VA challenged on handling of whistleblower charges

By Kevin Freking

Published June 24, 2014 1:08am ET

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VA challenged on handling of whistleblower charges — FILE - This June 18, 2014 file photo shows acting Veterans Affairs Secretary Sloan Gibson speaking in Washington. A top federal investigator said Monday that the Department of Veterans Affairs is risking patients' health by not fully addressing whistleblower complaints about the quality of care. The VA's acting director responded by launching an agency review. Gibson said he was "deeply disappointed" in his own agency's failure to take the complaints seriously.(AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File) | Jose Luis Magana

WASHINGTON (AP) — A top federal investigator has identified “a troubling pattern of deficient patient care” at Veterans Affairs facilities around the country that she says was pointed out by whistleblowers but downplayed by the department.

The problems went far beyond the extraordinarily long wait time for some appointments — and the attempts to cover them up — that has put the department under intense scrutiny.

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