The VA Augusta Health Care System in Georgia failed to maintain accurate inventory records for expendable supplies and nonexpendable equipment, according to a Sept. 2 report from the VA Office of Inspector General — following a recent radiologist exodus that disrupted imaging services at the VA’s Washington, D.C., hospital.
Here’s what to know:
- The review, prompted by concerns raised by VA Secretary Doug Collins and facility leaders in March, covered supply chain leadership, expendable supplies, nonexpendable equipment and warehouse controls from March through June. The Office of Inspector General found records mismatched physical counts for 89 of 100 sampled expendable items, and inspectors could not locate five of 35 sampled equipment items worth about $25,000.
- Supply shortages tied to incomplete carts, expired stock and unreliable secondary inventory rooms contributed to four operating room closures between October 2025 and February 2026, including one that lasted 27 days and forced staff to reschedule procedures and notify veterans of cancellations.
- Inspectors found three warehouses in disarray, with improperly stored compressed gas cylinders and 50 pallets of expired, excess or otherwise unusable supplies — more than double the 22 pallets the facility had reported, worth about $613,000 in expired stock alone.
- A $3.2 million weight-based inventory system awarded in 2021 was never fully installed after a former supply chief disabled it in 2023. VA paid an additional $223,000 in December for a contractor to finish the job, but the system still wasn’t fully operational as of June.
- The facility had 125 authorized supply chain positions but only 60 filled as of March, and Veterans Integrated Services Network-level quality control reviews had flagged many of the same deficiencies in each of the last three fiscal years without full corrective follow-through.
- VA leaders concurred with all seven OIG recommendations in August. The OIG closed three of them based on evidence the facility submitted and will continue monitoring the remaining four.
In a statement to Becker’s, VA Press Secretary Quinn Slaven said the agency “appreciates that OIG quickly launched this investigation after Secretary Collins raised concerns about supply chain issues at the facility in early 2026,” adding that VA “has already implemented three of the seven OIG recommendations and are progressing toward closing them all.”
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