VA Can’t Locate $700K Worth of Satellite Phones – By Aaron Boyd (Next Gov) / Sept 17 2021
For decades, Veterans Affairs employees have had trouble finding emergency communications devices when they’re needed most.
The Veterans Affairs Department is missing more than $700,000 in emergency satellite phone devices while a bureaucratic quagmire prevents IT officials from fixing the situation.
When disasters strike, VA employees move swiftly to ensure the safety of veterans in their care, as well as the communities in which they operate. Part of their preparations included reaching out to the Office of Emergency Management to secure satellite phones for use when the terrestrial networks go down.
This year was no different. As the 2021 hurricane season approached, VA staff began preparing.
But of the 549 Iridium satellite phones owned by VA, the agency can only account for 110. And a mess of bureaucratic finger pointing has prevented VA staff from clearing the missing devices from their inventories and restocking the necessary equipment.
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