The US Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General has released a report criticizing VA Ann Arbor Health Care System for its handling of the case of Michigan veteran Ian Fishback.
Fishback was best known as the army veteran, who, in 2005, blew the whistle on torture conducted by the US military in Iraq. In 2021, he died while in adult foster care after years of mental health issues. He became a symbol of alleged poor mental health treatment for veterans at VA clinics.
The report states that VA Ann Arbor failed to sufficiently address Fishback’s mental health condition, treatment needs and discharge care coordination. It recommends the center conduct a full review of his 2017 mental health care to identify improvement opportunities.
In a statement sent to WEMU, the center says its director has conducted a full review of Fishback’s record and has taken corrective action moving forward, including providing education to staff and establishing processes for better coordination of outpatient follow-up care.
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