Project Ask That Original Master Plan Be Disclosed by Friday

July 14, 2008

Today, United States Senator Ken Salazar and United States Congressman Ed Perlmutter criticized the VA for “inappropriate and unacceptable” conduct with respect to the development of the Fitzsimons Veterans Hospital . In recent days, it has come to the attention of Cong. Perlmutter, Sen. Salazar, and veterans’ groups that apparently the VA has for months been purposefully withholding a long-awaited Master Plan for a congressionally-approved stand-alone veterans’ hospital on the Fitzsimons campus in Aurora . This Master Plan, which cost over $4 million to develop, was reportedly completed in January, yet has not yet been shared with Congress, the public, or veterans’ groups.

In the meantime, without disclosing the information about the Master Plan for the Fitzsimons hospital originally approved by the VA and Congress in 2004, the VA has been lobbying the Colorado congressional delegation and veterans’ groups to accept a scaled-down version of the project.

In response, Cong. Perlmutter and Sen. Salazar today sent a letter to Secretary Peake urging his “immediate and personal attention” to the matter, and asking him to halt negotiations on his alternate, scaled-down proposal. A copy of the letter is here.

“It has been four years,” said Sen. Salazar, “since the VA and Congress first agreed to build a stand-alone veterans hospital at Fitzsimons. It has been four years that we have been pushing them to develop a Master Plan for the hospital. And it has been four years that the VA has been dragging its feet. Now it turns out that, unbeknownst to us or any of Colorado ’s veterans’ groups, the VA finished the Master Plan last January. But they’ve been purposefully withholding the Master Plan they spent more than $4 million on, it seems, to try to sell us and Colorado ’s veterans groups on a scaled-down proposal. This withholding of critical information is a breach of public trust that is completely unacceptable.”

“Four years and three different secretaries of the VA later, our veterans are left waiting at the starting line for the top-quality VA medical center they have been promised,” said Rep. Perlmutter. “It’s highly questionable for the VA to spend $4 million of taxpayer money, apparently willfully withhold these plans from Colorado ’s Veterans and Congressional Delegation and then try to sell us a scaled down version of the project. The lack of inclusiveness and transparency displayed by the VA has been inexcusable. Congress has already appropriated money to get started. The VA should immediately release these plans so we can make an informed decision about the next steps and finally start turning the dirt on this project.”

1999: The VA establishes the Capital Asset Realignment for Enhanced Services (CARES) process to evaluate its infrastructure needs and provide recommendations for priorities.

2004: The CARES Commission completes its work and then-Secretary of the VA Principi submits the CARES plan to Congress. Then-Secretary Principi’s plan identified the hospital at Fitzsimons as one of its top medical major construction priorities. The Secretary stated that the VA would develop a Master Plan for the project by September 2004. $30 million allocated to the project.

2005: January 26, Jim Nicholson replaces Anthony Principi as Secretary of the VA. Senator Salazar brings together the stakeholders for negotiations to jump-start the stalled Fitzsimons project.

2006: VA reaches agreement with the Fitzsimons Authority on the purchase price of 24 of the 31 acres at the site. Congress passes an omnibus veterans bill (S.3421, the Veterans Benefits, Health Care, and Information Technology Act of 2006), authorizing $98 million in funding for construction at Fitzsimons. Congress appropriates an additional $23 million for the project.

2007: Congress appropriates an additional $52 million for the project. Colorado congressional delegation pass legislation to allow transfer authority for land parcels and introduce legislation to authorize the full remaining funding ($523 million) for the construction of Fitzsimons VA Hospital. July 17, Secretary Nicholson announces his resignation. New VA Secretary Jim Peake sworn in on December 20.

2008: VA allegedly finalizes hospital Master Plan in January, at a cost of approximately $4.5 million, but does not share it with the Colorado congressional delegation or veterans’ groups. VA Secretary Peake submits new scaled-down plan in April in response to a request from the Colorado congressional delegation for an update on the project.