Evaluation of Department of Defense Military Medical Treatment Facility Challenges During the Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic in Fiscal Year 2021

Submitting OIG:

Department of Defense OIG

Date Issued:

Tuesday, April 5, 2022

Agency Reviewed / Investigated:

Department of Defense

Submitting OIG-Specific Report Number:

DODIG-2022-081

Location(s):

Agency-Wide

Type of Report:

Inspection / Evaluation

Special Projects:

Pandemic

Questioned Costs:

Funds for Better Use:

Number of Recommendations:

View Document:

Attachment	Size
DODIG-2022-081Redacted.pdf	13.32 MB

Recommendation Number	Recommendation Status	Significant Recommendation
D-2022-2081-DEV0PB-0001-0001.A1a	Open	No
Rec. A.1.a: The DoD OIG recommended that the Director of the Defense Health Agency, in conjunction with the Secretaries of the Military Departments, establish a working group to address the staffing challenges identified by Military Medical Treatment Facilities during this evaluation. The working group should establish milestones to streamline the hiring process to allow Military Medical Treatment Facilities to more quickly fill civilian staffing positions.
D-2022-2081-DEV0PB-0001-0001.A1b	Open	No
Rec. A.1.b: The DoD OIG recommended that the Director of the Defense Health Agency, in conjunction with the Secretaries of the Military Departments, establish a working group to address the staffing challenges identified by Military Medical Treatment Facilities during this evaluation. The working group should establish milestones to determine if salaries for Military Medical Treatment Facility civilian nurses are commensurate with each facility's local market and if military treatment facilities are able to hire nurses at those salaries. For locations where military treatment facility salaries are not commensurate with the local market, take appropriate actions that will reduce the disparity in those markets.
D-2022-2081-DEV0PB-0001-0001.A1c	Open	No
Rec. A.1.c: The DoD OIG recommended that the Director of the Defense Health Agency, in conjunction with the Secretaries of the Military Departments, establish a working group to address the staffing challenges identified by Military Medical Treatment Facilities during this evaluation. The working group should establish milestones to establish a central authority with the knowledge of the Services' requests for individual and large group deployments of medical staff coming out of Military Medical Treatment Facilities and the associated risks to health care delivery.
D-2022-2081-DEV0PB-0001-0001.A1d	Open	No
Rec. A.1.d: The DoD OIG recommended that the Director of the Defense Health Agency, in conjunction with the Secretaries of the Military Departments, establish a working group to address the staffing challenges identified by Military Medical Treatment Facilities during this evaluation. The working group should establish milestones to assess the ability of Military Medical Treatment Facilities to rapidly receive augmentation of medical staff from the Reserve Components.
D-2022-2081-DEV0PB-0001-0002.A2a	Open	No
Rec. A.2.a: The DoD OIG recommended that the Director of the Defense Health Agency, in coordination with the Secretaries of the Military Departments establish the manpower requirements for the coronavirus disease-2019 mission within the Military Medical Treatment Facilities for the staff required to support testing, vaccinations, contact tracing, and acute respiratory clinics.
D-2022-2081-DEV0PB-0001-0002.A2b	Open	No
Rec. A.2.b: The DoD OIG recommended that the Director of the Defense Health Agency, in coordination with the Secretaries of the Military Departments identify the medical personnel requirements within the Military Medical Treatment Facilities, including clinicians, nurses, and support staff, needed for future long-term pandemic response and biological incidents.
D-2022-2081-DEV0PB-0002-0001.B	Open	No
Rec. B: The DoD OIG recommended that the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Health Affairs) develop DoD policy for the maximum consecutive hours to be worked, maximum shifts per week, and coverage of duties when absent, for Military Health System staff (at minimum, active duty military and civilian physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists, and lab technicians) working in Military Medical Treatment Facilities to reduce the physical impacts leading to fatigue and burnout, and develop the appropriate waivers of this policy for Military Health System staff.
D-2022-2081-DEV0PB-0003-0001.C	Open	No
Rec. C: The DoD OIG recommended that the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Health Affairs) direct a new or existing working group to develop a plan to implement the recommendations in the Military Health System COVID-19 After Action Report and to develop and monitor milestones for each recommendation.

Recommendation Number

Recommendation Status

Significant Recommendation

Additional Details

D-2022-2081-DEV0PB-0001-0001.A1a

Open

Rec. A.1.a: The DoD OIG recommended that the Director of the Defense Health Agency, in conjunction with the Secretaries of the Military Departments, establish a working group to address the staffing challenges identified by Military Medical Treatment Facilities during this evaluation. The working group should establish milestones to streamline the hiring process to allow Military Medical Treatment Facilities to more quickly fill civilian staffing positions.

D-2022-2081-DEV0PB-0001-0001.A1b

Open

Rec. A.1.b: The DoD OIG recommended that the Director of the Defense Health Agency, in conjunction with the Secretaries of the Military Departments, establish a working group to address the staffing challenges identified by Military Medical Treatment Facilities during this evaluation. The working group should establish milestones to determine if salaries for Military Medical Treatment Facility civilian nurses are commensurate with each facility's local market and if military treatment facilities are able to hire nurses at those salaries. For locations where military treatment facility salaries are not commensurate with the local market, take appropriate actions that will reduce the disparity in those markets.

D-2022-2081-DEV0PB-0001-0001.A1c

Open