Federal Reports

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act appropriated about $17.2 billion in supplemental funds to the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) to support VA’s efforts to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. The OIG conducted this audit to assess the effectiveness of VA’s controls over VHA’s use of these funds.Because VA’s financial management system does not support the direct obligation of supplemental funds for all expenses, staff used expenditure transfers to shift funds between appropriation accounts. Expenditure transfers are documented using journal vouchers, which are written documents explaining the purpose and details of the transaction. However, as VHA did not develop guidance for the type of documentation required, staff did not always sufficiently prepare the vouchers. As a result, staff could not always identify what was purchased or provide evidence the purchase was a proper use of CARES Act funds.Further, even when medical staff directly obligated from the CARES Act fund, they did not always (a) have documented purchase authority, (b) segregate duties, (c) properly track the receipt of goods to ensure the quantities ordered were received, or (d) properly certify and pay invoices. This occurred because VHA did not develop guidance with protocols for accounting processes and procedures or outline clear roles and expectations for the oversight of supplemental funds purchases. As a result, the OIG questioned an estimated $187.2 million.Until VHA strengthens controls over payments, it cannot be sure that payments have been properly made. Further, Congress lacks reasonable assurance that funds allocated for veterans’ COVID-19-related care are being spent as intended. The OIG recommended VA assess whether it can integrate its financial management system with other systems to reduce the need for expenditure transfers; the OIG also made eight recommendations to VHA to improve oversight of supplemental funds.

Ketrick Barron, a former Amtrak General Foreman, based in Washington, D.C., was sentenced on May 9, 2023, to three years’ probation and ordered to pay restitution of $6,580 to Amtrak. On February 21, 2023, Barron pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court, District of Maryland, to one misdemeanor count of Theft of Government Property related to his use of a General Services Administration fuel card issued to Amtrak to fuel personal vehicles at a cost of approximately $6,580.20.

We issued this management advisory report to bring immediate attention to risks we identified during a visit to an Amtrak facility for a separate audit. During the visit, most of the 26 employees interviewed told us, often unsolicited, about significant safety and security risks they regularly face. Specifically, the employees raised concerns about trespassers and their impact on employees’ safety and the security of company assets, such as locomotives, track switches, and inventory stored outside the facility’s warehouse. According to the employees interviewed, trespassers have assaulted and threatened multiple employees on the property, including one incident in which a trespasser threw a hammer at an employee. It is also a general practice for Mechanical foreman to confront trespassers, who employees said are sometimes violent and dangerous. One such incident occurred during our visit when a trespasser with a weapon gained access to a rail car and defecated inside it. Additionally, employees told us—and company records supported—that trespassers break into rail cars and locomotives, access the rail lines, and steal company property. We identified three key vulnerabilities that created these risks. The company agreed with our observations and is taking corrective action. Until the company implements longer-term plans, however, the risks related to employee safety and that of company assets will remain imminent unless interim solutions are put in place.

Our objective was to evaluate the Risk Management Agency's administration and oversight of the Apiculture Pilot Insurance Program.

This Office of Inspector General Comprehensive Healthcare Inspection Program report describes the results of a focused evaluation of the inpatient and outpatient care provided at the Central Texas Veterans Health Care System, which includes the Olin E. Teague Veterans’ Center in Temple, the Doris Miller VA Medical Center in Waco, and multiple outpatient clinics in central Texas. This evaluation focused on five key operational areas:• Leadership and organizational risks• Quality, safety, and value• Medical staff privileging• Environment of care• Mental health (emergency department and urgent care center prevention initiatives)The OIG issued two recommendations for improvement in two areas:1. Leadership and organizational risks• Institutional disclosures2. Medical staff privileging• Ongoing Professional Practice Evaluations