Recently the Veterans Office of Inspector General conducted an independent audit on the VAs finances. The audit was for the fiscal years 2015 and 2016. I really wanted to be surprised at the results but unfortunately I wasn't. No surprise here guys. Mismanagement and more mismanagement of funds.
While I don't depend on my disability to pay my bills or uphold my lifestyle (what there is of it), it bothers me that there is so much waste and the veterans who could really use the help are getting the shaft and have to fight so hard to get what they deserve. What I really want to see though is what happens to those who have done such a poor job in managing these funds. It seems that no matter how bad they do they get a pass, and continue to stay in jobs that they don't deserve.
This is only a portion of the bad news coming out of the VA. For those who really want to work here I would caution you about that. The VA has gotten a bad rating in regards to employers and they also are so far behind on their Human Resources tasks that it's crazy. A recent investigation showed that they are over two (2) years behind on their background checks. Lord only knows who could be working there and taking care of you. I've added a link to both of these stories below.
As always, thank you for your support,
Be blessed-TTYL.
11/14/2016 07:00 PM EST
We contracted with an independent public accounting firm to audit VA’s FY 2016 financial statements as required by the Chief Financial Officers Act of 1990. VA received an unmodified opinion meaning that its financial statements were materially accurate. The contractor identified six material weaknesses: IT security controls; education benefits accrued liability; control environment surrounding the compensation, pension, and burial actuarial estimates; community care obligations, reconciliations, and accrued expenses; financial reporting; and CFO organizational structure for VA and VHA. The contractor further identified two significant deficiencies: procurement, undelivered orders, accrued expenses, and reconciliations; and loan guaranty liability estimate. It also reported VA’s substantial noncompliance with applicable Federal financial management systems requirements and the United States Standard General Ledger at the transaction level under the Federal Financial Management Improvement Act (FFMIA). It noted improvements were needed in complying with the Federal Managers’ Financial Integrity Act. The contractor cited instances of noncompliance with section 5315, title 38, United States Code, pertaining to the charging of interest and administrative costs; noncompliance with section 3733, title 38, United States Code, pertaining to the vendee loan program and six violations of the Antideficiency Act identified by VA.
01/29/2017 07:00 PM EST
VA OIG received and substantiated allegations that the Atlanta VA Medical Center had a backlog of over 300 unadjudicated background investigations and that mandatory drug testing of new hires did not occur for 6 months. VA officials confirmed the VAMC had a backlog of unadjudicated background investigations by mid FY 2015. The Director of VA Central Office’s Personnel Security and Suitability Service said the VAMC had a backlog of about 200 of these investigations as of July 2015. Atlanta HR personnel acknowledged a backlog dating as far back as 2012. Even though the lack of available records limited our ability to quantify the extent of the backlog, we substantiated that backlogs were occurring by determining that the average adjudication processing time at the VAMC was about 170 days. We also substantiated that the Drug Free Workplace Program was not administered from November 2014 to May 2015. These lapses occurred because records within the personnel security program were inadequate, policies were not implemented as required, and HR staff were not adequately trained. VAMC management did not ensure the continuity of the DFWP when the former coordinator left the position in September 2014. Without proper controls over these functions, the VAMC cannot reliably attest to the suitability of its staff, exposing veterans and employees to individuals who have not been properly vetted. The facility lacks assurance that employees in Testing Designated Positions remain suitable for employment. We recommended the Medical Center Director assess the HR program and ensure staff receive appropriate background investigations, provide training on the requirements of the personnel security program, and monitor the DFWP. The Director concurred with our recommendations. We consider the corrective action plans the facility submitted acceptable and will follow up on their implementation.
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