The VA Office of Inspector General (OIG) Vet Center Inspection Program provides a focused evaluation of aspects of the quality of care delivered at vet centers. This inspection report evaluated four randomly selected vet centers throughout Midwest district 3 zone 2: Evanston, Illinois; Gary Area, Indiana; and La Crosse and Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
This OIG inspection focused on four review areas: suicide prevention; consultation, supervision, and training; outreach; and environment of care. The suicide prevention review evaluated vet center staff participation on VA medical facility mental health executive councils, resulting in one recommendation across three of the four vet centers inspected. The consultation, supervision, and training review identified concerns with external clinical consultation, monthly client record reviews, and completion of select trainings, resulting in three recommendations across all four vet centers inspected. The outreach review evaluated outreach plan completion, inclusion of strategic components, and tailoring of outreach activities to eligible individuals, which resulted in one recommendation across three of the four vet centers inspected. The environment of care review evaluated vet centers’ physical environment and general safety, resulting in one recommendation at one of the three vet centers inspected. One vet center was closed and had a temporary location; therefore, an environment of care review was not completed at this site. However, the inspection did result in additional findings related to the vet center’s closure and relocation, resulting in two recommendations.
The OIG issued a total of eight recommendations for improvement.
