Federal Reports

This Office of Inspector General (OIG) Care in the Community healthcare inspection program report describes the results of a focused evaluation of community care processes at seven VA Sierra Pacific Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) 21 medical facilities with a community care program. This evaluation focused on five domains:
•    Leadership and Administration of Community Care
•    Community Care Diagnostic Imaging Results
•    Administratively Closed Community Care Consults
•    Community Care Provider Requests for Additional Services
•    Care Coordination: Scheduling and Communication with Patients Referred for Community Care
The OIG issued 13 recommendations for improvement in the five domains:
•    Leadership and Administration of Community Care
o    Community oversight councils functioning according to charters
o    Entering patient safety events in the Joint Patient Safety Reporting system
o    Briefing patient safety trends, lessons learned, and corrective actions
o    Scanning community care documents into the electronic health record
•    Community Care Diagnostic Imaging Results
o    Using the significant findings alert for abnormal diagnostic imaging results
•    Administratively Closed Community Care Consults
o    Confirming patients attended appointments obtaining medical documents
o    Making two attempts to obtain medical documents after administratively closing consults
•    Community Care Provider Requests for Additional Services
o    Processing requests
o    Sending approval and denial letters to community providers and patients
•    Care Coordination: Scheduling and Communication with Patients Referred for Community Care
o    Timely scheduling of patients
o    Confirming patients attended appointments
o    Using the Community Care–Care Coordination Plan note to document care coordination activities

We audited the Puerto Rico’s Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (PRDNER’s) use of Federal Emergency and Pandemic Relief Financial Assistance Funds. Our audit objective was to determine whether federal funds received by PRDNER to support its fisheries in recovering from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic1 and damages caused by several hurricanes were properly disbursed and used for their intended purpose. We conducted this audit in response to a congressional request, and answers to congressional questions about disaster relief funds are included in this report.

Overall, we found that for the funds it expended, PRDNER properly disbursed and used funds as intended. However, PRDNER was slow in spending funds, as only approximately 7 percent of the total disaster assistance funds ($801,362 of the approximate $11.4 million) have been expended since April 1, 2020. Additionally, PRDNER has expended funds for only 4 of the 17 (approximately 24 percent) combined projects under both awards.