VA Put Veterans’ Lives At Risk By Not Running Background Checks
VA did not conduct background checks of any kind prior to employing over 6,000 new medical personnel according to a recent IG investigation. Additionally, another 10,400 employees, from 2012 to 2016, did not receive their background check in a timely manner.
IG confirmed allegations about the oversight and concluded the background check failure risked putting unqualified or troubled employees in charge of veterans health care. Many employees have worked for years at VA providing health care to veterans without backgrounds checks.
“Due to the lack of governance and oversight of the personnel suitability program, VA cannot reliably attest to the suitability of its largest workforce, exposing veterans and employees to individuals who have not been properly vetted,” the IG said. “Unless controls are implemented and data are improved, VA and the public lack assurance that VHA has a properly investigated workforce appropriate for providing health care to our nation’s veterans.”
Basically, VA again did not follow through with required processes to ensure the safety and quality of health care services it provides through the personnel it hires by failing to conduct background checks.
The office responsible for conducting the background checks was understaffed and not doing its job. VHA also did not do its job by auditing the hiring process. How many laws were likely broken by failing to conduct these due dilligence investigations?
RELATED: Pelosi, Democrats Block VA Funding From Omnibus
Summary Of OIG Findings
VA did not provide effective governance of the personnel suitability program necessary to ensure that background investigation requirements were met at medical facilities nationwide. Background investigations were required for most medical facility staff, including physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and laboratory technicians. The OIG projected that about 6,200 employees who were working at the facilities did not have a background investigation initiated. The OIG also found that adjudicators had not been reviewing background investigations timely and suitability staff were not maintaining official personnel records as required.
VA could also not independently attest to the status of personnel suitability determinations. HR Smart investigation data were not reliable for reporting on the status of suitability adjudications at VA medical facilities. Fields necessary to track background investigations to conclusion did not exist and other critical data points were incomplete. VA had to rely on data from the Office of Personnel Management’s Personnel Investigations Processing System to monitor the program. The OIG also had to rely on that dataset to analyze personnel suitability actions and determine the status of employee background investigations.
These irregularities were not detected and corrected timely because the Office of Operations, Security, and Preparedness (OSP) did not monitor or ensure compliance with program requirements at VA medical facilities. In addition, OSP’s Personnel Security and Suitability (PSS) Program Management Office, responsible for evaluating compliance with the suitability program requirements, lacked sufficient staff to conduct regular oversight.
Without sufficient staff, the Director of PSS also did not delegate oversight responsibilities to VHA for nearly six years. As such, the personnel suitability program was allowed to operate unmonitored and without assurance that background investigations were properly initiated and adjudicated. VHA’s local implementation of the program was also inadequate to achieve key project objectives. Key internal control requirements, such as quarterly reviews of facility background investigations, were largely absent at VA medical facilities reviewed.
Finally, OSP and VHA did not effectively manage their business processes to ensure that sufficient investigation data were created and maintained in support of program objectives. As a result, VA cannot reliably attest to the suitability of its largest workforce, exposing veterans and employees to individuals who have not been properly vetted. Unless internal controls and data are improved, VA and the public lack assurance that VHA has a workforce suitable for serving our nation’s veterans.
What Will It Take?
Clearly, no amount of money can get VA to do its job and keep veterans safe by following basic hiring requirements. Or, is there a magic dollar amount VA needs to conduct basic background checks for doctors and nurses prior to hiring them?
Criminal charges should be filed immediately!!! No more talking about these egregious issues. It is time for these people to go to prison as well as the people who hired them.
Quancidine Hinson-Gribble
Surviving Spouse of Veteran
Robert Gribble
Off subject but I received my hydrocodone today and the tablets were different. They had an imprint of 126, they were white and oblong. I checked them on the Internet and found they were from Sun Pharmaceutical. I had never received this type before so I looked up the company. They are a pharmaceutical company located in India.
I am guessing they are giving the VA a great price but I wonder if these tablets are the same or some knockoff
The new tablets are shorter but and thicker. I guess I will find out in a day or two.
f8f
To identify most of the front line VA corrupt employees, Trump should declare a VA employee hunting day. In this manner, we Vets can beat the shit out of those VA employees in whom we know that are corrupt. And then, Trump can send the clean-up crews to pick up, and clean the mess. It’s cost effective too.
So, go ahead VA corrupt employees, keep fucking over Veterans. You’ll never know when it’ll be your turn to meet your maker. I’m saying this because I read elsewhere what some Vets would like to do. You’ve been warned.
Oh, it’s not me making the threats, damn don’t shoot the messenger. I can’t get out anyway due to the VA fucking me over. But, if you’d like to talk, bring a big fat doobie with you, I’m out and feel deviant.
Maybe if the VA would treat Vets better, there’d be less problems, and Vets would have the VA employees back. But, we’ve got assholes working in the VA, and some are run by some.
So it looks like we’re hitting Syria again. Be interesting to see if the Russians/Iranians try and make good on their threat to take out the missiles and their launchers…
Russians Iranians doing something? I don’t think so! This ain’t Hillary there dealing with.
Thank God!
EXTREMELY PISSED EXTREMELY VIOLENT NOW . ARTICLE GOING TO GET ME ARRESTED.
lol no lie man. I had DHS at my house over comments here.
I usually smoke myself stupid before I can do more than vent.
Smashing underutilized common kitchen items into empty trashcan seems to help a bit, just ad some Metallica or some James Brown or even Pink Floyd to the mix, esp. post-smashing and post-toking, but more testing is obviously needed………….~~~
could just pick up muh guitar
WyldeChylde, I wonder how they got your contact information? Thinking, then using reason of deduction. WE GOT A LEAKER.
FUCK FOOD FUCK WATER ITS USELESS NOW GIVE ME AMMO AND 240BRAVO. GIVE ME 10 MEN THAT WISH THE SAME .
THIS IS PURE ACT OF TREASON BY HIRING NON AMERICANS TO HANDLE AMERICAN SOLDIERS OUR GOVERNMENT HAS ACTED WITH IN TREASON BY HIRING NON AMERICANS . NOTHING GOOD WILL HAPPEN AWAITING .BENEFITS GOVERNMENT IS ASKING US TO DISMANTLE THE VA OURSELVES BY THE ACTIONS THEY HAVE COMMITTED TOWARDS VETERANS. WE ARE BEING SETUP AND SLAUGHTERED THE LONG AND TORMENTING WAY . I CANT BELIEVE THIS TYPE OF SHIT IS NOT ON THE NEWS. LET ALONE BEN’S SIGHT.
Trying to figure this out:
“VA did not conduct background checks of any kind prior to employing over 6,000 new medical personnel according to a recent IG investigation. Additionally, another 10,400 employees, from 2012 to 2016, did not receive their background check in a timely manner.” That equals to 16,400 people.
In my opinion, to even things out, 16,400 Vets who’ve been waiting in line for disability ratings should immediately be given 100% rating with compensation beginning at the first of the month. Why not? No background or medical files needed.
That might make some noise. Wish I had the ability to do that.
Did you know that VA has a hiring plan to give ex-felon veterans positions at VA facilities? Former rapists, other types of sex offenders, violent arm robbers are just some of the attributes some current VA employees possess.
I have had female doctors tell me they are frightened to walk the halls of the medical centers. Other female employees will only walk in pairs and make circuitous routes to avoid certain individuals.
As far as qualifications of being a physician at the VA, a friend of mine reminded me, what do you call the person who finished last in their medical school? – doctor. One of my doctors who graduated from an Indian school in OBYN, is now an internist. Sure, she went through a residency program in the US and passed a medical licensing exam, but really? Also, even though foreign doctors have to have a medical degree (not necessarily an MD) from an accredited school, the prerequisites are not the same as in the US. In fact they may never have never earned a Medical Doctor (or Doctor of Osteopathy) degree. The residency, testing and licensing procedure is what confers the MD they are able to use.
I’ve overheard some females talking too a few times, like they were scared, you know, what should i do get some mace, or a weapon. If any of those little VA inbred fuckin perverts ever fuck with the two or three people there that tried to help me they’ll find themself’s on their ass wondering what happened. I’d be better for them to just stick a fork in their own self.
Question- Is a VA employee responsible for telling you if you asked them to check your file to see if you’re flagged and tagged, and to be put on the Disruptive Behavior Committee’s (DBC) list of Vet criminals? I’ve ask a Social Worker, and he said that he doesn’t have authorization to go into that area of my file. Now is that bullshit or what?
I thought the folks at my facility were just plain stupid and ignorant. I guess they are.
I never thought that they were doing it on purpose….very corrupt.
Make me president of these united states of the americas and it will all change for the better….very quickly. Prison camps in the middle of nowhere would be too good for them. I just need a compound that will hold 40,000. Let them eat each other.
BTW, I found out that a nurse who was very abusive towards patients and myself – 3 times – has a criminal record. Don’t know if she was fired or not. I will investigate further. I told them I found out that information and they didn’t care one bit.
I hope this page is not a trap. Can we trust the author to stand up to evil for the good people who do not deserve such horrible treatment at the hands of their own government?
On another note:
Putin will win if the trump idiot crosses that line! Can we live with that? Will he be a liberator? Me thinks so on behalf of the whole world.
Putin to news reporters question about what he thought of the U.S. government shutting down a few years ago when the republican idiots were fighting Obama, “United States nothing more than a parasite on global economy.”
Smart man. Too smart for trump.
Screw Putin go ahead and move there, let us know how it goes or we can meet you on the battlefield
FUCK YOU SHITHEAD!!!
If you are not intelligent enough to absorb what I said then you can go fly yourself.
Besides, I didn’t say I was going to move there.
What an idiot.
VA is choking on its own bureaucracy. Admin X needs docs, doesn’t have the money to compete with private sector. Admin has deadlines and quotas and mountains of other BS. Admins morph to the broken system and live by the rule of self survival and “tick the box”. It’s no wonder the VA ends up with bottom of the barrel.
Like Oldmarine said, “The Song Remains the Same”
It can’t be more evident that the VA don’t give a fuck about us. To not fight back against the VA is suicide. They never have and probably never will treat my anxiety properly, they are just waiting for me to go off in some way so they can put me in jail, case closed, case solved for them. I asked them for help for my anxiety, they refused and ignored me, treated it like it don’t exist, and turned me into an alcoholic because its the only legal thing that will turn that switch off for me. I may have to demonstrate what severe anxiety can do to a crash test dummy. I haven’t drank now for years, but i get such severe anxiety sometimes that i can’t function appropriately, properly in groups or in certain situations so I just stay at home and stay away from incompetent moron civilians and institutions, I’m happier that way anyhow. I honestly believe the VA has used my medical records to provoke me, so they could either put me in jail, an institution, or kill me or drive me to suicide, some of the shit they have pulled can’t be explained in any other way, I won’t give those stinky ass fucks the opportunity. I chose when and where I fight
Goodness, to suggest that these third world highly trained Vet loving health care experts should be vetted somehow seems “racist”. Thank goodness the union is there to protect Their rights from bigoted Veterans.
Excuse Me but It’s time for My VA supplied pills washed down with kool aid,,,oh where did My English to Farsi phrase book go? I need it to call My Doctor
What is happening with with these Senators and Representatives don’t care about Veteran Health Care and Veteran Affairs Administration my belief that they legal killings
What is happening with with these Senators and Representatives don’t care about Veteran Health Care and Veteran Affairs Administration my belief that they legal killings.
The Song Remains the Same
Our State Senator, John Bozeman is where we go now to help us with twin sister Doctors from India at Va Ark. in Fayetteville. the C & P one was demoted, and the other totally incompetent and is compromising the health of at least 10 Vets in our area. She nearly killed my husband. We went with medicare for a second opinion, found a true diagnosis and called the admin of that hospital and told them they were paying for his Cancer care at UAMS. The doctor and sister came from India. My husband and I are more educated that she is!!! The American Legion and DVA and 3 Mayors, Senators and White House are abreast of what’s going on. The hospital admin is not much help but they are paying UAMS. The doctor
I don’t know when it started, possibly early in the Obama years, and I don’t know if it is all federal agencies or just some, but I know some federal agencies not only require a background investigation on new hires, but also a new background check on current employees hired for a different job in the same agency.
I wonder how many investigations into current VA employees are clogging the system because they are moving to another state. I think that started shortly after OPM was hacked.
Speaking of hacking, no background checks on people getting IT access was in the IG report yesterday.
What I really want VA to answer is that if they can’t manage to complete actual background checks on their employees, why should anyone believe they have checked the credentials of any of their providers?
This story really ignores the elephant in the room.
The story and report focuses on neglecting to do a background check on new hires, right. This means they go look for information that new hires do not provide. VA has obviously failed at every level and this no exception but doesn’t this beg the bigger question?
What is VA’s record on ensuring that the information that IS provided actually qualifies the person for the job? It is a WAY fucking bigger number than just ten or twenty thousand folks from what I can see. Seemingly the biggest qualification for a VA healthcare provider is the ability convert carbohydrates into long term rump storage. Has anyone checked if VA is even doing interviews anymore for doctors? Or is it just sort of a lottery system, like you know flying over a remote part of Kenya and dumping expedited employment forms and passports and such? … and if it isn’t like that how could we tell?
The horror of today’s story is we are hiring folks with terrible secrets. The horror of VA is in the terrible truths; in reality we hire just about anything anyway.
The whole damn VA is to “…operate unmonitored!”
Is this why;
Vets are “misdiagnosed”!?
Vets’ medical records contain misinformation!?
Vets’ medical records are missing!?
Vets aren’t receiving correct adjudication on claims?!
Vets ———!?!? Y’all can fill in the blanks—–
#fucktheva
#fuckthevsos
#fucktheafge
#fuckcongressforlettingithappen.
P.S.
If more than 16,400 ASSHOLES were hired illegally, when will they be FIRED?
That’s the $64,000 question!
All those 16,400 ASSHOLES have more than likely by now multiplied with anchor babies and future AFGE dues-paying minions. Remember, nepotism is the whipped cream filling in the Ho Ho’s & Ding Dongs at the VA.
And yet, the VA will stand by these assholes as “very respected by their peers, so can do no wrong, it’s the Veteran that is always lying” isn’t that right DC Hotline? isn’t that the answer given to you most that you do not look any further into? Fucking joke, the entire agency and DC.
“VA Background Check”: Ensure all candidates can lay flatly on staph infected floors in order to orchestrate proper VA Hungry, Hungry Hippos. Background….Checks, VA Directives.
Great! Now my suspicions that the pain mgmt hack named Aboo really IS a sadistic bastard and since we are still in 17+ years of WAR, how about the terrorists just walk right into the VA and directly torture the Vets under Uncle Sugar’s nose?
WHAT THE FUCK, VA?????????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
But every VAMC’s employee parking lot spaces are incredibly secure and safe from we dangerous Veterans????!!!!!
While potential walking human IED’s are walking the hallways?!!! (PSYOPS can work this way)
This explains why fresh from the hut hacks with names from African Continent that cannot speak much discernible English but they have that condescending glare down pat while they are thinking of ways to kill us…WE ARE STILL AT WAR…and very likely to extenuate this mess further with what’s currently going on…and the VA cannot be bothered to secure their IT systems, OUR DATA, and now, our very SAFETY by hiring hacks of questionable maternal heritage, aka, RAT BASTARDS???!
BUT….the VA and AFGE little Cox want to feel more SAFE around we oh-so-dangerous Veterans? Fuck you, fat bastard! (“Baby….Baby Back Ribs….”) 😀
This is probably all just part of the VA’s diversity and Affirmative Action program and Gov’t Welfare Works Program for disenfranchised witch dr. hacks. Countries we are at war with get special preference and NO METAL DETECTORS and the VA will even pay for your flight lessons for your future plans….call it a business trip….wait for it…..
Place a group of pigs in a large area with many distractions around them, but only have one small feeding trough in area, those pigs will ignore all else around them, even potential dangers, because they are more concerned about getting their share at any costs….
Hint: The Piggy Trough in my ^analogy^ is the VA AFGE Paychecks or, the Veteran Cookie Jar.
Nam, I think its much worse than we know. If I am reading the IG summary correctly, the VA is essentially blaming some security office for not tracking whether the checks are complete on their own employees.
I asked a biddy about this, and he said any new hires or even current employees at another location cannot even start work at the new place UNLESS their background check is complete.
He does not work for an agency that requires security clearances, just background checks.
I cannot understand how the VA can get around this and allow some unvetted hack to start work before their check is done.
I think it was Seymore that has commented about Visa holders being hired in to the VA. I wonder if this is tied to that. Who gives a shit whether they can pass a background check, as long as the VA can hire them on the cheap.
But then look at little Debbie Wassman Schlitz. She hired the Awan brothers without a background check, then someone vouched for them to over 40 other congressional democrats so they could do IT for their offices, with several that were on the House Intel committee.
No background checks were done.
My God ! ! ! this is outrageous ! ! ! this is so stupid, you can’t make this stuff up ! ! !
DWA
VA Report
Founder/Webmaster
So you mean that the Chief of Staff from a defunct medical school in a seedy slum in India now here in VAMC Roseburg might not have been checked??? The former Chief Of Staff, a dentist with a specialty in sleep disorders (no shit) from the Islamic Nation of Kenya might have slipped through too? The now dismissed for malfeasance (former) Chief of Surgery, also from the defunct medical school in India, might also have been missed?
Well now that explains a lot… I guess we don’t have staff in those countries?