Federal Reports

The VA Office of Inspector General (OIG) conducted an inspection to examine oversight of a provider who engaged in sexual misconduct toward patients and practiced acupuncture without credentials or privileges. The OIG also reviewed leaders’ awareness and response to these issues. Current and former facility leaders gave conflicting information about their responsibility for the provider’s supervision and failed to complete the provider’s professional practice evaluations.Former facility leaders did not act upon awareness of patient complaints about the provider’s sexual misconduct. A facility leader removed the provider from patient care after learning of similar complaints at the provider’s previous employer but did not summarily suspend the provider. Following the provider’s termination, former facility leaders did not timely report the provider to state licensing boards. The provider also performed sensitive exams without a chaperone and former facility leaders did not address the provider’s refusal to use chaperones.The Veterans Integrated Service Network Director (VISN) initiated an Administrative Investigation Board (AIB) to determine if facility leaders addressed patient complaints. However, not all complaints were reviewed. Following awareness that the provider performed acupuncture without credentials and privileges, former facility leaders failed to ensure quality management reviews. The OIG identified the provider performed acupuncture on at least five patients and was unable to determine how needles were accessed, raising concerns about bloodborne pathogen exposure. Reviews were not conducted to identify if the provider performed acupuncture on patients. The VISN commenced a review identifying 48 patients. As a result, the VISN initiated testing patients for bloodborne diseases and facilitated the institutional disclosure process.The OIG made one recommendation to the VISN Director to ensure closure of AIB actions.The OIG made four recommendations to the Facility Director related to oversight, quality management actions, training, and reporting providers to state licensing boards.

We reviewed the actions FSIS took relating to COVID-19 to ensure the continuation of inspection operations at meat and poultry slaughter and processing establishments, including to ensure the health and safety of FSIS inspectors and how FSIS spent the $33 million in CARES Act funding.

DHS Has Controls to Safeguard Watchlist Data

A former Amtrak train attendant based in New Orleans, Louisiana, was sentenced in the Eastern District of Louisiana on July 25, 2022, to three years’ probation and 12 months’ home confinement for theft of government funds and making false statements. In addition, he was ordered to pay restitution of $64,874.64 to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and $22,725 to the Louisiana Workforce Commission. Our investigation found that the former employee made false statements to the SBA and fraudulently obtained $89,583 in pandemic-related relief loans funded through the Paycheck Protection Program. He also fraudulently applied for, and received, unemployment benefits through the Louisiana Workforce Commission despite being fully employed by Amtrak at the time. The employee was terminated from the company on April 4, 2022.

Robert Joseph, a podiatrist based in Los Angeles, California, was sentenced in U.S. District Court, Central District of California, on July 25, 2022, to two years’ probation for conspiracy to commit health care fraud. Joseph was also ordered to pay a fine of $10,000 and a money judgment forfeiture in the amount of $332,500. Our investigation found that Joseph prescribed unnecessary compounded medications to patients without their knowledge. As a result of the scheme, Amtrak’s insurance providers were fraudulently charged approximately $22,000.

The audit objectives were to determine whether program funds were managed in accordance with the ARC and Federal grant requirements

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act authorizes $4.7 billion in appropriations for fiscal years 2022 through 2030 to address orphaned wells.