Guam veterans and nonprofits press for structural reforms after OPA audit; bill 19238 urged to strengthen oversight

Veterans, nonprofit providers and the Office of Veterans Affairs sparred over staffing, oversight and service delivery during an oversight hearing on the OPA audit.

Robert (Bob) Kelly, a veteran who testified in support of bill 19238, said the office’s accountability is broken because “the director reports to the governor, not to the veterans.” He urged the legislature to give the Guam Veterans Commission “real oversight authority, not just a ceremonial status,” including review of performance, budgets and policy decisions.

Kelly and other witnesses pressed for staff changes and higher pay for accredited veterans service officers. Kelly cited a staffing pattern showing a current Guam salary of $26,500 for an accredited service officer and said the national average is “between 55,000 and $65,000,” arguing Guam’s pay scale makes it hard to recruit or retain qualified personnel.

Tanya Eubanks, a former government-accredited VSO representing nonprofit Got Your 671, said a VSO’s duties go beyond customer service and noted that under federal regulation (38 CFR) an accredited VSO has “the legal authority to present, prepare, and prosecute” claims. She told senators the office’s job descriptions and pay do not match those duties and described heavy caseloads, home visits and confidentiality limits that complicate naming individual complainants.

Nonprofit leaders including Anthony Tyrone, president of HMI, described boot camps and community outreach that fill gaps in government services. Tyrone and others asked the legislature to consider redirecting unspent funds to subsidize nonprofit outreach and training programs that they say help veterans complete claims.

The hearing repeatedly flagged data and reporting gaps identified in the OPA audit: Senator Tom Atta noted the law in “chapter 67” requires reports to the legislature on reimbursements and asked whether the Office was submitting reimbursement requests to the National Cemetery Administration in a timely way.

Director Saint Augustine welcomed the feedback and said he is “prepared as a director to take corrective action.” He asked for time to produce a modernization plan; senators and the director agreed to expect that plan by Dec. 1.

The committee heard concrete proposals — statutory oversight for the commission, targeted pay increases for accredited VSOs, and better data systems — but no formal vote was taken at the hearing. Lawmakers requested additional documents and reporting that the director said he would provide as part of his modernization planning.