Review of the Fiduciary Program’s Misuse Allegation Process

VA Office of Inspector General · Report 25-02440-122 · July 24, 2026 · Office of Audits and Evaluations

What the OIG found

The OIG reviewed about 1,600 fiduciary misuse allegation cases completed from April 2024 through March 2025 to see whether VBA fiduciary program staff followed governing guidance. Staff did not always record the earliest date an allegation was received accurately and did not advance every allegation of potential misuse for investigation as required. The OIG attributed the problems in part to confusion over unclear manual provisions and misapplied standards of evidence, and found no systematic national monitoring to catch the mistakes. It made four recommendations to clarify guidance and strengthen recognition, recording, processing, and investigation of misuse allegations; VBA concurred with all four, and one is already closed.

Who it concerns

Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) Fiduciary Program — misuse allegation cases involving beneficiaries’ VA benefits

Why it matters to a family

Fiduciaries manage money for veterans who cannot manage it themselves, so when a misuse allegation is mis-recorded or never investigated, a vulnerable veteran and their family can lose benefits with no one stepping in.

The official report

The OIG’s report page · Full report (PDF)

Summary ours; the report is the OIG’s. Read it at vaoig.gov →