Whistleblowers who complained about delays in care, errors and poor-quality care were placed on leave or removed from clinical work, according to a report from the Project on Government Oversight watchdog group, based on complaints and comments sent to the group by nearly 800 current and former Veterans Affairs (VA) employees and veterans.
"A recurring and fundamental theme has become clear: VA employees across the country fear they will face repercussions if they dare to raise a dissenting voice," Danielle Brian, the group's executive director, said in the report. "Until we eliminate the culture of intimidation and climate of fear, no reforms will be able to turn this broken agency around."
The government is examining 67 claims of retaliation by supervisors at the VA against whistleblowing employees, FierceHealthcare previously reported, including complaints about wait times that left scores of veterans dead and thousands more still waiting for care.
The report comes after the Washington Times obtained documents that showed President Barack Obama's administration was advised during the 2008 presidential campaign not to trust the wait times VA facilities reported. Although documents show VA wait times have been a problem since at least the Bush administration, they bring into question what the VA and the administration have or have not done to address the known problem since then.
The Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee meets today to question Obama's nominee for VA secretary, Robert McDonald. McDonald is expected to win confirmation, but will likely face questions about the problems at the agency and his plans for reforming the troubled healthcare system, The Hill reported.
"People want to see a plan," Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) who sits on the VA Committee and has also said he will vote for McDonald, told AZ Central. "They want to see how long it's going to take to turn this around."
To learn more:
- here's the report
- read The Hill article
- check out the AZ Central article
- here's the Washington Times article