Federal Reports

A former Carman/Welder in Beech Grove, Indiana, pleaded guilty in United States District Court, Southern District of Indiana, to theft of property on July 17, 2020. The former employee was sentenced to one-year probation, a $4,000 fine and ordered to pay $56,297 in restitution to Amtrak. Our investigation found the employee stole power tools and scrap metal from the company and sold it for his personal gain. The employee previously resigned from the company on April 28, 2017, immediately prior to his administrative hearing.

OIG audit reports issued in FY 2019 demonstrated high levels of compliance with OIG quality assurance procedures, receiving an average compliance score of 92 percent.

The Office of Inspector General examined NASA’s Orion Program and evaluated its adherence to cost, schedule, and performance goals in readying the crew vehicle for the Artemis I and Artemis II missions.

On March 26, 2020, the VA Office of Inspector General (OIG) published its first COVID-19-focused report, OIG Inspection of Veterans Health Administration’s COVID-19 Screening and Pandemic Readiness. In that report, the OIG evaluated how the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) was preparing facilities to meet anticipated rising demands. This report outlines VHA’s continued response to the pandemic and provides VHA leaders’ descriptions of the evolving challenges they faced in caring for veterans and potentially nonveteran patients as well. The OIG engaged leaders from 70 selected facilities in discussions about patient-care services provided from March 11, 2020, through June 15, 2020. The discussions covered the management of urgent and emergent care, the adequacy of equipment and supplies, testing capabilities, Community Living Center (nursing home) admissions and discharges, testing protocols, and the engagement of community healthcare partners. Discussions also detailed Veterans Integrated Service Network leaders’ involvement in, and overall support of, facility operations. Finally, the OIG provided VHA leaders the opportunity to comment on plans to manage anticipated COVID-19 surges. Overall, this report highlights a multitude of actions taken by VHA, VISN, and facility leaders to maintain operations during a national emergency. With the uncertainty of timing and magnitude of possible recurrent outbreaks, this review presented strategies that various facilities put into place over the past several months that will hopefully promote discussion and consideration of lessons learned and best practices among facility and community healthcare leaders.