OIG Monthly Highlights
ADMINISTRATIVE INVESTIGATION
Misuse of Official Time and Failure to Properly Supervise, Oklahoma City VA Healthcare System
The Office of Inspector General’s (OIG’s) Administrative Investigations Division received an allegation that a former (since removed) Research Investigator (subject employee) at the Oklahoma City VA Healthcare System (HCS) did not show up for work at VA and was instead working at Johns Hopkins University (JHU) during his official VA duty hours. Further, the former (now retired) Associate Chief of Staff (ACOS) for Research allegedly improperly approved the subject employee’s pay for the time he was absent from VA. OIG found that, between April 2014 and September 2016, the subject employee teleworked without authorization for 157 hours, collected dual compensation from VA and JHU for 1,374 hours, and misused his official time when he received VA pay for 441 hours while traveling and giving lectures during his VA duty hours that were not VA sponsored. OIG further found that the former ACOS failed in his supervisory responsibilities by being unaware of the subject employee’s attendance, yet certifying the subject employee’s subsidiary timecards as well as VA’s electronic time and attendance system for hours he was not present at the facility and/or did not work. We referred the dual compensation matter to the Western District of Oklahoma United States Attorney’s Office. They reviewed the evidence, declined to proceed with criminal charges, and advised OIG to proceed with the matter administratively. The subject employee’s use of unauthorized telework, misuse of official time, dual compensation, and falsely claimed hours created a cost to VA of $102,542.
Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General (OIG)
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-------Military Health System in Washington, D.C., United States for Monday, 31 July 2017 "Partnerships, collaboration essential in global fight against health threats"
Partnerships, collaboration essential in global fight against health threatsDr. David Smith (second from the right) was part of a panel discussing the national security implications of epidemics during amfAR’s recent conference in Washington, D.C. Other panelists included, from left to right, Rear Adm. Anne Schuchat, acting director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Ron Klain, former White House Ebola response coordinator and executive vice president, Revolution, LLC; Dr. Smith; Ambassador James Glassman, former undersecretary for Public Diplomacy, U.S. Department of State; and moderator Judy Woodruff, anchor and managing editor, PBS Newshour.As service members deploy and operate around the world, the ability to protect the troops from exposure to health threats is critical to the overall mission. In the fight against infectious diseases, the Department of Defense has interagency partnerships, including with the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to target these diseases.
These partnerships have contributed to numerous vaccines, aimed at such threats as Zika and Human Immunodeficiency Virus, along with efforts to decrease risk for disease. Dr. Susan Blumenthal, a retired rear admiral and former U.S. assistant surgeon general, said the HIV infection rate has fallen by 18 percent in the United States over the last decade.
“How does that happen? It’s happened because of the people in this room, who work together with partners across America and the world to develop and implement a roadmap to end AIDs,” said Blumenthal, speaking at a recent amfAR conference in Washington, D.C. Blumenthal is currently serving as the senior policy and medical adviser for amfAR, the Foundation for AIDS Research.
This kind of collaboration has helped the Department of Defense establish strategies using data-driven measures to address health epidemics that affect national security. Dr. David Smith, deputy assistant secretary of Defense for Health Readiness Policy & Oversight performing the duties of the assistant secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, stressed the connection between global health threats and national security while speaking at the same conference.
“We put a major investment in research and development in this area because of the protection piece of it, but under the precept of prevent, protect, and respond,” said Smith, adding that major global health issues remain a threat to national and international security.
The U.S. Military HIV Research Program contributes expertise, surveillance, and vaccine development in response to global health threats. DoD has supported the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, known as PEPFAR, in the global fight against HIV and AIDS since 2003.
DoD involvement in the fight against epidemics is extensive, especially in areas affected by the most devastating diseases and the instability that follows. Collaboration with the National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, academic institutions, and other governments proves vital to the ongoing work against infectious diseases. DoD continues to train health workers and helps build capability in partner nations, while providing HIV prevention, care, and treatment to military personnel, said Smith.
Established in 1986, the U.S. Military HIV Research Program serves as a leader in HIV acute infection and cure research. It provides prevention, care, and treatment to military personnel while providing surveillance and threat assessment. The military’s efforts against HIV have also been leveraged to fight against other threats, including Ebola and Zika. Walter Reed Army Institute of Research moved Zika vaccine development forward, from concept to human clinical trials in less than 10 months, with the help of HIV program researchers.
“We have a rich national resource of laboratories around the world, including [in] South America, Africa, and Asia,” said Smith, stressing the important research and surveillance they conduct to help prevent infectious diseases around the world. “It’s important to support the global health security agenda and the great partnerships that we … want to sustain and further develop around the world.”
For more information, visit the U.S. Military HIV Research Program website.
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DHITS 2017 Attendees Interviews - 2
The Defense Health Information Technology Symposium kicked off July 25 in Orlando, Fla., bringing together 3,000 health military health system representatives and health information technology vendors from around the world. This is the second of four videos where we stopped and asked attendees to tell us why this gathering is an important part of the military health system information technology strategy.
The Defense Health Information Technology Symposium kicked off July 25 in Orlando, Fla., bringing together 3,000 health military health system representatives and health information technology vendors from around the world. This is the second of four videos where we stopped and asked attendees to tell us why this gathering is an important part of the military health system information technology strategy.
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