Federal Reports

The Electronic Health Record Modernization program manages VA’s transition to a new electronic health record system interoperable with the Department of Defense’s system, allowing care providers to access more comprehensive medical histories for the nine million-plus veterans enrolled in VA health care.The VA Office of Inspector General (OIG) conducted this audit because of the importance of the modernization program and its extensive costs. The audit assesses whether the Office of Electronic Health Record Modernization (OEHRM) estimated information technology (IT) infrastructure upgrade costs in accordance with VA standards and Government Accountability Office guidance. The OIG also examined whether OEHRM reported to Congress all costs needed to support the program, including future technology refreshment. This is the second OIG report this year examining VA’s development and reporting of cost estimates for infrastructure upgrades needed to support the program (See VA OIG, Deficiencies in Reporting Reliable Physical Infrastructure Cost Estimates for the Electronic Health Record Modernization Program, Report No. 20-03178-116, May 25, 2021).In this report, the OIG found weaknesses in how OEHRM developed and reported cost estimates. The two $4.3 billion infrastructure upgrade estimates reported to Congress were not reliable and, because of incomplete documentation, determining the accuracy of the estimates was not possible. The OIG also found VA did not report to Congress other IT upgrade costs of about $2.5 billion because OEHRM did not include costs other VA agencies would bear. OEHRM also did not update the cost estimates it provided to Congress.The OIG made six recommendations to help VA ensure an independent cost estimate is performed, reassess and refine the estimate to comply with standards, develop procedures consistent with guidance, disclose to Congress all costs for all IT infrastructure upgrades and updates, and formalize agreements with OIT and VHA to identify expected funding contributions from each entity.

This Office of Inspector General (OIG) Comprehensive Healthcare Inspection Program (CHIP) report provides a focused evaluation of Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) 19 facilities’ COVID-19 pandemic readiness and response. This evaluation focused on emergency preparedness; supplies, equipment, and infrastructure; staffing; access to care; community living center patient care and operations; facility staff feedback; and VA and VISN 19 vaccination efforts.The OIG has aggregated findings on COVID-19 preparedness and responsiveness from routine inspections to ensure prompt dissemination of information given the quickly changing landscape as infection rates and demands on facilities continually shift. Findings of inspected medical facilities are grouped by VISN, which are regional offices that provide oversight of medical centers in their area.This report, the second in a series, describes findings on COVID-19 practices from healthcare inspections performed within VISN 19 during the weeks of November 30 and December 7, 2020. It also provides a more recent snapshot of the pandemic’s demands on these facilities’ operations based on data compiled as of April 2021. Interviews and survey results provide additional context on lessons learned and perceptions of both preparedness and response. This report also provides data that illustrates the tremendous COVID-19-related demands on VA healthcare services. It describes leader and staff experiences, assessments, shared sentiments, and best practices to help improve operations and clinical care during public health crises.At the time of the inspections, the Veterans Health Administration and the VISN were experiencing the highest number of cases since the beginning of the pandemic and had valuable information to share about their experiences.

OIG data analytics identified this site as having large retail floor stamp inventory count shortages and one overage from October 1, 2019 through April 30, 2021. Retail associates who work at window services are not assigned a stamp stock inventory and instead work from a shared retail floor stamp inventory. The objective of this audit was to determine whether the James Brown Jr. Station properly accounted for stamps, money orders, and cash.

The Postal Service uses a vast network of systems to collect, process, transport, and deliver nearly half of the world’s mail. The majority of these systems are classified as business applications because they support essential business functions, such as mail processing and delivery. To improve business operations and reduce cyber risk, the Postal Service invests in new and innovative applications and retires those that are outdated and no longer supported. Our objective was to assess the effectiveness of the Postal Service’s business application retirement process.

The Office of the Inspector General conducted a review of the John Sevier Combined Cycle (JSCC) Plant to identify factors that could impact JSCC’s organizational effectiveness. During the course of our evaluation, we identified behaviors that had a positive impact on JSCC. These included positive relationships between team members and management; however, we also identified minimal behavioral risks associated with communication and accountability. In addition, we identified minimal risks to operations that, if unaddressed, could hinder JSCC’s effectiveness. These were related to resource needs, such as problems obtaining parts and materials needed to perform jobs, as well as a desire for additional training, including instrument mechanic and instrumentation training.

In reviewing 16 contract files, we found files that did not have relevant Federal tax information, were missing information on the contractor’s past performance evaluations, and contained incomplete and inconsistent documentation. We attribute these deficiencies to FEMA not providing guidance on procedures for implementing Federal regulations to contracting personnel, and the Department of Homeland Security removing guidance from its acquisition manual that is used by component personnel. As a result of inadequate guidance, FEMA personnel awarded contracts without making fully informed determinations as to whether prospective contractors could meet contract demands. If contractors cannot meet demands, FEMA may have to cancel contracts it has awarded, which has happened in the past and continues. In fact, between March and May 2020, FEMA awarded and canceled at least 22 contracts, valued at $184 million, for crucial supplies in response to the national COVID-19 pandemic. By awarding contracts without ensuring prospective contractors can meet contract demands, FEMA will continue wasting taxpayer dollars and future critical disaster and pandemic assistance will continue to be delayed. We made one recommendation that, when implemented, should help strengthen FEMA’s responsibility determination process. The Department concurred with our recommendation.

Henry Abdelnoor, a former Lead Services Attendant based in New York, was sentenced in the Superior Court of New Jersey, Burlington County, on July 7, 2021, to three years of probation for stalking. The criminal charge resulted from Abdelnoor’s conduct prior to a company disciplinary hearing for posting inappropriate comments on Facebook. Prior to the hearing, Abdelnoor attempted to influence a victim’s complaint against him by allegedly offering the victim a $5,000 payment in exchange for recanting her statement in court. Abdelnoor previously pleaded guilty to the criminal charge on May 26, 2021. He resigned from the company on March 4, 2021, and is ineligible for rehire.