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VAOIG FINDS SOME WASTE AT UNIVERSITY OF
TEXAS-BASED PROJECT -- But, they found no
evidence of widespread fraud or cronyism
as alleged by Dr. Robert Van Boven.
For more about Dr. Van Boven's allegations that
led to the VAOIG investigation, use the VA Watchdog search engine...click
here...
http://www.yourvabenefits.org/sessearch.php?q=boven&op=and
VAOIG report is here...
http://www.va.gov/
oig/54/reports/VAOIG-08-01105-171.pdf
Story here...
http://www.statesman.com
/news/content/news/stories/local/08/03/0803va.html
Story below:
-------------------------
VA investigators find some waste at
UT-based project
They find no evidence of widespread fraud
or cronyism, as alleged.
By Marty Toohey
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
A Department of Veterans Affairs investigation has partially substantiated
allegations of waste and mismanagement in a VA brain-research program
housed at the University of Texas.
Leaders at the VA's Central Texas branch made contracting mistakes that
cost possibly hundreds of thousands of research dollars, according to the
VA's Office of the Inspector General. The investigators also concluded
that VA officials moved too slowly when apprised of concerns by Dr. Robert
Van Boven, who oversees the $6 million research program.
But the investigators also dispute the broadest of Van Boven's
allegations, such as cronyism among his superiors. And while the report
does not tally total dollar amounts, it indicates VA superiors misspent
far less than the $1.2 million Van Boven says they did.
The investigation came at the request of Van Boven, who began making
complaints shortly after taking over in July 2007 as the head of a
brain-injury research program housed at UT's J.J. Pickle Research Campus.
The program uses a giant scanner to perform cutting-edge research into
brain injuries among returning troops.
 The
program has been suspended for six months amid several investigations and
reviews, including the one just released.
Bruce Gordon, the director of the Central Texas Veterans Health Care
System, said that the investigators' conclusions are an "appropriate
representation of the issues and provided excellent guidance for
improvement of VA research efforts." Their recommendations, he wrote in
response to e-mail questions, are already being implemented.
Van Boven said the report vindicates his concerns.
"I'm grateful the (investigators) substantiated that there was waste and
mismanagement," Van Boven said. But he said the investigators didn't look
thoroughly enough into the areas where they disagreed with him.
One of the conclusions of the inspector general's report was that a
consultant made more than $100,000 at the brain-imaging center while
working without a contract. The spoken agreement violated government
spending policy, according to the investigators, and the lack of
documentation made it impossible to determine whether the contractor
defrauded the government, as Van Boven alleges.
Gordon said there are no other contractors working for the Central Texas
VA without a contract.
The report also found that the VA misread a contract to rent the UT brain
scanner, and unnecessarily paid for scanner time for almost a year. The VA
paid well over $100,000 in scanner time it mistakenly thought it was
obligated to buy, the report says.
But then the report begins to contradict Van Boven.
It found some of the excess purchased scanner time was not necessarily
wasted because it was used by another VA researcher, Dr. Kevin Carlin. The
longtime Air Force endocrinologist studied brain patterns associated with
diabetic retinopathy, a condition that causes some diabetics to gradually
go blind.
Van Boven alleges that Carlin was unqualified to use the scanner and
secured its use through friendships with VA leaders.
But the report found Van Boven's charge to be largely inaccurate, noting
the $6 million grant could be used for all manner of brain research.
"Despite being an inexperienced researcher," the report states, Carlin
"has had a distinguished career and has a long-standing interest in
biomedical research."
The report does not decide whether the research was scientifically
worthwhile. Five outside experts brought in by Van Boven panned Carlin's
work, and the report chides Carlin's superiors for not requiring him to
collect more data.
Van Boven has several other complaints not addressed by the report,
including his belief that his research was suspended as part of a larger
effort to punish him for speaking out. The White House's Office of Special
Counsel is investigating the claim.
Gordon denied the allegation and wrote that the program was suspended
during a standard review process that was delayed while the inspector
general's office conducted its investigation.
Paul Sullivan, the director of advocacy group Veterans for Common Sense
and a VA critic, said that whatever the VA decides to do about the
program, it should decide it quickly.
"This is research that could help our wounded troops," Sullivan said, "and
they're the ones who are hurt by this delay."
-------------------------
posted by Larry
Scott
Founder and Editor
VA Watchdog dot Org
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