The Office of Veterans’ Affairs (VA) is becoming synonymous with whistleblower retaliation cases. The cases are not all coming from the same VA hospital, but from all over the country, indicating that the problems that are coming to light as the result of the whistleblowers’ efforts are present throughout the VA health care system. In one recent case, VA officials indefinitely suspended the deputy chief of staff at the Cincinnati VA Medical Center after she wrote three prescriptions for a private patient. She got reassigned to a position in the basement of the VA hospital, where she does data entry. The attorney for the suspended deputy chief of staff calls the suspension a publicity stunt that is intended to deflect attention away from the VA’s troubled relationship with UC Health.
The problems that exist between the Cincinnati VA and UC Health, a department of the University of Cincinnati, point to a national issue. Medical schools across America have been placing graduates in residencies at VA hospitals for over seventy years. Unfortunately, the relationships between many medical schools and the VA are in trouble because the VA does not conduct a lot of accountability when it contracts with medical schools and teaching hospitals. Hours are double-billed, VA patients get sent outside of the VA system for care that the VA could provide, and other inappropriate practices continue unchecked in the absence of much-needed oversight.
The woman at the center of this controversy, deputy chief of staff Dr. Barbara Temeck, has served the VA as a surgeon and an administrator for over thirty years. Her suspension, which does not involve her competence or professional conduct, is likely to be followed by termination. If Temeck does get fired, it is probable that she will appeal the termination. The suspension is not the only job-related concern for Temeck right now. The U.S. Attorney’s office is reviewing a federal investigative report about her, and it is possible that she could face criminal charges in connection with that report. The disciplinary measures that the VA has taken against Dr. Temeck rise to a level that is more severe than the disciplinary measures that the VA takes in situations where there is extreme prescription misuse. As is common in whistleblower cases, the VA has its own set of allegations against Temeck, and only time will tell what path the situation will end up taking.
The Mississippi Whistleblower Protection Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC know that whistleblower cases can take a lot of twists and turns. Barbara Temeck is near the beginning of her journey, and she has retained an attorney who can hep her every step of the way. Regardless of where you are in the whistleblower process, working with a lawyer is the best way to make sure that your rights get protected. If you experienced any kind of retaliation after you revealed wrongdoing in your workplace, a Mississippi Whistleblower Attorney might be able to help you recover any damages that were caused by the retaliation. To learn more, call the Mississippi Whistleblower Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC, at 1 (800) 707-9577 to arrange an initial consultation.