Rep. Coffman: VA Should Release Report On Hospital Cost Overruns
AURORA, Colo. (CBS4)- A Colorado congressman is criticizing the Veterans Affairs Department for refusing to release a report on its internal investigation into huge cost overruns at a VA medical center under construction in Aurora.
Republican Rep. Mike Coffman said Thursday that withholding the report is "outrageous."
Deputy VA Secretary Sloan Gibson said Wednesday that releasing the report would make it difficult to conduct future internal reviews.
RELATED STORIES: VA Hospital Story Archive
The hospital in suburban Aurora is now expected to cost $1.7 billion, nearly triple the VA's 2014 estimate. Investigators blamed multiple design changes and the use of a complicated contract process that VA officials didn't fully understand.
Democratic Rep. Ed Perlmutter says releasing the report might be helpful, but it's more important for the VA to learn from the mistakes and prevent a repeat.
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