Audit takes state to task for handling veterans claims

By DARCIE MORAN
Capital News Service
LANSING — For more than a decade, Michigan has failed to provide proper oversight and enforce legislative requirements for reporting veterans’ claims and benefits, according to a recent state audit. Veterans officials also failed to ensure the effective and efficient use of state grants given to veterans service organizations, such as the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars, according to a state Auditor General report issued in December. The findings are similar to those disclosed in a 2001 audit of the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. And they come while the newly created Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency within that department is gaining its footing in ways that state officials hope will address the problems the audits disclose. Issues noted in the recent audit include:

Performance standards were not given to veterans service organizations as a basis to determine how well they used state grants.