VA Official Who's Commuting Expenses Are Drawing Scrutiny Has History Of Blasting Agency's Wasteful Spending

The Department of Veterans Affairs says that the expenses of Darin Selnick, a top adviser for the agency, are "standard for federal employees who travel periodically to implement their responsibilities." But some veterans groups are less than pleased that Selnick, who has been a vocal critic of how the VA spends money, is being reimbursed for frequently commuting from California to Washington.

The New York Times: Critic Of Waste At Veterans Affairs Now Faces Questions About His Travel Costs

A top adviser at the Department of Veterans Affairs, who was an outspoken critic of wasteful practices there before he joined the department, has come under fire for billing the government for the cost of commuting between the department’s headquarters in Washington and his home in California. The adviser, Darin Selnick, who is spearheading a controversial plan to shift billions of dollars from government-run veterans’ hospitals to private health care providers, spent more than $13,000 on his bicoastal commute in three months, including airfare, hotel stays and other outlays, according to expense reports published by the nonprofit news organization ProPublica. (Philipps, 2/20)

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