Whistleblowers Get Cash Relief

[Berta]

http://www.disabledveterans.org/2015/01/22/va-whistleblowers-get-payoff/

In part:
"This Tuesday, VA announced it is offering payoffs to VA whistleblowers who faced retaliation nationwide after filing complaints about wrongdoing at VA hospitals and clinics.

The move is a great step, but what about retaliation against veterans in the health care system who were also retaliated against after filing complaints, too?

Last year, VA sent and offer to three Phoenix VA employees who faced retaliation after blowing the lid off illegal and fraudulent scams engaged in by other VA employees. The new round of relief offers is sent to 25 VA employees. This includes a doctor formerly associated with a Maryland VA clinic who was reprimanded after reporting crimes against veterans."

Ben makes a great point in this article.

MANY of us, who have aggressively complained about VA had been retaliated against.

I feel strongly that this is why I spent 14 years over 2 claims in a backlog and have Never received a proper decision from my RO , without fighting for it.

It was never a question of my evidence.

They simply never read it at all.

[broncovet]

Exactly, Berta.

IN Dec., 2008, I sent the VA a "Request for special handling" due to the likeliness I had evidence shredded. I also complained to the VAOIG about the shredding, and they substantiated my allegations but told me to "Tell the RO your evidence was shredded".

In other words, this is like the VAOIG telling the rape victim to report the rape to her supervisor who raped her.

In retaliation, the VA ACTUALLY SHREDDED my "request for special handling". No kidding, I have a copy of it, and it is NOT contained in the Record Before Agency (RBA). They also put me on the hamster wheel, for 6 more years, refusing to comply with the BVA remand. I consider my Dec. 2008 letter, along with the VAOIG report of my complaint, probabitive evidence that I did, indeed submit paperwork that I said I did, and the VA shredded it.

Ask nod has some good stuff (20 different articles) on rebutting VA's "presumption of regularity". In other words, the VA is given a free ride..everything they say is assumed to be factual and the government official mailed what they said, and you, (the Veteran) are a liar, that you never mailed in the documents you said you did.

Here is one:

https://asknod.wordpress.com/2014/11/09/cavc-proffer-v-mcdonald-tailoring-the-presumption/

And here are all 20 articles Ask Nod has on VA presumption of regularity:

https://asknod.wordpress.com/category/presumption-of-regularity-2/

[broncovet]

Berta, I like this. This is good news. The VA kept its employees in line with retaliation, and the threat of it. Now, the tables are turned and I hope this is for real...that whistleblowers do get cash for turning in their supervisors who try to hush up their crimes.

[63SIERRA]

where is the united states attorney general in all of this? why arent people being prosecuted? Why do federal workers get to be fired or relocated and are immune from criminal prosecution?? Homicide thru gross negligence would seem like a prosecutable offense, and that is what happened in Pheonix??

If an electrician decides to leave live wires exposed because he is too lazy to cover them, or doesnt want to pay his workers to do it and someone get electrocuted and dies, he can be prosecuted for gross negligence..

The same law should apply to a doctor, adminstrator, ect,