Guam lawmakers press Veterans Affairs on delayed cemetery expansion, staffing and digital upgrades

The Guam Legislature’s Committee on Health and Veterans Affairs questioned Guam Office of Veterans Affairs (GOVA) leaders on May 12 about delays on a $15.4 million cemetery expansion, slow hires for authorized veteran-service positions, and gaps in digital claims processing that officials said could jeopardize federal grant deadlines.

Joseph Augustine, director of the Guam Office of Veterans Affairs, told the committee that a Veterans Cemetery expansion grant—cited in testimony as $15,400,000 (and listed in GOVA materials as $15,467,472)—is intended to fund 1,480 above-ground crypts but that the consultant contract for architectural and engineering work is still with the Attorney General’s office for review. “That contract has been with the AG prior to the typhoons,” Augustine said, urging senators to emphasize to the AG the importance of timely review to meet the National Cemetery Administration deadlines.

Why it matters: completion of the A&E package is required to meet a 30 September submission window to the National Cemetery Administration. Augustine said the schedule is tight and that any further delay could jeopardize the notice-of-funding opportunity.

Staffing and operations: Augustine described hiring authorized under Public Law 37‑101 and 37‑102—six veteran service representatives (VSRs), six cemetery workers and two customer service positions—but said only three VSRs, one cemetery worker and one customer service representative are on board. "We have the funding. It’s the hiring process that we're challenged," said Joseph Meno, GOVA administrative officer. Senators pressed whether the Department of Administration had stalled recruitments; GOVA said supplemental listings and expired candidate lists at DOA are contributing factors.

Digital systems and records: Augustine said GOVA has activated a web-based veteran registration form but his office’s test showed the form is not recognizing postal addresses for full digital submission; users currently must print and email. He also described an MOU with Utah to implement a Veterans Information System via Salesforce and gave initial credential cost estimates: roughly $2,400 each for administrative credentials and about $1,400 per user license for VSRs. “It’s a system that cannot be beat,” Augustine said of the demonstration, while adding Guam may need to sole-source because the platform is not already procured locally.

Budget and lapsed funds: Augustine referenced a January 2026 letter saying BBMR (Bureau of Budget and Management Research) reviewed FY24 general fund balances and determined there were no general funds to carry forward into FY25; he cited BBMR's figure of an estimated negative $13,980,000 as of 12/03/2025. The director said a separate Cemetery Trust Fund balance was $26,050.85 as of 10/01/2025.

Additional grants and risk-management decisions: GOVA has identified a separate $3,000,000 improvement grant to address erosion control, a perimeter wall and fencing at the East Agatna historical cemetery, but Augustine said he will consult the governor’s office about declining that grant now and reapplying in July–November 2026 to avoid putting other grant work at risk while a separate expansion contract remains unsigned. "There’s no way we are able to put together a scope of work and complete A&E by 30 September if the first contract hasn’t been signed," he told the committee.

Procurement and equipment needs: Augustine listed needed equipment—another backhoe and a small dump truck used at grave sites—and estimated costs (mini dump truck roughly $50,000–$60,000; backhoe $75,000–$100,000). He said some procurements have been delayed by the requirement to identify an existing IDIQ or to use GSA/DOA contracts; legislators urged GOVA to challenge procurement interpretations and asked the administration for clearer support to make purchases.

Oversight and audit follow-up: Senators raised open items from an OPA audit and asked for updated corrective-action timelines. Augustine acknowledged the agency has not submitted citizen-centric reports for FY2021–FY2023–FY2025 and said some OPA timelines (network-attached storage, rulemaking for registry confidentiality, and digital-archival work) may slip beyond original target dates.

Committee action and next steps: Committee members requested that GOVA provide updated corrective-action timelines, an updated modernization plan, and follow up on AG review of the expansion contract. Augustine said a Chancery building site visit and walkthrough were being scheduled that week and that he would coordinate with DPW, the AG and the governor’s office to keep the grant timelines on track.

Representative quotes: “We don’t want to go back that route,” Augustine said of past missed deadlines. On procurement, he told senators, “If I don’t have that IDIQ and if I could have the million dollars and I cannot use it until I get the IDIQ, it’s the system that we have to work with.” A committee member warned, “That was almost $20,000,000 out the door,” after describing earlier missed grant opportunities.

What’s next: The committee requested written updates on the GOVA modernization interagency plan, an updated corrective action plan tied to the OPA audit, and confirmation of the AG’s timing for contract review. A site visit to the Chancery office was scheduled for the week following the hearing; the committee said it will continue oversight to track whether the AG’s review is completed in time to meet the 30 September A&E deadline.

Ending: The hearing closed after senators posed additional questions on staffing, procurement interpretations and outreach strategies; GOVA committed to submitting updates and to follow up with the committee.