OWH Exclusive: Whistle-blowers say ax fell on them

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.omaha.com/article/20100709/NEWS01/707099897

By Rick Ruggles WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

Three former employees of the Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging say they were fired after blowing the whistle on a co-worker who billed the state for services that weren’t provided.

One employee said she discovered late last year that the co-worker billed the state for serving seven to 10 dead people and for a half-dozen people in nursing homes and no longer receiving the agency’s help.

The three said they reported the problems to supervisors. They were fired this spring, along with the longtime executive director, a finance officer and the co-worker they implicated.

“We took the bullet for other people there, and I think it will be a better place to work for other people,” said Evon Caldwell, who was coordinator of case management when she was dismissed.

Mary Ann Borgeson, a Douglas County Board member, heads the board that oversees the agency. She described the dismissals as a reorganization and declined to comment further, calling it a personnel matter.

Chris Jerram, attorney for ENOA, acknowledged that an independent audit found “possible billing irregularities” and said the agency has reported them to the state.

FULL story at link.