A Department of Veterans’ Affairs employee who blew the whistle on the VA’s use of unauthorized wait lists for mental healthcare in Colorado has resigned after describing his being subjected to retaliation for speaking out.
The whistle-blower describes VA conduct such as assigning him to an office with no computer access, no significant duties, and no social contact. He has contended that VA actions against him are punitive and his working conditions were intolerable.
The whistle-blower notes that VA was using unauthorized wait lists for mental health services in Denver and Golden, Colorado VA facilities. He indicated that the list was kept secret and hid the true facts as to how long it takes for veterans to get treatment for mental health services.
He gave the opinion that long wait times for veterans to receive mental health treatment discourage their use of such services. Naturally, this could have life-altering consequences, especially for those veterans who may be suffering from suicidal ideation.
This latest incident involving the Denver VA comes on top of the scandal previously regarding the Phoenix VA and also ones that I wrote about here on this blog in Northport, Long Island. There were other situations that have occurred where thousands of veterans may have had their personal information compromised as well.