Independent Review of VA’s Fiscal Year 2018 Performance Summary Report to the Office of National Drug Control Policy

The Executive Office of the President’s Office of National Drug Control Policy, Accounting of Drug Control Funding and Performance Summary circular, requires federal agencies to submit annual performance-related information for National Drug Control Program activities. The circular also requires Inspectors General to evaluate reliability of assertions made in the agency’s report. The VA Office of Inspector General (OIG) reviewed whether VA has a system to capture performance information accurately and whether that system was properly applied to generate the performance data reported; VA offered a reasonable explanation for failing to meet performance targets and for any recommendations for meeting future targets; the methodology used for the current year is reasonable; and VA established at least one acceptable performance measure for each Drug Control Decision Unit for which a significant amount of obligations was incurred. The OIG did not identify anything that caused reviewers to believe VA lacked a system to accurately capture performance information or that the system was not properly applied to generate the performance data reported. The OIG is not expressing any opinion on the assertions in the submission because it conducted an attestation review, which does not require a concluding opinion. This report is one of two OIG publications that examine VA’s reporting requirements to ONDCP.