Department of Veterans Affairs

The OIG received a hotline allegation from a VA medical center employee regarding the improper sharing of sensitive information on VA’s internal network. The complainant reported that an employee could search for fellow employees on the internal network and find documents and emails that contained...

The VA Office of Inspector General (OIG) conducted a healthcare inspection to evaluate allegations related to a patient’s care and the lung cancer screening (LCS) program at the VA Eastern Kansas Healthcare System (system) in Topeka and Leavenworth. The OIG substantiated that a patient experienced a...

Veterans are eligible to receive community care under certain circumstances, such as when their local VA medical facility does not provide the requested service or when a provider determines community care is in their best medical interest. In October 2020, the Veterans Health Administration’s (VHA)...

The VA Office of Inspector General (OIG) conducted this review to determine whether claims processors are properly assigning effective dates when considering PACT Act–related claims. After reviewing a statistical sample of 100 PACT Act–related claims completed from August 10, 2022, through August 9...

The expansion of benefits under the PACT Act of 2022 necessitated VBA increasing capacity to process the influx of claims. By September 2023, VBA had sought to hire 2,520 claims processors—veterans service representatives and rating veterans service representatives—and reported exceeding its goal by...

VBA’s Fiduciary Program protects vulnerable individuals unable to manage their own VA benefits due to injury, disease, infirmities, or age. The program appoints and oversees fiduciaries to manage those payments. Each beneficiary must have a record in the Veterans Benefits Management System–Fiduciary...

This Office of Inspector General (OIG) Healthcare Facility Inspection program report describes the results of a focused evaluation of the care provided at the VA Western Colorado Healthcare System in Grand Junction. This evaluation focused on five key content domains: • Culture • Environment of care...

The OIG conducted this review to assess the merits of two hotline complaints—one in March 2024 and one in April 2024—alleging Omaha VA Medical Center leaders manipulated the clinically indicated date for consults, thereby limiting veterans’ access to community care. The OIG substantiated the...

VA asked the OIG to conduct an audit of a contractor whose billing practices were concerning. The contractor, which provided eligible veterans with wheelchair van and other nonemergency transportation services to and from medical appointments in a certain VA healthcare system, invoiced VA about $11...

Underground storage tanks (USTs) are a critical part of the Veterans Health Administration’s healthcare facilities. The tanks store fuel for boilers and backup generators, which are essential to operations, especially during power failures. If the tanks are not properly installed and maintained, any...