VA challenged on handling of whistleblower charges

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http://www.thenewstribune.com/2014/06/23/3257587/va-challenged-on-handling-of-whistleblower.html?sp=/99/261/



FILE - This June 18, 2014 file photo shows acting Veterans Affairs Secretary Sloan Gibson speaking in Washington. A top federal investigator said Monday that the Department of Veterans Affairs is risking patients' health by not fully addressing whistleblower complaints about the quality of care. The VA's acting director responded by launching an agency review. Gibson said he was "deeply disappointed" in his own agency's failure to take the complaints seriously.

VA challenged on handling of whistleblower charges
By KEVIN FREKING
Associated Press
June 23, 2014 Updated 8 minutes ago

WASHINGTON — A top federal investigator has identified "a troubling pattern of deficient patient care" at Veterans Affairs facilities around the country that she says was pointed out by whistleblowers but downplayed by the department.

The problems went far beyond the extraordinarily long wait time for some appointments — and the attempts to cover them up — that has put the department under intense scrutiny.

In a letter Monday to President Barack Obama, Carolyn Lerner of the U.S. Office of Special Counsel cited canceled appointments with no follow up, drinking water contaminated with the bacteria that causes Legionnaires' disease and improper handling of surgical equipment and supplies. One veteran was admitted to a long-term mental health facility but didn't get a comprehensive psychiatric evaluation for eight years.

Acting VA Secretary Sloan Gibson said he had launched a departmental review due to be completed within 14 days. "I am deeply disappointed not only in the substantiation of allegations raised by whistleblowers, but also in the failures within VA to take whistleblower complaints seriously," he said in a statement.

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