Whistle-blower settlement OK'd
By Troy Anderson, Staff Writer
12/17/2008
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday 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 of Palmdale, who worked as an In-Home Supportive Services social worker for more than six years at the Lancaster office of the DPSS.
Siedenburg reported the fraud and abuse to her superiors, but the county failed to conduct investigations, Terrell wrote.
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, wrote Beverly Hills attorney Leo James Terrell in the lawsuit.
Later, officials retaliated against Siedenburg by threatening to investigate her, transferring her and removing her as a backup supervisor.
Abridged
SOURCE: Los Angeles Daily News
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This is not the way to encourage people to report elder abuse. I've a few anecdotal reports (from 3 different countries) regarding the unfair treatment of whistle-blowers of Elder Abuse.
The reporters in those cases, got investigated or treated with suspicion and one falsely accused of "hidden agenda"!
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