$17,500
— How much the Department of Veterans Affairs paid for a boat, motor and trailer – and to ship them to Molokai, Hawaii – for a U.S. military veteran under the VA's Independent Living program. "The case record indicates that the veteran was provided a boat to `significantly improve independent living and psychosocial functioning,'" the Government Accountability Office reported Friday, here. "At the time of assessment, the VRC [Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor] noted that the veteran, who suffered from PTSD, was socially isolated but had an interest in fishing. However, the veteran’s old boat `rotted away,' and the cost for purchasing a new one was high. The VRC noted in the case file that because the veteran received a new boat, he was less depressed and his relationships with family and friends improved." Molokai, here, seems like a pretty nice place to have a boat. No word on whether or not he had served in the Navy.
