The larger question for Congress is not why the office handling congressional inquiries for veterans operated “in an atmosphere of total chaos,” as a recent report concludes, but how that chaos contributed to the already serious problem of delivering health care to veterans. It is well worth Congress’ time to find out.

The Inspector General of the Department of Veterans’ Affairs concluded that the former director of the Office of Congressional Affairs, Sheila Clarke McCready, misspent federal money, showed blatant favoritism and caused a “high degree of mistrust” among her staff. More importantly, the office apparently didn’t serve veterans very well. “The impact of … workload delays has resulted in what both [Office of Congressional Affairs] managers and staff claimed was an atmosphere of total chaos or crisis management,” the report said.

The report arrived on the same day Maine’s congressional delegation renewed its fight to stop the VA from laying off workers and instituting a hiring freeze at New England VA hospitals, including Togus in Maine. The delegation has been continually presented with examples of veterans who have had to wait months and months for treatment, of the overwhelming workloads on the staff and of morale problems throughout the system. The VA’s solution — have fewer staff doing even more work — deserves looking into itself.

The report on the Congressional Affairs Office shows the disconnection that veterans must contend with regularly. When vets discover inadequate services at a hospital, then turn to their congressional delegation for help. Congress relies on the affairs office to get the veterans the services they need. At least that’s how it is supposed to work. The report concludes that for many vets, it did not. This leads to unnecessary delays in treatment, rising frustration and a decreased faith in the system. Many veterans in Maine might say they have no faith left.

Ms. McCready is accused not only of being a boss from hell but of overspending her budget by hundreds of thousands of dollars. That isn’t a sum that would cure what ails the VA health system. It is, however, indicative of the kind of loose accounting that has placed veterans’ health in jeopardy. And it’s where Congress should begin the next investigation.