Federal Reports

The comments are in response to Impact of Undetected Marriages on Social Security Administration Payments, 012317, that was submitted by The National Association for Public Health Statistics and Information Systems on May 20, 2024, pursuant to Pub. L. No. 117- 263, § 5274.

This Office of Inspector General (OIG) Comprehensive Healthcare Inspection Program report describes the results of a focused evaluation of the quality of care delivered in the inpatient and outpatient settings of the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, which includes multiple outpatient clinics in Illinois and Indiana. This evaluation focused on five key operational areas:• Leadership and organizational risks• Quality, safety, and value• Medical staff privileging• Environment of care• Mental health (suicide prevention initiatives) The OIG issued eight recommendations for improvement in three areas:1. Quality, safety, and value• Peer review committee improvement actions 2. Environment of care• Environment of care inspections• Medical equipment maintenance per manufacturers’ recommendations• Medication access by approved individuals using the pneumatic tube system• Clean and orderly patient areas• Mental health inpatient unit: • Over-the-door alarm testing • Sally port entrance 3. Mental health• Comprehensive Suicide Risk Evaluation completion

This Office of Inspector General (OIG) Comprehensive Healthcare Inspection Program report describes the results of a focused evaluation of the care provided at the G.V. (Sonny) Montgomery VA Medical Center and multiple outpatient clinics in Mississippi. This evaluation focused on five key operational areas:• Leadership and organizational risks• Quality, safety, and value• Medical staff privileging• Environment of care• Mental health (focusing on suicide prevention initiatives)The OIG issued one recommendation for improvement in the Mental Health area of review regarding ensuring the Suicide Prevention Coordinator conducts at least five outreach activities each month.

This Office of Inspector General (OIG) Comprehensive Healthcare Inspection Program report describes the results of a focused evaluation of the quality of care delivered in the inpatient and outpatient settings of the Edward Hines, Jr. VA Hospital, which includes multiple outpatient clinics in Illinois. This evaluation focused on five key operational areas:• Leadership and organizational risks• Quality, safety, and value• Medical staff privileging• Environment of care• Mental health (suicide prevention initiatives)The OIG issued five recommendations for improvement in three areas:1. Medical staff privileging• VISN oversight of privileging process2. Environment of care• Environment of care inspections3. Mental health• Suicide prevention outreach activities• Monthly reporting of suicide-related events• Comprehensive Suicide Risk Evaluation completion

Why We Did This ReportThe U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Inspector General conducted this evaluation to determine whether the EPA adhered to federal laws, regulations, and EPA guidance pertaining to community engagement standards and practices at the Findett Corp. Superfund Site. Contamination of the groundwater at the Findett Corp. Superfund Site and the EPA’s response to that contamination has long been an issue of concern in the St. Charles, Missouri community. Summary of FindingsEPA Region 7 did not effectively engage with the community affected by the Findett Corp. Superfund Site. The region’s public-facing documents and presentations were too technical for the public to easily understand. The region also distributed information in newspapers with low circulation to reduce costs. As a result, members of the St. Charles, Missouri community, which is near the Findett Corp. Superfund Site, were unaware of opportunities for public participation and confused about the cleanup process. Further, after the discovery of an additional source of contamination, Region 7 did not promptly develop a new or updated community involvement plan for St. Charles. In addition, Region 7 did not effectively facilitate community involvement by providing timely technical assistance or other tools to the St. Charles community. It also did not use available mediation services in a timely manner to mitigate the contentious relationships among the Findett Corp. Superfund Site stakeholders, resulting in cleanup delays and community mistrust in the EPA.