OIG Reports

No. 1   to Veterans Health Administration (VHA)

The chief for the Veterans Health Administration Office of Human Capital Management completes planned revisions of human resources policies and procedures to ensure that excluded individuals are not employed in paid positions using VA healthcare program funds, including requiring screening of candidates’ alternative or prior names or social security numbers (if accessible) against the List of Excluded Individuals and Entities prior to hiring.

No. 2   to Veterans Health Administration (VHA)

The executive director for the Veterans Health Administration Office of Integrity and Compliance implements planned revisions of policies and procedures for the Office of Integrity and Compliance to ensure it performs accurate List of Excluded Individuals and Entities monitoring, including for individuals with alternative or prior names or using social security numbers (if accessible), and provides timely notification of potential violations to appropriate staff.

No. 3   to Veterans Health Administration (VHA)

The executive director for the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Office of Integrity and Compliance performs a one-time audit of VA employment records using corrected matching practices to determine whether any individuals on the List of Excluded Individuals and Entities are receiving payments using VA healthcare program funds, and, if so, whether additional revisions to policies and procedures of the VHA Office of Integrity and Compliance, the VHA Office of Human Capital Management, or any other element of VA are required to address the causes, including any related screening and/or monitoring process failures.

No. 1   to Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP)

Ensure the director of the Office of Operations, Security, and Preparedness creates a written policy establishing minimum standards for ballistic armor for Executive Protection Division personnel based on agents’ input, industry best practices and research, and relevant threat levels, which is routinely reassessed for adequacy.

No. 2   to Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP)

Make certain that the director of the Office of Security and Law Enforcement develops onboarding procedures for new Executive Protection Division personnel who are or may be assigned to protective details or motorcades of the VA Secretary or Deputy Secretary, including procedures for measuring personnel and procuring new ballistic vests or assessing and approving the use of an employee’s own vest to ensure it meets minimum safety standards.

No. 3   to Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP)

Require the director of the Office of Security and Law Enforcement to establish procedures to track the maintenance and expiration of ballistic vests assigned to Executive Protection Division personnel and to ensure their replacement as needed.

No. 4   to Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP)

Instruct the director of the Office of Security and Law Enforcement to create procedures for monitoring compliance with the standard operating procedure requirement to wear ballistic armor, such as periodic inspections, and establish consequences for noncompliance.

No. 5   to Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP)

The OIG recommends that the director of the Office of Security and Law Enforcement conducts a review of the condition of all firearms currently assigned to EPD special agents and determines whether any are in need of replacement.

No. 1   to Office of Acquisitions, Logistics, and Construction (OALC)

The Executive Director of the Office of Construction and Facilities Management determines whether conducting special reviews should be conducted by the Quality Assurance Service, and if so, establishes policy or procedures to govern this type of work, including standardized processes for communicating and tracking the implementation of recommendations.

No. 1   to Veterans Health Administration (VHA)

The under secretary for health makes certain that policies and procedures are developed to require VA police, and other VHA staff as appropriate, to conduct searches for all persons who are reported missing on medical center campuses.

No. 2   to Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP)

The executive director of the Office of Security and Law Enforcement updates VA Handbook 0730 with revisions clarifying VA police responsibilities with respect to searching for persons who are reported missing on VA property.

No. 3   to Veterans Health Administration (VHA)

The assistant under secretary for health for operations, in consultation with the VA chief security officer, requires VA police chiefs at medical centers to obtain approval from the facility associate director or the medical center director prior to excluding a building or area of the medical center’s campus from regular patrols, and, if the building or area is subject to an enhanced-use lease, confirms with the Office of Enterprise Asset Management and the Office of General Counsel that the exclusion is not in conflict with the terms of the lease.

No. 4   to Veterans Health Administration (VHA)

For all medical centers that have property subject to enhanced-use leases, the assistant under secretary for health for operations, in consultation with the VA chief security officer, requires the medical center director or the director’s designee to meet with the assigned oversight monitor at the Office of Asset Enterprise Management, the designated local site monitor, and a representative of the Office of General Counsel at least annually—or sooner if there is a change of lease terms or facility leadership—to discuss the terms of the enhanced-use leases and the lessee’s and VA’s responsibilities with respect to the leased properties.

No. 5   to Office of Asset Enterprise Management

The executive director of the Office of Asset Enterprise Management includes a copy of the lease and VA Handbook 7454 with the designation memorandum sent to newly appointed lease site monitors.

No. 6   to Office of Asset Enterprise Management

The executive director of the Office of Asset Enterprise Management, in conjunction with the Office of General Counsel, reviews all active enhanced-use leases to determine whether any involve portions of buildings also occupied by VA, and, if so, whether they are clear regarding the maintenance and security obligations.

No. 7   to Office of Asset Enterprise Management

The executive director of the Office of Asset Enterprise Management modifies its existing Annual Oversight Compliance Certificate policies to include a review of VA’s performance with respect to any services VA is required to provide under the terms of enhanced-use leases.

No. 1   to Veterans Health Administration (VHA)

The Medical Center Director audits the Dental Service Chief’s relative value unit productivity metric for fiscal years 2018 and 2019 and determines whether any erroneous payments for performance were made and issues bills of collection if deemed appropriate.

No. 1   to Office of Information and Technology (OIT)

The Assistant Secretary for Information and Technology and Chief Information Officer confers with the Office of General Counsel and the Office of Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness to determine, given the facts and circumstances, whether any administrative action should be taken with respect to the OIT program manager’s conduct.

No. 2   to Veterans Health Administration (VHA)

The Executive in Charge, Veterans Health Administration, confers with the Office of General Counsel and the Office of Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness to determine, given the facts and circumstances, whether any administrative action should be taken with respect to the VHA employee’s conduct.