Whistle-blower ‘vindicated’

Published: Saturday, Sept. 14, 2013, 9:20p.m. Updated 8 hours ago

As thousands of troops returned from Iraq and Afghanistan with head wounds between 2007 and 2010, the Veterans Affairs regional health system in central Texas closed a research center that was established for such injuries.

Timothy Shea, director of the VA Heart of Texas Health Care Network in Arlington, pushed to close the center and fire its chief neurologist. Afterward, Shea retired and became a VA consultant.

Dr. Robert Van Boven, the neurologist who ran the Brian Injury and Recovery Laboratory in Austin, sued the VA and eventually settled his lawsuit for undisclosed terms. His lawyer, Tom Devine of Washington, said Van Boven was decisively vindicated and emerged with a big smile of thanks.

Shea told the Tribune-Review that the Van Boven dispute was a very minor thing and did not influence his decision to retire at 61.

In his lawsuit, Van Boven said the VA hired him in 2007 to run the brain injury center, a joint project with the University of Texas. The VA put $6.3 million toward its startup and the Office of National Drug Control Policy gave $4.5 million for equipment for graduate education and research.

Shortly after he arrived, Van Boven said he started detecting irregularities.

About $2.1 million set aside to study veterans' injuries was spent with no apparent results. No veterans had been tested. A VA consultant spent eight hours a week on brain-imaging machines but billed for 35 hours.

Van Boven said the consultant's research was sub-par and unrelated to traumatic brain injuries suffered by military personnel.

The doctor alleged mismanagement and possible fraud to his bosses but instead of praising him for exposing waste, VA officials stripped him of authority over expenditures, he said.

See the original post here:
Whistle-blower ‘vindicated’