Skip to Content

Thousands of smartphones purchased by VA went unused

KTVZ

By MICHAEL CASEY
Associated Press

An inspector general’s report has found that most of the 10,000 smartphones purchased for a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs program during the pandemic went unused. The report from the VA’s inspector general found that 8,544 of the 10,000 phones with unlimited prepaid calling plans gathered dust and ended up costing the agency $1.8 million in wasted data plan costs. The inspector general also found that the VA wasted $571,000 on data plans due to poor oversight of its purchase of 81,000 iPads. The smartphones and iPads were purchased as part of the VA’s efforts to increase veterans’ access to telehealth.

Article Topic Follows: AP National News

Jump to comments ↓

Associated Press

BE PART OF THE CONVERSATION

KTVZ NewsChannel 21 is committed to providing a forum for civil and constructive conversation.

Please keep your comments respectful and relevant. You can review our Community Guidelines by clicking here

If you would like to share a story idea, please submit it here.

Skip to content