VA’s Governance of Its Personnel Suitability Program for Medical Facilities Continues to Need Improvement

Applicants for Veterans Health Administration (VHA) positions undergo background investigations as a condition of their employment to help ensure their suitability to care for veterans and be entrusted with sensitive information and resources. A 2018 VA Office of Inspector General (OIG) audit of VHA’s personnel suitability program found inadequate governance of the program and significant deficiencies. This follow-up audit was conducted to evaluate controls over the background investigation process and determine if adjudication actions were completed in a timely manner and reliably recorded. The OIG determined VA did not ensure background investigations were properly completed within required timelines for staff at medical facilities nationwide. Although VA took corrective actions between May 2018 and March 2021 in response to OIG reports, the new controls were not sustained or inadequately mitigated weaknesses. This audit revealed a small number of investigations were not initiated at all, an estimated 7 percent were not begun within the 14 days of an employee’s start date as required (on average 100 days), and about 23 percent were not adjudicated within the required 90-day period (on average over 200 days). Another estimated 48 percent of employees lacked a certificate of investigation to validate a favorable adjudication. These deficiencies allowed some personnel in direct patient care to be employed without vetting for long periods, although identified cases were eventually favorably adjudicated. The identified causes included deficient oversight and insufficient staffing at many levels. VA’s data and information systems were also incomplete and unreliable to track investigative actions. VA concurred with all OIG recommendations to improve monitoring using formal data-testing of relevant systems and a renewed inspection program; assess resources and allocate staff using updated metrics and hiring flexibilities; and ensure sufficient and appropriate data are collected, tested, and accessible through a single system.