LPA audit finds inconsistent reporting of matching support for Kansas Veterans Claims Assistance Program

An audit presented to the Legislative Post Audit Committee found the Kansas Office of Veterans Services has allowed participating veteran service organizations to take different approaches to reporting matching obligations for the Veterans Claims Assistance Program (VCAP), producing records that auditors said could not always be independently verified.

The audit, introduced by Legislative Post Audit auditor Matt Farenbrooke, addressed one question: how are veteran service organizations meeting the matching obligations of VCAP. “We found that the Kansas Office of Veterans Services, formerly the Kansas Commission on Veterans Affairs, has allowed participating veteran service organizations to take fundamentally different approaches to reporting VCAP matching obligations which may or may not comply with state law,” Farenbrooke told the committee.

The discrepancy matters because VCAP provides state-funded reimbursements to veteran service organizations that operate in VA facilities and requires participating organizations to document matching support equal to a percentage of the grant, a practice KOVS sets annually. The nut graf: auditors concluded KOVS’s rules and oversight leave large room for interpretation about what may be reported as matching support, and auditors recommended KOVS provide clearer written guidance and supporting documentation procedures.

Auditors reviewed reimbursements and match reports for the two organizations that have participated in VCAP since its inception in 2006: the Kansas Department of the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars Department of Kansas (VFW). Between fiscal years 2022 and 2024 the legislature appropriated $2,550,000 to VCAP; auditors reconciled about $2,340,000 in reimbursements to the two…