Former Cincinnati VA Chief Turns Whistleblower
Former Cincinnati VA chief Dr. Barbara Temeck came forward as a whistleblower following allegations that she herself had engaged in wrongdoing at the facility.
After being removed from her position, Temeck came forward with allegations that she was demoted from her position as acting chief of staff in retaliation for pushing back against wrongdoing.
RELATED: Is Cincinnati VA The Next Tomah?
Instead, she claims the demotion was because she pushed back against management encroachment from University of Cincinnati leadership.
Last fall, dozens of doctors, nurses and caregivers filed a unanimous letter complaining about Temeck. But Temeck claims the letter was an orchestrated rouse used to help wrongdoers “benefit from the lack of accountability at the Cincinnati VA.”
RELATED: Why Do Skeletons Follow Dr. Barbara Temeck?
The anonymous complaint letter was apparently sent by 34 VA employees. The claimed Temeck was mismanaging the hospital that resulted in reduced care for veterans.
But Temeck claims the allegations in the anonymous complaint served as more of an end run against her reforms to keep the non-VA health care spending in line with that of other facilities.
RELATED: Who Runs The VA In Cincinnati?
BARBARA TEMECK COMPLAINT
In her statement to the Office of Special Counsel, per The Enquirer, Temeck alleged the following:
The Cincinnati VA will pay more than $1 million in overtime in 2016 to nurses and other health-care providers who are covering for the absences of surgeons, who also claim their salaries.
The VA had a contract with UC Health for more than $1.5 million to provide radiology services. Temeck replaced that contract by hiring staff radiologists, and “UC leadership was very upset.”
The medical school billed the VA for $887,000 in extra educational costs for medical residents at the Cincinnati facility. When Temeck analyzed the billing, she found the actual amount due was closer to $67,000. She said a disappointed medical school official told her, “We’ll do better next year.”
Most Cincinnati VA surgeons work only four days a week although they are supposed to be working for the VA five days a week. Many of them also are working for UC Health at UC Medical Center.
VA surgeons often weren’t available for VA clinics because they were working at UC Medical Center. “Physician staffing is controlled and manipulated” by UC Health, Temeck’s statement said.
Veterans were sent to UC Medical Center for procedures that the Cincinnati VA could do if it were properly staffed with surgeons. The Cincinnati VA keeps an operating room ready and staffed with nurses 24 hours a day.
UC Health blocked Temeck from reaching out to TriHealth or Mercy Health for help in hiring for open jobs that UC Health or the College of Medicine promised to fill but did not.
So who should we believe in this “he said, she said” mess in Cincinnati? Is it curious that the Office of Special Counsel complaint from Temeck came only after she was removed as chief of staff for wrongdoing?
Source: https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2016/05/11/va-official-says-uc-runs-cincinnati-va/83383900/
Who protects the Veteran Whistleblower? The Patient Advocate that works for the VA and the director of facility the Veteran is complaining about. NOT
I would like to see investigations into the many thousands of complaints filed by Veterans that have never been investigated. Instead all the VA care about is their own, and making sure no one is held accountable.
The management at the VA are going to whistleblow each other until all the money budgeted for the VA is spent in the courts to support management and the Veterans will get nothing.
I read in one of the articles of Military Times about 2 weeks ago that BobMcD made a statement that he is “pushing” to make The VA Secretary position (of which he now holds) a more longer-lasting position where the Secretary can ‘not be ousted’ from the position just because a new President gets elected to office, or for any other reason in fact. I almost shit when I read that.
Can this man do anything but 1) ask for more billions from Congress a few times a year. 2) CONSTANTLY ask for ‘more time’ (like a fucking lifetime or so) to straighten out any one of the millions of problems with this dirt-bag, cockroach-infested organization as he did all his life with P&G before???
In other words – he wants the job security ++++ that the Pope has. His pitch for this, naturally, comes in the re-election year where he is facing being ousted if Trump gets in. That seems to be all this (man?) does. Those two things. He’s been getting away with that since he was a little boy, I guess. And he is very, very good at it folks. Yes-errr-ree BOB.
I do not have the date of the article or I would post a link here – but it was imbedded in one during the last 2 weeks or so. Worth combing through to find it – I assure you. What a weasel.
LET’S US VETERANS CALLED OUR CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS THAT MAKE THE VETERANS MEDICAL CENTERS LAWS GET RID OF THE VETERANS REGIONAL COUNSELS THAT WORKS FOR THE VETERANS MEDICAL CENTERS…..Ooray.
I still can not believe that none of the crooked VA people get arrested! These are criminal acts and should be punished through the judicial system! I’ve been following Ben’s comments now for about a year while trying to obtain benefits for a 73 yr old Vietnam Vet that has every diagnosis in the service connected list for agent orange! The only thing they gave him was 0% rating for prostate cancer! I am still fighting!!
In my next life I will stay home go to college work for the V.A. AND THEN I WILL BE SMARTER, BETTER AND JESUS WILL LOVE ME MORE!!!.
Interesting turn of events. Why didn’t she blow the whistle? Was it because she saw how VA treats whistle blowers?
I call BS on her whole, sudden, come-to-Jesus moment here.
It does call for a very thorough investigation by the newly minted IG though.
@91Veteran
She was caught prescribing narcotics to everyone. When she was not supposed to be doing it! Probably a lot more shit to boot. That we’re not hearing about!
So, now it all comes down to:
“SHE GOT CAUGHT!” and now it’s a case of:
“COVERING MY ASS!”
I still say, IF more people of her “GS & SES” levels were caught in felonies, we might see more whistleblowers!
I had not heard or forgot that she was handing out prescriptions to others.
The VA was elevated to be a cabinet level agency years ago, but it didn’t make much difference. The leadership have often been constrained by the White House, or have been worthless political cronies. Because of that, the corruption and incompetence has been allowed to fester and get worse over the last 30+ years.
That Dr. Quack here has been floating around the VA for 30 years like a turd in a punch bowl, but just now recognizes corruption shows how bad it permeates the whole agency. This BS is happening at any VA associated with a university. I highly doubt she had any concern over waste of tax money since she was collecting a salary as a surgeon without performing the surgery. If she had, there should be patient records to support it.
I do find the comment about her trying to bring the budget in line with other facilities very interesting. So facility X spends less than facility Y, therefore facility Y must be bad and have their budget cut? Perhaps facility Y is doing their damn job and treating veterans? Perhaps facility X is cancelling appointments or manipulating them so managers can get their bonus. Perhaps she should be more concerned with veterans getting proper care rather than whether her facility budget is slightly higher than the other one, therefore she loses her bonus.
That she had 30+ people say she was incompetent kind of tells the truth.
I do wish the next VA Secretary would be some old crusty E-9 Sergeant Major, with an old infantry Colonel for an IG who was passed over for his star because his “peers” were uncomfortable because he would not kiss ass like they did, and his staff of IG inspectors would be E-4 through E-9 veterans. I don’t want to slight E-1 through E-3, but am just looking at it from an experience view.
I would like nothing more than to see some old E-9 rip Sally a new ass because she’s waiting for her nails to dry so she can start typing and checking in veterans.
@91veteran- THAT was SO spot-on!!!!!!! (your last sentence is SO true as I have been there at check-in desk in past where the VA employee was doing JUST THAT with her too long to type anything accurately nails, making the Vets wait while the nail polish or glued rhinestones dry) 🙂
Barbara Temeck should be sitting in a cell waiting to go to trial along with Jack Hetrick. Didn’t she prescribe medication for Jack Hetrick’s wife? Didn’t she accept money for work she didn’t perform? Why wasn’t she charged with the felonies she comitted? My son Josh was treated at the Cincinnati VA. He ended his life in 2013. Josh was one of the Fort Hood victims our leaders forgot about. Director Linda Smith was ordered to answer all of my questions during a Congressional field hearing after false testimony had been given. She kept me at arms length until her retirement in December 2014. Subsequent part-time directors have done nothing to change the enviroment at the Cincinnati VA. Dr. Temeck has sat in on almost every meeting I have had. She says nothing. She contributed nothing at any of the meetings. The same goes for the Town Hall meetings. She watches and stays silent. She did nothing to help resolve any of the issues I have with the Cincinnati VA. I will say that VETS LOSE AGAIN AND AGAIN. There is NO ACCOUNTABILITY. There is NO TRANSPARENCY. There is No consistency in leadership. Congress is complicit. Congress allows the shennigans to continue. Congress continues to wipe their feet on veterans. Congress continues to play pivot and point politics. I have never seen any member of Congress at a VA Town Hall meeting. I have invited them all. Brown, Portman, Chabot, Wenstrup……….all do their best Bowe Bergdahl imitation and disappear. Ask Brad Wenstrup what he thinks? He is a veteran with a Bronze Star and a CAB. He is also a politician who has said absolutely nothing about the issues at the Cincinnati VA. Another question??????????? Who does the oversight for the OIG? They will bury this deeper than my son. May God have mercy on them all.
I am sorry for the loss of your son. May he now rest in peace. Thank you for continuing to fight the good fight for all of us.
Its my local VA and as dumb as it sounds she is telling the truth about this. It doesn’t wipe her slate clear because she is corrupt to and was caught but that entire hospital is crap. It is controlled by people with dual relationships with University of Cincinnati. I was turned down for choice care verbally with a escort by police beyond 30 day waits. I need an operation but trying to get it done outside the VA at reasonable cost due to red flag (I am SC above 30%) for the same reason Mr. Krause has his. Makes me sick I am going to pay so much and have been minor pain for months YET this woman’s husband whose job was “oversight” collected a surgeon salary but never performed one. Manipulated Choice Care to cover up shortcoming in the same Operating Room he collected six figure salary NOT TO PERFORM SALARY and his wife (this woman) writing opiate prescriptions to employees!
As bad as she is, ITS TRUE! Get the UC people out of the VA! I got a $1500 bill right now from UC emergency room for treatment of my service connection. They collected data about my visit and used it in studies involving millions in grants and are youtube using it to fund studies in civilians. I say use that grant to pay the ER bill or stop collecting/publishing data on me without consent.
elf, just watched the Obama video and I have chills running up my spine! So scary!!
@Donna
Don’t forget the one from Dave Hodges of “the Common Sense Show” concerning:
“Plan B To Stop The Trump Movement Is In Effect”
Check out how the military is voting! Many grafts and videos!
it doesn’t matter how anyone votes.
actually, nobody should vote.
votes aren’t counted. israeli voting machines count the ‘votes’.
if the politicians or courts or NGOs do not like the outcome of the ‘vote’
they will change the vote.
electoral college, whatever that is, “elects” the president.
the president of the corporation, United States of America, Inc.,
is not voted in by voting of the live stock of the corporation (that’s us, we the people).
the president is voted in or appointed by the Board of Directors, Officers, shareholders of the corporation. we are the stock, the live stock, being traded, farmed and used for corporate purposes.
stop voting. boycott elections.
Interesting situation. My gut feeling, I believe she would have made peace with letting those she accused with getting away with less than honorable and in many cases criminal behavior. However, in this case, does not seem to be much honor among thieves.
The use of the Whistleblower protection is a good move on her part, if she can backup some of the allegations. It may show that the system is broken, but I believe this is already quite obvious.
However, I question how useful it is to benefit her reinstatement. Most of what I read from the report indicates an associated leadership of the University of Cincinnati was the reason she was unable to do what was right or “blow the whistle” prior to the hammer being dropped on her lack of leadership abilities. Why not make this complaint before the villagers rose up against her, and she states the doctors and nurses did?
There are a lot of good folks that work at the VA, but under a system that poorly manages their resources towards their primary mission. Providing the best care that all Veterans deserve. I can never fathom why a young man or woman who volunteered to serve their country’s interests in some of the most God awful places, has to than fight for a decent existence when he/she returns to civilian life. The elite wave the patriotic flag, both Republican and Democrat, but when the issue of money or benefits is put on the table, there are few that are as zealous in their convictions as in their speeches. I heard a politician once say, “Do not tell me what you care about, show me your checkbook, and I will tell you what you care about”.
I work for the USPS, and after 17 years of service here, this agency has some of the same systemic problems. Without getting into whole different conversation, blame for failure can be found at all levels. However, ultimately, those in Congress and those who make policy at these Federal Agencies are those who setup an agency such as the VA to be successful or not. If their intent is to be personally successful instead of meeting their key function and purpose of providing the best Service than they should find something else to do. If the lower level employees are inundated with Veterans needing care, all necessary measures should be taken to provide for their needs. Personally, the focus seems to be more on the bean counting and if their bean counting goals are met, than they feel successful. Some are even rewarded with extra pay via incentive bonuses. Service, Service, and better Service should be the main goal to the Veteran’s who have given so much for the freedoms we all enjoy.
To give a potentially useful scenario of how this whistleblower should be looked at is as follows:
The way I look at it is, if a solider was intoxicated while driving on base, and he was pulled over and arrested. He is ultimately the one who made the mistake and faces the consequences. However, if the security procedures at the base are lack and this same driver kills someone, the blame could very well also be placed on the shoulders of those in charge. If the problem occurred over and over, I find it hard to believe an ongoing level of systemic failure would be rewarded in our beloved Military. Simply put, this Whistleblower, allowed this to continue, and only came forward after she was called out. While none of us know anything more than the details in one article, the investigation by the proper authorities will allow for her day to prove these allegations. If she is trying to save her bacon, she will need to prove she was stopped by someone above her from doing what is right.
Lastly, as some commenters have indicated, we need more upper management to come forward about the policies or influences that are negatively impacting the care provided the veterans. This allows those that serve under them that truly care about the veterans and the service they provide to be willing to speak up as well. Unfortunately, I am not holding my breath. Like at the Postal Service, the usual result is just rearranging the staffing or worse yet promoting those who truly are detrimental to the mission of Service.
God bless to all those who have served this great country and keep your chins up. Regardless of these less than honorable bureaucrats, the comradeship, the pride of accomplishment, and even the sacrifices made by our brothers and sisters in arms can never be taken away from them. These are what makes us better than those that want to make money no matter the to detrimental cost of serving those who need it most.
God bless and keep up the fight,
Shaun
USMC
Dear Mr. Krause:
Kudos and more Kudos for Dr. Barbara Temeck, we should have more like her, I sure there are and or will be, proving that not all apples in the barrel are rotten we just have
to exercise more patience, but that is not to say we should just sit back doing nothing
just turn the other cheek but do our part without going down the deep end.
And do more praying I can say that from experience, well anyway when this starts to
happen we will so9me change.
Yours for GOD and Country
Frank P. Calderon
@Robin Mitchell
I agree, “take what you can get” when it comes to ‘Whistleblowers!”
Actually, I’d like to see more higher ups getting caught doing bad things. Then have them turn ‘Whistleblower Status’!
These kinds of people, more likely than not, have lots of information, (DIRT), detrimental to all VHA’s & VBA’s nationwide.
All we can hope for is “Bagdad McDonald”, or his minions, to really screw up sooner than later!
By the way, where has the “Fearless Fake Special Forces Leader” been lately? Has anyone heard anything?
@crazyelf- I agree about the higher ups and whistleblower statement you made. However, these wile and cunning fraudsters would need Sodium Pentothal or some powerful modern ‘truth serum’ to get them to actually spill *ALL* they may know as far as ‘dirt’.
Self-serving individuals usually only play ‘songbird’ *just enough* to ‘plea bargain’ their troubled a$$ out of trouble and harm’s way, then back to usual business.
Let’s see what this new VA OIG is really made of. Warming a seat or take action from it?
The VA needs a complete enema.
Forget Sodium Pentathol. When my husband was doing “off the books” stuff and they had a hard case they called in a CIA/DIA doctor that gave them something right out of a Vince Flynn novel.
Fear and loathing in their own head shit.
Oh, and I know his name…he has some deep VA ties and is now an almost billionaire.
His on the Chesapeake Bay house address is coming up soon enough.
Ever hear of a level 8 at SOCOM?
This come-lately moralistic self-serving turn to Whistleblower reminds me of Peewee Herman in this -1- minute clip where he uses that statement to fluster a person’s mind in a childish defense; “I know you are but what am I?”
“https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOGWbzUM-y8”
I need a like button right here…LOL
I am thinking that there is some truth in what she says due to the Ann Arbor Michigan VA is using Residents from the University of Michigan Medical school right up the road.
Now in saying that, I also think that if she was as concerned as she is trying to make herself out to be, she would have either tried to fix this or made this public a long time ago so it seems to me a simple case of trying to CYA
In the late 1990s UCLA Medical School and the VA Medical and Research Center lost their “research credential” because of interference from UCLA Medical School and its failure to follow procedures in letting veterans know and decide if they wanted to be a part of a medical research project.
This sounds similar but a retaliatory claim by someone who was positioned to be a fall guy. (girl). More investigation needed of the Medical School Side. Big bucks in using veterans as pharmaceutical Ginny pigs and not enough volunteer to suit the pharmaceutical companies’ needs and demands.
That was in 1999!
I read where similar “accusations against VA” are going on up in either Washington State or Oregon now!
This is one of VA’s dedicated professionals. And, I am a gazelle
No more party invites to Baghdad Bobby’s house at 8800 Blome Rd.
In fact, I am hearing the party is over for Bobby all together. Problem is he had to promise Obama he would stay to the bitter end in order to get the job. Unless someone in the family suddenly feels very ill and gives him an excuse to bail he is stuck being the 2016 election punching bag.
One congressional staffer told me that the VA is 75% of their constituent complaints. Bob actually did what this guy thought was impossible: generates more complaints about the VA than they get about the IRS.
At least he is successful at something.
Yep, he’s “suck-sessful” alright!
Allowing VHA’s and VBA’s to MURDER & MAIME VETERANS and at the same time, RIPPING OFF the TAXPAYERS all across this country! I’d say that’s very successful!
He’s definitely giving it his all. Just like what he did to P&G a few years ago!
IMO, he’s just one more corrupt asswipe ruining anything and everything he gets his hands involved in!
@Robin Mitchell
Have you looked at the two articles I put on here this morning!
IMHO, Shit’s gonna hit the fan before the end of this year!
I sure hope everyone has made plans to become “self-sufficient”!
Read Thomas Chittum’s Civil War 2. It can be found online as a PDF. Last I checked it was out of print at $100 a copy used. The federal government worked hard to get all copies back.
He was a few years late but I think right on the money. We are being Balkanized. My husband spent 20 years, 9 months, 19 days in Special Ops. Ranger (which he identifies as), Green Beret, and even the ROK Ranger School that we don’t even send Americans to any more. He has seen civil war in countries most people can’t even name or place on a map.
It came out at the DRO hearing of him being sent in during the Cold War to get a female intel CPT that was allowed to live off the embassy when intel failed and she was caught in her neighbors apt hiding as civil war broke out. His orders were to get her out or kill her before the Soviets got her. I listen to him.
Trust me, ugly is coming to America.
I am thinking that this whistleblower thing is retaliatory. (If I lost a job paying 400k/yr, I’d be pissed.)
It could also be a scheme to disrupt the status quo of a corrupt organizational affiliation between the two organizations, the School and the VA. If this is so, then it would behoove them to put every VAMC located in proximity with any other educational institution, where there is ongoing contractual affiliations, under the microscope. The success of something like this would likely be propagated at other locations under similar conditions due to the pure profit potential of the scheme. If the allegations are factual, the scope of this could cover tens of billions of dollars subject to abuse by the symbiotic relationships.
Like a little kid. Jonny was more bad than me so can i come out of my room now?
How much are these loosers making?
This one , $200,000 as medical director + $200,000 as thoracic surgeon . Although whistle blowers claim she does NO surgeries and should Not be receiving surgical pay because of it . Also should not , legally prescribe , under her license narcotic pain med to regional director’s wife , whom wait for it ……… RETIRED . VA’s ideal of punishmental retirement with full pension or transfer with glowing report no matter how many veterans you exterminate .
Question:
Will anyone go to jail who works for VA?
And everyone wonders why VHA’s are located so close to medical universities!
IF her allegations are true, I revert back to my original question, and add:
“Will anyone go to jail who works for (the corrupt) VA and the (corrupt) medical universities?”
Isn’t it bad enough students, parents and the government, are paying extremely high tuitions at universities to receive a degree? Then, to be accused of criminal activities to boot?
We’ve all heard horror stories over medical students performing botched surgeries.
IF she can prove her allegations against UC, could this be occuring at other VHA’s in conjunction with other universities?
I also wonder if she can shed more light on the criminal activities throughout other VA’s nationwide?
Here’s something to google on Utube:
“President Obama Makes Some Very Disturbing Announcements! Is This The End?”
A brand new video outlining his agenda for us! The information within this video is verified using government websites for references!
Here’s another extremely disturbing article/with videos, coming from Dave Hodges and “The Common Sense Show”!
titled:
“Plan B To Stop The Trump Movement Is In Effect”
Question;
“Why is UN military equipment here in America?”
Pretty sure that whatever amount of ‘dirt’ Dr. Barbara Temeck has on other VA personnel at or around her level of employment *anywhere* within the VA and especially her VISN, will be the determining factor of how quickly she is reinstated after her getting *CAUGHT* and now playing the moralistic ‘songbird’.
Maybe Dr. Barbara Temeck should team-up with Dr. ‘Candyman’ Houlihan from Tomah VAMC to become a new VA Tag-Team Villain Duo?
If Dr. Barbara Temeck is SO READY to ‘spill the beans’ as a VA Whistleblower, only because she GOT CAUGHT, then WHY has she waited until NOW to turn VA Whistleblower? Doesn’t this smell of Ego and all the sudden playing her card that states, “Cover Your Ass Out Of Jail Card”, then all back to whatever standard operating procedures are for her and the VA?
Thinking there’s a much larger story to come out of this and it is not so much about Dr. Barbara Temeck but VA Director Jack Hetrick and this VISN. Wait for it.
Hey, even Hillary’s kid SCIF builder got immunity to talk and supposedly just like Guccifer (the iirc Romanian hacktavist that was extradited for breaking into her bathroom SCIF/server) they are yakking away. Guccifer spent 80 minutes on the plane over talking to the FBI.
Take whistleblowers where you find them. So much VA money is NOT going to the vets and into some deep black hole pockets. If she knows where that is I’d give her immunity to get the top VACO pukes.
I dunno if she will be reinstated nam. Prescribing narcotics to a non-patient without a license looks pretty bad, particularly when the VA across the nation is cutting off pain meds for veterans, and the government is pushing the “opioid epidemic” claim.
When I researched her before, I recall finding she has been bouncing around the VA for 30+ years. This ain’t her first dance with corruption.
I do think this is dragged out for awhile and she eventually agrees to retire.
It’s a smokescreen for the campaign to get her re-instated…