VA building in San Diego, CA - July 4, 2023. The Southern California Earthquake Center puts the likelihood of a 6.7 magnitude or greater earthquake for Southern CA at 60 percent. Image: S and S Imaging/Shutterstock.com
By: FEDweek StaffThe VA has directed some of the funding available to harden its essential buildings against seismic shocks to buildings that don’t meet that standard, while failing to assess the risk to more than 100 buildings that do meet the standard, an inspector general report has said.
“VA’s misplaced priorities increase the risks to veteran and employee safety and impede the ability to continue to provide lifesaving care during or following an earthquake,” it said.
The report noted that following a 2015 IG report concluding that VA did not have a complete and accurate inventory of buildings with identified seismic deficiencies, the department created a Seismic Program Office and started requesting and receiving funds from Congress to make needed improvements.
However, the latest report found that of 92 buildings that had been approved for funding through that program over 2019-2021, 42—accounting for more than $600 million of the $1.4 billion allocated—“were considered ancillary buildings, as opposed to critical or essential buildings that must remain operational during a seismic event.” Those included, for example, buildings categorized as for storage, recreation and grounds maintenance.
Meanwhile, as of early this year seismic evaluations had not been performed on 135 buildings considered to be critical or essential, of which 92 were in areas of high or very high seismicity. “If a seismic event were to occur at these locations without proper mitigation of seismic design-related deficiencies, it could compromise the lives and safety of VA employees and veterans,” it said.
Auditors found that the evaluations were not completed “because the Seismic Program Office placed a low priority on these evaluations and did not assign a deadline for their completion, despite the 2015 OIG audit recommending this issue be addressed.” Further, the VA “lacked an effective process for identifying and tracking buildings needing evaluations” and seismic data in its real property inventory “was incomplete, outdated, and not accessible to most VA engineering officials.”
Management agreed with the report’s recommendations and submitted plans that the IG said it considered responsive but that it will monitor.
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