The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved a $148,000 settlement for an employee of the Department of Public Social Services who blew the whistle on in-home-care fraud and elder abuse.
The case involved Sandra Siedenburg, who worked as an In-Home Supportive Services social worker for more than six years an office of the DPSS.
In the process of working on files, Siedenburg noticed many instances of elder abuse, theft of government funds and fraud committed by IHSS providers and clients.
In one case, she reported that an IHSS worker beat up an elderly woman who had a disabled son in a vegetative state in her home. She also reported the case of an IHSS provider who stabbed the blind boyfriend she was caring for in his heart. And she reported six cases in which IHSS providers took care of "phantom" clients, using fake Social Security numbers and Social Security numbers of dead people.
Siedenburg: "Within my caseload, I actually have some IHSS providers who are currently serving prison sentences for assaulting my clients. Also, I am finding that there is a large population of providers who are allegedly using drugs while caring for clients."
Siedenburg reported the fraud and abuse to her superiors, but the county failed to conduct investigations. Later, officials retaliated against Siedenburg by threatening to investigate her, transferring her and removing her as a backup supervisor.
Source:
Whistle-blower settlement OK'd
See also:
Suit alleges retaliation for complaint
The case involved Sandra Siedenburg, who worked as an In-Home Supportive Services social worker for more than six years an office of the DPSS.
In the process of working on files, Siedenburg noticed many instances of elder abuse, theft of government funds and fraud committed by IHSS providers and clients.
In one case, she reported that an IHSS worker beat up an elderly woman who had a disabled son in a vegetative state in her home. She also reported the case of an IHSS provider who stabbed the blind boyfriend she was caring for in his heart. And she reported six cases in which IHSS providers took care of "phantom" clients, using fake Social Security numbers and Social Security numbers of dead people.
Siedenburg: "Within my caseload, I actually have some IHSS providers who are currently serving prison sentences for assaulting my clients. Also, I am finding that there is a large population of providers who are allegedly using drugs while caring for clients."
Siedenburg reported the fraud and abuse to her superiors, but the county failed to conduct investigations. Later, officials retaliated against Siedenburg by threatening to investigate her, transferring her and removing her as a backup supervisor.
Source:
Whistle-blower settlement OK'd
See also:
Suit alleges retaliation for complaint
1 comment:
Almost everyone, if not everyone, fears being sent to a nursing home. Home care is an essential service and thought of as a way of avoiding the awful sentence of nursing home confinement.
And already, there are major problems.
We need good home care workers - who care about the vulnerable and elderly.
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