Review of Alleged Human Resources Delays at the Atlanta VA Medical Center

VA OIG received and substantiated allegations that the Atlanta VA Medical Center had a backlog of over 300 unadjudicated background investigations and that mandatory drug testing of new hires did not occur for 6 months. VA officials confirmed the VAMC had a backlog of unadjudicated background investigations by mid FY 2015. The Director of VA Central Office’s Personnel Security and Suitability Service said the VAMC had a backlog of about 200 of these investigations as of July 2015. Atlanta HR personnel acknowledged a backlog dating as far back as 2012. Even though the lack of available records limited our ability to quantify the extent of the backlog, we substantiated that backlogs were occurring by determining that the average adjudication processing time at the VAMC was about 170 days. We also substantiated that the Drug Free Workplace Program was not administered from November 2014 to May 2015. These lapses occurred because records within the personnel security program were inadequate, policies were not implemented as required, and HR staff were not adequately trained. VAMC management did not ensure the continuity of the DFWP when the former coordinator left the position in September 2014. Without proper controls over these functions, the VAMC cannot reliably attest to the suitability of its staff, exposing veterans and employees to individuals who have not been properly vetted. The facility lacks assurance that employees in Testing Designated Positions remain suitable for employment. We recommended the Medical Center Director assess the HR program and ensure staff receive appropriate background investigations, provide training on the requirements of the personnel security program, and monitor the DFWP. The Director concurred with our recommendations. We consider the corrective action plans the facility submitted acceptable and will follow up on their implementation.