Federal Reports

The OIG conducted an administrative investigation that included a congressional request to look into allegations that Charmain Bogue, former executive director of the Veterans Benefits Administration’s Education Service, committed ethical violations arising from her spouse’s consulting work for Veterans Education Success (VES). VES is a nonprofit advocacy group that regularly had business before the Education Service. The allegations also pointed to possible incomplete financial disclosures by Ms. Bogue concerning her spouse’s consulting business. In the course of their work, investigators uncovered evidence of other potential conflicts of interest and related misconduct by Ms. Bogue.As a result of the investigation, the OIG made four findings. First, Ms. Bogue participated in Education Service matters involving VES without considering whether it raised an apparent conflict of interest and acted contrary to ethics guidance she received from her supervisors. Second, Ms. Bogue sought résumé feedback from the president of VES to aid in her search for career advancement without considering whether this raised apparent conflict of interest concerns in subsequent VES matters. VES also endorsed Ms. Bogue for presidential nominee positions. Third, although Ms. Bogue provided insufficient detail about her spouse’s business in 2019 and 2020 public financial disclosures, VA ethics attorneys had found them compliant. She remedied the subsequently identified deficiency in her 2021 disclosure. Finally, the OIG found that Ms. Bogue refused to cooperate fully in the OIG’s investigation by refusing to complete her follow-up interview. Her husband and VES president also refused to participate in OIG interviews, and the OIG lacks testimonial subpoena authority over individuals who are not VA employees. Ms. Bogue resigned from VA in January 2022 and, as a result, the OIG made no recommendations. VA concurred with the OIG’s findings.

The Patient Advocacy Program helps advance the Veterans Health Administration’s (VHA) efforts to improve customer service, support veterans’ access to quality care, and provide a mechanism to resolve healthcare issues. Patient advocates document veterans’ concerns, communicate the resolution, provide follow up and feedback, and identify trends for potential opportunities to improve medical facilities. In FY 2020, VHA tracked about 162,000 serious complaints in its patient advocate tracking systems.The OIG conducted this audit to determine whether VHA patient advocates resolved serious complaints on time and as required in that year. The audit also assessed whether VHA Patient Advocacy Program leaders effectively used program data to identify and address pervasive healthcare issues for veterans.The audit found that VHA lacked adequate governance of the Patient Advocacy Program. VHA did not effectively issue and implement adequate policies, monitor complaint practices, and provide guidance to medical facility directors responsible for local program management. This inadequacy in governance contributed to patient advocates and other program leaders not fully complying with requirements for managing complaints in FY 2020.According to an OIG survey, patient advocates and patient advocate supervisors at 17 percent of reviewed medical facilities did not always enter complaints into a patient advocate tracking system as required. Although the data indicated that patient advocates generally closed serious complaints on time, the OIG found that they did not always adhere to the documentation requirements to show full complaint resolution. In addition, there was inadequate monitoring at the local, regional, and national program levels.VA concurred with the OIG’s three recommendations to the under secretary for health to review and update program policy; implement controls for regular, documented reviews of records; and provide guidance to medical facility directors to ensure they fulfill program management duties.

We determined the U.S. Department of the Interior completed four of the six steps required by Secretary’s Order 3383.