Investigative Reports

This administrative investigation addressed concerns of possible misconduct by two leaders responsible for overseeing medical facility staff training on implementing VA’s new multibillion-dollar patient electronic health record system. The investigation stemmed from a prior OIG review at the initial operating site (the Mann-Grandstaff VA Medical Center in Spokane, Washington), during which OIG healthcare inspectors experienced significant challenges in receiving timely, complete, and accurate information from the then VA Office of Electronic Health Record Modernization’s (OEHRM’s) Change Management group.The investigation revealed that while the Change Management leaders did not intentionally seek to mislead the OIG, their lack of diligence resulted in delays and misinformation being submitted that impeded oversight efforts. Failures included (1) submitting a training evaluation plan without disclosing to the OIG that it was in its “infancy” and had not been fully implemented or even approved; (2) delaying production of requested proficiency check datasets that should have been available under the submitted evaluation plan; (3) instead providing three summary statistics with errors that doubled the training proficiency test pass rate from initial findings of 44 to 89 percent, without the requested methodology; (4) overlooking red flags indicating that all failing scores had in fact been removed from reported rates (with the total number of proficiency tests dropping by more than 3,000 in submitted recalculations); and (5) failing to disclose concerns regarding data reliability and that data were excluded.VA concurred with the OIG’s two recommendations for providing guidance to staff in the since-reorganized Electronic Health Record Modernization and Integration Office on providing timely, complete, and accurate responses to OIG staff and ensuring direct staff-level communications with OIG personnel are not impeded. VA also agreed to consider whether administrative action is appropriate given the conduct and performance of the two Change Management leaders.

The USPP supervisor used his GOV to drive to and from his approved outside employment on 10 occasions in 2021, in violation of law and USPP policy.

We found that a former employee embezzled funds and she pleaded guilty and was sentenced.

We substantiated allegations that a former employee misapplied BIE grant funds. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced.

A Trackman/Watchman based at Sunnyside Yard, New York, resigned on June 22, 2022, prior to his disciplinary hearing for time and attendance violations. Our investigation found that, between February 2020 and June 2021, the former employee improperly claimed and accepted payment for hours he did not work in violation of company policies. A Driver, also from Sunnyside Yard, admitted to us, however, that he clocked out for the Trackman/Watchman on approximately seven occasions and confirmed that the employee left work early on various occasions. The Driver resigned on June 21, 2022. Both employees are ineligible for rehire.

Investigation into allegations of financial and ethical impropriety by Commission employee.

PPP documents submitted in an FWS’ employee’s name estimated income for two businesses with no evidence of reportable income related to either one.

The Federal Election Commission (FEC) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) initiated an inquiry on March 10, 2022, based on a referral from the Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) that an agency employee with the Office of General Counsel (OGC) had lost her FEC laptop and may have failed to promptly report the loss in accordance with FEC policy.