Dozens of Veterans Affairs workers who have come forward with stories of mismanagement and patient abuse say they have faced retaliation within the scandal-scarred agency, according to federal investigators.
In one case, a VA employee with a spotless record over two decades was suspended after reporting patients had been inappropriately restrained, according to one of 37 such complaints filed with the U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC). In another case, an employee claimed to have been demoted after disclosing alleged mishandling of patient care funds. The employee was temporarily reassigned and an investigation is still ongoing, OSC officials said.
The complaints, which involved VA facilities in 19 states, appear to show a culture that discourages whistle-bowing, said officials at the OSC, which is probing the claims.
The investigation of the claims of retribution does not include a separate OSC review of 49 employee reports related to waiting lists and other issues at 152 hospitals and more than 1,700 other VA sites nationwide. Some facilities have been accused of doctoring their books to hide the fact that patients died while languishing on waiting lists to see doctors.
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