US government to pay $7M to settle 8 sexual abuse claims at VA hospital

Gabrielle Masson -

The federal government has agreed to a nearly $7 million settlement related to eight sexual abuse cases stemming from a Kansas Veterans Affairs hospital, reports NPR's KCUR-FM.

Eight veterans alleged that Mark Wisner, a former physician assistant at Leavenworth, Kan.-based Dwight D. Eisenhower VA Medical Center, conducted unnecessary genital exams and other physical abuse from 2008-14.

The veterans will receive amounts ranging from $706,250 to $1,406,250, said their attorney, Danny Thomas.

Mr. Wisner is believed to have abused as many as 100 veterans, making it the largest known sexual abuse case in VA history, according to KCUR-FM. In 2019, more than 80 veterans settled their lawsuits against the government for $6.7 million. A separate trial occurred last year and, when including the newest settlement, the government will have paid out nearly $17 million in claims associated with Mr. Wisner and Dwight D. Eisenhower VA Medical Center.

In February 2015, Mr. Wisner surrendered his license and was sentenced in 2017 to nearly 16 years in prison. 

A spokesperson for the Justice Department did not immediately respond to KCUR-FM's request for comment.

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