Mandatory Disclosures

FY 2023 Conference Spending Statement

During FY 2023, VA Office of Inspector General (OIG) conducted five events in which expenses exceeded $100,000. Below are conference details to include cost, date, location of conference, and other pertinent data.

Office of Investigations All Hands Meeting 

Expenses: $511,766.91
Location: Seattle, WA Date: October 17–20, 2022
Explanation: Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic some employees have been unable to travel or severely limited. Office of Investigations brought together their very geographically dispersed directorate to provide opportunities to network, collaborate, share best practices, build team comradery, and learn together. The event included three days of dedicated training and in-depth meetings with OIG leadership, Office of Investigations leadership, other VA OIG components, the Department of Justice, and other outside entities. Attendees had the opportunity to discuss Office of Investigation goals, receive training in investigative specific issues and investigative strategies and learn best practices from across the directorate. Providing one centralized training encouraged consistency, the sharing of ideas, and ensured compliance with legal and CIGIE requirements.

While teleconferencing was considered, it is not a viable option because the meeting required input from all participants as well as face-to-face group discussions and interactive planning. It also helped networking and team building. All participants convened to provide input, share ideas, ask detailed questions, and conduct group break-out sessions which is not possible with teleconferencing. The meeting required input from all participants, as well as included small group discussions, and interactive training. 

Number of Participants Whose Travel Expenses Were Paid by Agency: 235

Office of Audits and Evaluations (OAE) Leadership Meeting

Conference Expenses: $200,209.89 
Location: Omaha, NE Date: March 26–31, 2023
Explanation: This meeting provided Office of Audit and Evaluation senior executive staff, directors, and managers an opportunity to meet in-person to discuss current audit issues, share information, and review OAE and other OIG initiatives. We deployed leadership training that enabled OAE mangers to effectively work together to address and solve organization issues, as well as earn training hours that satisfied mandatory continuing professional education requirements. This meeting helped build our team, provided a forum for team members to discuss tools, technologies, process, and how to apply them in our organization to improve our information products, workflow, and process. Teleconferencing was considered but determined not to be a viable alternative as it does not allow the ability to properly network and team build. The meeting required input from all participants, as well as small group discussions. Having all participants convene to provide input on a wide range of issues and ideas, as well as having small group breakout sessions was not logistically feasible with teleconferencing.

Number of Participants Whose Travel Expenses Were Paid by Agency: 103

Office of Investigations Western Field Office (WFO) Council of Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) Training  

Expenses: $103,976.49 
Location: Sacramento, CA Date: March 27–31, 2023
Explanation: VA OIG was created to investigate crimes that are directed at, and perpetrated against, VA programs and operations. Training for VA OIG is provided by CIGIE, which mandates compliance with investigative training standards and practices for OIG organizations. Additionally, the Attorney General Guidelines for Offices of Inspector General with Statutory Law Enforcement Authority require OIGs to maintain minimum training standards by completing periodic in-service training. Failure of VA OIG to comply with these standards may result in that agency’s suspension of law enforcement authority.

Per the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Office of Inspector General (OIG) GM Directive 348, Event Planning, dated August 28, 2019, outlines on pages 9 and 10, part B, item 3, explains that “Training events including Office of Investigations Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) activities” are defined as recurring events and is considered an overriding operational need. Furthermore, GM Directive 348 specifically recognizes that CIGIE trainings are routinely held at specific locations identified by the Responsible Conference Executive (RCE) to meet OI’s training needs. This training course was designed to fulfill the mandated CIGIE training requirements. 

This dynamic training required the use of state-of-the-art law enforcement facilities that offer live-fire tactical structures, mat rooms, firearms shooting ranges with moving targets, and the opportunity for scenario-based training to achieve the identified training objectives. The related lesson plans required the students to demonstrate numerous law enforcement skill sets that cannot be taught, or properly assessed, through teleconferencing or other distance learning technologies.

Number of Participants Whose Travel Expenses Were Paid by Agency: 44

Office of Audits and Evaluations (OAE) Cohort C & D Meeting

Expenses: $257,653.07
Location: Oklahoma City, OK Date: April 16–21, 2023
Explanation: This meeting provided OAE SES, directors, and managers and staff in each Cohort an opportunity to meet in-person to discuss current audit issues, share information, and review OAE and other OIG initiatives. Training was deployed that enabled the staff to effectively work together to address and solve organization issues, as well as earn training hours that satisfied mandatory continuing professional education requirements. This meeting helped build our cohorts, by providing a forum for team members to discuss tools, technologies, processes, and how it was applied in our organization to improve our information products, workflow, and process.

Teleconferencing was considered but determined not to be a viable alternative as it does not allow the ability to properly network and team build. The meeting required input from all participants, as well as include small group discussions. Having all participants convene to provide input on a wide range of issues and ideas, as well as having small group breakout sessions was not logistically feasible with teleconferencing.

Number of Participants Whose Travel Expenses Were Paid by Agency: 143

Office of Investigations Northeast Field Office CIGIE Refresher Training

Expenses: $101,928.41 
Location: Cheltenham, MD Date: September 25–29, 2023
Explanation: VA OIG was created to investigate crimes that are directed at, and perpetrated against, VA programs and operations. Training for OIG is provided by CIGIE, which mandates compliance with investigative training standards and practices for OIG organizations. Additionally, the Attorney General Guidelines for Offices of Inspector General with Statutory Law Enforcement Authority require OIGs to maintain minimum training standards by completing periodic in-service training. Failure of VA OIG to comply with these standards may result in that agency’s suspension of law enforcement authority.

Per the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Office of Inspector General (OIG) GM Directive 348, Event Planning, dated August 28, 2019, outlines on pages 9 and 10, part B, item 3, explains that “Training events including Office of Investigations Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) activities” are defined as recurring events and is considered an overriding operational need. Furthermore, GM Directive 348 specifically recognizes that CIGIE trainings are routinely held at specific locations identified by the Responsible Conference Executive (RCE) to meet OI’s training needs. This training course was designed to fulfill the mandated CIGIE training requirements. This dynamic training required the use of state-of-the-art law enforcement facilities that offer live-fire tactical structures, mat rooms, firearms shooting ranges with moving targets, and the opportunity for scenario-based training to achieve the identified training objectives. The related lesson plans required the students to demonstrate numerous law enforcement skill sets that cannot be taught, or properly assessed, through teleconferencing or other distance learning technologies.

Number of Participants Whose Travel Expenses Were Paid by Agency: 38

Peer Reviews

The Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General (VA OIG) maintains a quality assurance program to ensure that work performed adheres to established professional standards, VA OIG policies and procedures, and is carried out economically, efficiently, and effectively. Also, in accordance with the IG Act and other professional standards, VA OIG's functions are subject to external peer reviews. These peer reviews provide an additional external level of assurance of VA OIG's adherence to prescribed standards, regulations, and legislation through a formal objective assessment of its operations.

The Council of Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) prescribes the methodology for performing peer reviews of the various OIG functions. Below are the latest external peer reviews of VA OIG's Audit, Inspection, and Evaluation functions.