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The Office of Special Counsel (OSC) honored three Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) whistleblowers Wednesday, all physicians who had key roles in uncovering major issues at VA facilities. Because they and other whistleblowers came forward, problems such as the cover-up of long wait times for veterans seeking medical care were exposed. The wait-time scandal led to the resignation of the VA secretary and legislation providing the department with additional resources to meet patient needs. (Davidson, 12/3)

The Veterans Affairs office of inspector general announced Wednesday that it has begun investigating alleged misconduct at a Hibbing VA outpatient clinic. Numerous former clinic workers have claimed they were ordered to manipulate the schedules for veterans’ appointments to make it appear they were being seen within their desired appointment date when they were actually being seen as much as six to eight weeks out. (Brunswick, 12/3)

When Rob Arthur was diagnosed with brain cancer back in January, the gaunt, gray-haired Vietnam veteran decided to wed his longtime girlfriend, Debbie Shafer, in a hospital room. The marriage has been a source of comfort for this couple as they face the challenges of an unforgiving disease, deemed terminal, in a trailer home set by the steep flanks of the North Cascade mountains. It also has been a big source of stress in their dealings with the federal Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Last summer, the VA ruled that Arthur — his earnings boosted by his wife’s wages as a nurse’s aide — was no longer eligible for an income-based pension and would have to repay $6,324 in checks mailed out during the more than six months that the department took to make this decision. (Bernton, 12/3)