Guam oversight hearing spotlights GOVA audit, director outlines modernization plan and Chancery move

An oversight hearing of the Guam Legislature’s Committee on Health and Veterans Affairs on Nov. 13 focused on a 10/20/2025 Office of Public Accountability (OPA) performance audit that found critical operational challenges at the Guam Office of Veterans Affairs. The audit flagged insufficient staffing, inadequate office space and weak data management and information security that together slow claims assistance and put veterans’ personal information at risk.

"Everything is stated in our 45 page report," Vincent Duenas, supervising accountability auditor, told the committee while summarizing OPA Report 25‑11. OPA’s review found that GOVA served up to an estimated 24,000 veterans and family members while operating with a single‑digit staff in key roles; the report also noted the veterans registry had only 2,196 entries added since 2017 in one dataset used by auditors.

Director Jose 'Joe' Saint Augustine said GOVA is pursuing a multi‑part modernization program. "For the first time in decades, GOVA is undergoing a complete transformation to modernize its operation," he said, describing recruitment funded under Public Law 37‑101 and Public Law 37‑102 and procurement plans for computers, secure servers and an ADA‑compliant transport van. He said the office currently has 10 active employees with eight additional hires in process and that the additional staff will ‘‘nearly double’’ the agency’s claims‑handling capacity.

Saint Augustine told senators that GOVA is finalizing a memorandum of understanding with the Utah Veterans Affairs office to implement a Veterans Information System (VIS) and that the state of Utah has pledged technical assistance. He estimated initial VIS software costs in the range of several hundred thousand dollars and said GOVA was targeting VIS implementation and related MOUs by October 2026.

The chairwoman, Senator Sabrina Salas Mentenani, played video of a site visit to the former Chancery building in Agana Heights, a government property the administration purchased earlier in the year for about $2.3 million. Saint Augustine confirmed the administration has identified the former Chancery as GOVA’s planned relocation site and said the agency is working with the Department of Administration and the Guam State Clearing House on space allocation, ADA compliance and parking. He said a move by February 2026 is the current target but that final details on rental, utilities and renovation responsibilities remain to be resolved with the front office.

Lawmakers pressed GOVA on interim steps to protect personally identifiable information (PII) while the VIS is developed. Joe Meno, GOVA’s administrative officer, said the records office has begun digitization of closed files through the Guam State Clearing House and that currently archived electronic files are held on stand‑alone external hard drives not connected to a network. Meno said OTEC (the Office of Technology) has started work on an in‑house network to secure records and that the office hopes to have initial network protections in place by the end of the month.

Committee members repeatedly returned to the pace of implementation. Several senators, including those on the oversight panel, said the OPA findings are longstanding and demanded clearer written timelines. Saint Augustine said some delays stem from procurement constraints (IDIQ issue for modified vehicles and timing of awarded contracts) and from coordination with other agencies. OPA auditors cautioned that the $1.0 million appropriation for hires and other recent funds provide a window to expand staff but that sustaining the new positions will require ongoing appropriation and clearer budgetary planning.

Lawmakers and veteran organizations welcomed the modernization goals but pressed for immediate protections for records and a written modernization plan. "There needs to be a lock‑step process in how we secure that data," said Vince Santiago of the Guam Veterans Commission, echoing OPA’s warning about the exposure of sensitive claimant files. The committee asked GOVA to provide the modernization plan and specifics about the VIS timeline, procurement status, and any agreements with the administration.

The committee recessed for five minutes at the hearing’s midpoint to reset the livestream and to take public comments when the session resumed. The Legislature asked GOVA to return with the written modernization plan, procurement requisitions, and a status report on hires and VIS milestones.