VAOIG-19-09592-262.pdf

..."Conclusion
Until VA assigns an individual or VA program office responsible for ensuring coordination and
performing oversight, the agency will continue to lack mechanisms to identify and address the
issues identified by the review team. These issues result in VA being unable to proactively
identify the location of potentially eligible deceased veterans whose remains are unclaimed,
identify and prevent fraud and improper payments, and ensure that the full scope of benefits and
services is made available to facilitate dignified burials for these veterans. Substantive
improvements in program governance, administration-level oversight, cross-administration
accounting, and internal and external coordination and data sharing are needed. Without them,
the number of deceased veterans whose remains are unclaimed will be unknown, and those
unidentified as veterans will continue to be deprived of dignified burials."