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Investigators can't find a lot of equipment at VA centers

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published July 25, 2007

WASHINGTON - More than a quarter of the computer equipment at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Washington could not be found by investigators, government auditors reported Tuesday.

Three other VA facilities showed slightly better results but still could not locate from 6 percent to 11 percent of their equipment, including computers, hard drives and monitors. In all, the four facilities audited by the Government Accountability Office reported more than 2,400 missing items originally worth $6.4-million.

The audit follows a series of computer data security breaches at the agency that exposed millions of veterans and medical providers to possible identity theft.

"It has a very corrosive effect on trust in the VA in general," said Rep. Tim Walz, D-Minn.

The GAO sampled equipment inventories at medical centers in Washington, San Diego, Indianapolis and at VA headquarters.

The auditors said much of the equipment that could be found was not where inventory records said it should be. Equipment often was moved or set aside for discard without documentation.

Equipment slated for disposal - some containing sensitive records - often sat unprotected in storage rooms for months or years, the report said.

The GAO found similar weaknesses in six VA facilities in 2004.

VA officials said they were making progress. Since the three-month audit was completed, officials said they had located much of the missing equipment or had verified that it was sent to surplus.

Fast Facts:

Equipment missing

Washington Medical Center: 28 percent

VA Headquarters: 11 percent

San Diego Medical Center: 10 percent

Indianapolis Medical Center: 6 percent

[Last modified July 24, 2007, 22:06:56]