Ever wonder where the Veterans Affairs Agency is spending its money? [Washington Post] [Huffington Post] [NY Times] [American Progress]

The answer is not going to make you happy.

“Veterans Affairs employees last year racked up hundreds of thousands of dollars in government credit-card bills at casino and luxury hotels, movie theaters, and high-end retailers such as Sharper Image and Franklin Covey, and government auditors are investigating.” [AP]

What they spent money on:

• $8,471: Amount spent on 13 purchases at Sharper Image, “a specialty store that sells high-tech electronics and gizmos such as robotic dogs.”
• $1,999.56: Amount spent on 19 purchases Franklin Covey, a fancypants store specialzing in leather planners for corporate execs.
• $26,198: Amount spent on six different trips to Vegas casinos.
• Tens of thousands of dollars: Amount spent at Wyndham hotels in San Diego, Orlando and Little Rock.

Matt Smith, spokesman for the VA, on the Vegas vacations: The VA is trying to beef up their presence in Sin City, a place “an increasing number of veterans are calling home.”

According to agency policy, VA credit cards “may be used at hotels to rent conference rooms or obtain audiovisual equipment or other items for meetings. They should not be used to reserve lodging.” Or for the craps tables.

The VA got in trouble back in 2004 for wasting up to $1.1 million on…stuff.

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