Director Issues Warning As Pending Expenditures Remain At State Dept. Of Veterans Affairs

A problem is brewing at the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs. Its director said politics are getting in the way of operations.

The issue began earlier this month, when Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs director Joel Kintsel when he asked newly-appointed secretary, John Nash, to sign off on several pending expenditures. 

Kintsel said Secretary Nash did not sign the requests. Nash insisted on opting to follow up the next week, but Kintsel said the follow-up didn’t happen.

Kintsel said he received an Aug. 10 email from Nash which said, “Please let me know when I can meet with the appropriate staff to review the expense requests you may have for my signature.”

“He has refused to sign these expenditure requests without me agreeing to allow him to basically go around and insert himself with my staff,” Kintsel said. 

Kintsel said he feels this is inappropriate because the secretary has no role in operations. 

“The fact of the matter is, legally, they work for me,” Kintsel said. “They don’t work for the secretary.”

Kintsel sent an Aug. 23 email to the entire legislature and Veterans Commission, which said in part, “If this situation persists, we will soon be unable to provide the basic supplies and resources needed to operate the agency and specifically, to provide for the veterans under our care in the seven veterans homes.”  

Governor’s Office spokesperson Carly Atchison said Kintsel could have simply notified the secretary and moved forward if the expenses were an emergency.

But they’re not emergency expenses. They are routine expenditures. 

Kintsel said unapproved expenses since Aug. 24 include payment for medical and financial software used in the seven veterans centers, lease payment, tuition payments for ODVA employees, vital signs software licensing, and Ardmore Veteran’s Cemetery expenses. 

The expenses total approximately $900,000.

Kintsel sent all expenses to the Oklahoma Office of Management and Enterprise Services to process without Secretary Nash’s signature and is waiting for their response. 

Kintsel is questioning if agencies are legally required to have certain purchases approved by their cabinet secretary.

If OMES doesn't process these expenses, Kintsel said there may be legal action. 

News 9 has reached out to OMES for comment but have not received a response. 

The Veteran’s Commission is meeting at 1 p.m. Thursday at the Vezey Veteran’s Complex in Oklahoma City.