 With millions of dollars at his disposal , Forbes hired 30 @,@ 000 new workers at the Veterans ' Bureau , many of whom were personal friends to Forbes . The Veterans ' Bureau under Forbes was overstaffed and many appointed agents looked for means to justify their paid positions . During his tenure as director , Forbes ignored the needs of the wounded veterans . In the less than two years that Forbes held his position , he embezzled approximately $ 2 million , mainly in connection with the building of veterans ' hospitals , from selling hospital supplies intended for the bureau , and from kickbacks from contractors . The budget for the Veterans ' Bureau during his tenure was $ 1 @.@ 3 billion in total . Forbes had rejected thousands of legitimate claims by veterans . 
