These comments came during a Wednesday House Veterans Affairs Committee Hearing. Meanwhile, in other news related to veterans' health, USA Today reports that the return of combat troops is driving a medical-care backlog.  

The Washington Post: VA: Buying Medications Outside Of Contracts Was Just An Effort To Help Veterans
The Department of Veterans Affairs' purchase of $1.2 billion in pharmaceuticals since 2004 in violation of federal law and regulations was the result of "a team failure" at the department, VA Deputy Secretary W. Scott Gould told the House Veterans Affairs Committee on Wednesday (Vogel, 2/1).

USA Today: Combat Troop Ailments Drive Medical Backlog
Tens of thousands of combat troops who undergo routine health checks before returning home need treatment for ailments ranging from bad backs to mental illness, helping to drive a backlog of troops waiting for medical retirements, new Pentagon data show (Zoroya and Overberg, 2/1).