Federal Real Property: Progress Made in Reducing Unneeded Property, but VA Needs Better Information to Make Further Reductions

摘要

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) operates one of the largest healthcare-related real estate portfolios in the nation. However, many VA facilities are older and no longer well suited to providing care, leaving VA with millions of square feet of property it does not use to capacity (underutilized) or at all (vacant). VA has various legal authorities that allow it to dispose of such property. GAO was asked to identify (1) VA's progress in reducing underutilized or vacant property and how much VA spends operating the underutilized or vacant property it retains; (2) VA's use of its various legal authorities to reduce underutilized and vacant property and the extent to which VA tracks how these authorities contribute to reductions; and (3) the challenges VA faces in minimizing underutilized and vacant space and the strategies VA is using to address these challenges. To accomplish these objectives, GAO reviewed VA property data, and visited eight VA locations based on space utilization, use of authorities, and other factors. GAO also interviewed officials from various VA offices and stakeholders.