Federal Manager's Daily Report

The Office of Special Counsel is pressing the VA to disclose whether it has taken disciplinary action against managers in one of three whistleblower disclosure investigations that it has brought to the attention of the White House and Congress.

The case involved an allegation that a medical center improperly prescribed certain cheaper medications, which the VA management agreed was a violation of departmental policy and a threat to health and safety, the OSC said. OSC directed the VA to address additional disclosures and asked it to provide information on whether it disciplined any senior managers.

In a second case, the IG’s office at the VA confirmed allegations that the department did not adequately train Veterans Crisis Line staff and back-up call center volunteers. While VA management agreed to take several steps in response, the OSC said those responses are inadequate; for example, the department does not require that back-up centers obtain industry accreditation and no agreements exist between VA and back-up centers on training or orientation, it said.

In the third case, the VA confirmed allegations that a medical center did not test flexible endoscopes for leaks, putting patients at greater risk of infection. In that case, OSC said the VA has not provided sufficient information to determine whether the response was adequate.