Latest news with #inspectorgeneral
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Health
- The Guardian
‘Severe' staff shortages at US veterans' hospitals, watchdog finds
The US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is experiencing 'severe' staff shortages at all its hospitals, with the number of shortages increasing by 50% this fiscal year, according to a new report from the agency's independent watchdog. The report, released on Tuesday, came a day after the Guardian revealed the department had lost thousands of healthcare professionals deemed 'core' to the system under Donald Trump, without which, the agency said, 'mission-critical work cannot be completed'. The inspector general found 94% of VA facilities faced a 'severe' shortage of doctors, while 79% faced a severe shortage of nurses. Psychology was 'the most frequently reported clinical occupational staffing shortage'. A majority of VA facilities also reported severe shortages of police officers, who keep veteran patients and staff safe. The VA operates the largest integrated healthcare system in the United States, serving 9 million veterans annually. The report is required under two laws, one signed by Trump in 2017, which require the agency's inspector general annually to determine the extent of staffing shortages within each medical center. In a statement, Congressman Mark Takano of California, the ranking Democrat on the House committee on veterans' affairs, said the report 'confirms our fears' that shortages of medical staff were leading to 'decreased access and choice for veterans'. The VA press secretary, Peter Kasperowicz, told the Guardian the congressionally mandated watchdog report was 'not a reliable indicator of staffing shortages' and that it was 'completely subjective, not standardized and unreliable'. The report is based on a survey of VA medical centers in April. Since then, a Guardian review of agency staffing records found, the VA has continued to lose doctors, nurses, psychologists, social workers and other frontline medical professionals. Kasperowicz did not dispute the fact that the agency had lost thousands of 'mission-critical' healthcare workers under Trump – including after the watchdog's survey period concluded. The VA is in the midst of a department-wide reduction of 30,000 workers, which the secretary of veterans affairs, Doug Collins, said could be accomplished by September through a combination of attrition, a hiring freeze and deferred resignation program. The staff cuts, Collins said, would not affect patient care, but were 'centered on reducing bureaucracy and improving services to veterans'. In May, the Guardian reported that staff losses at the VA had led to unit closures, reduced hours of operations and exam backlogs across the hospital system.
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Health
- The Guardian
‘Severe' staff shortages at US veterans' hospitals, watchdog finds
The US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is experiencing 'severe' staff shortages at all its hospitals, with the number of shortages increasing by 50% this fiscal year, according to a new report from the agency's independent watchdog. The report, released on Tuesday, came a day after the Guardian revealed the department had lost thousands of healthcare professionals deemed 'core' to the system under Donald Trump, without which, the agency said, 'mission-critical work cannot be completed'. The inspector general found 94% of VA facilities faced a 'severe' shortage of doctors, while 79% faced a severe shortage of nurses. Psychology was 'the most frequently reported clinical occupational staffing shortage'. A majority of VA facilities also reported severe shortages of police officers, who keep veteran patients and staff safe. The VA operates the largest integrated healthcare system in the United States, serving 9 million veterans annually. The report is required under two laws, one signed by Trump in 2017, which require the agency's inspector general annually to determine the extent of staffing shortages within each medical center. In a statement, Congressman Mark Takano of California, the ranking Democrat on the House committee on veterans' affairs, said the report 'confirms our fears' that shortages of medical staff were leading to 'decreased access and choice for veterans'. The VA press secretary, Peter Kasperowicz, told the Guardian the congressionally mandated watchdog report was 'not a reliable indicator of staffing shortages' and that it was 'completely subjective, not standardized and unreliable'. The report is based on a survey of VA medical centers in April. Since then, a Guardian review of agency staffing records found, the VA has continued to lose doctors, nurses, psychologists, social workers and other frontline medical professionals. Kasperowicz did not dispute the fact that the agency had lost thousands of 'mission-critical' healthcare workers under Trump – including after the watchdog's survey period concluded. The VA is in the midst of a department-wide reduction of 30,000 workers, which the secretary of veterans affairs, Doug Collins, said could be accomplished by September through a combination of attrition, a hiring freeze and deferred resignation program. The staff cuts, Collins said, would not affect patient care, but were 'centered on reducing bureaucracy and improving services to veterans'. In May, the Guardian reported that staff losses at the VA had led to unit closures, reduced hours of operations and exam backlogs across the hospital system.
New York Times
31-07-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Unnoticed Whistle-Blower Document Alarms Justice Department Veterans
The Justice Department's internal watchdog lost a crucial account from a whistle-blower detailing wrongdoing by political appointees for more than two months, prompting criticism that the agency's inspector general has been inactive and silent during a time of deep turmoil. The complaint, submitted in early May, accused top Justice Department officials like Emil Bove III of overseeing an effort to mislead judges and skirt or ignore court orders, according to people familiar with the filing. That the office received, but did not act upon, a potentially explosive set of allegations two weeks before news of Mr. Bove's nomination to become a federal appeals court judge has raised serious concerns from current and former department lawyers that the unit responsible for policing not just the department but agencies like the F.B.I. and D.E.A. may have gone largely dormant. 'We were all stunned,' said Libby Liu, the chief executive of Whistleblower Aid, a group representing the person who filed the complaint. 'Clearly the inspector general failed in their basic function here. If they don't even open whistle-blower complaints, then what is going on?' A spokesperson for the inspector general declined to comment on the handling of the complaint. The filing, which is not public, was submitted to the inspector general's office in electronic form on May 2, and a longer, printed version that included documentary evidence was delivered on May 5, according to people familiar with the filing. The inspector general appears to have done nothing with the information for more than two months, and many in that office did not realize they even had the material until a day or two before the full Senate voted on Mr. Bove's nomination. He was confirmed Tuesday by a razor-thin margin, 50 to 49. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Washington Post
21-07-2025
- Washington Post
Report: ‘Critical gaps' in D.C. schools' gun violence prevention plan
D.C.'s inspector general found flaws in the school system's approach to safety and gun violence prevention, including inconsistent tracking of visitors and a backlog of repair requests across its more than 117 traditional public schools. Half of safety and security-related repairs in D.C. Public Schools — from broken locks to inoperable public-announcement systems — were not completed in the required time frame, the report found. The number of school-based police officers has fallen from 99 to 35 in recent years, leaving almost three-quarters of schools without a regular officer.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
As Musk exits with a whimper, Trump makes mockery of fighting government waste
Elon Musk's time in the Donald Trump administration came to an end with little fanfare and some tepid remarks on his social media platform. But it is becoming increasingly clear that Trump no longer cares about eliminating government waste, if he ever did. Among Trump's actions that emphasize this point is his firing of inspectors general and replacing them with unqualified loyalists. Jen Psaki discusses with Mark Greenblatt, former inspector general at the Department of the Interior, and Robert
