County Puts Informant’s Wife on Leave

A 23-year Ventura County employee whose husband was a whistle-blower in the U.S. attorney’s office investigation into the county’s mental health department has been placed on indefinite leave of absence.

Sandy Duncan, a regional manager in the Children and Family Services Department, was relieved from duty with pay on June 17.

Her husband of 29 years, Craig, a contract psychiatrist for the county, played a key role in launching a recent federal inquiry into the mental health department’s billing practices.

Duncan said she was offered no explanation why she was placed on leave from her $68,000-a-year job. A June 17 letter to her signed by her boss, Frank Ferratta, stated only that she would be relieved from duty pending an investigation.

“There is nothing in my job performance to warrant my leaving,” Duncan said Thursday. “I believe this is happening because my husband wrote a memorandum to the U.S. attorney saying he would fully cooperate and would provide information.”

Human Services Agency Director Barbara Fitzgerald said her decision to place Duncan on paid leave had nothing to do with the federal investigation.

“That is blatantly untrue,” Fitzgerald said. “I had absolutely no knowledge who the whistle-blower was. Any personnel action that I took was solely about her and doesn’t have anything to do with anyone else.”

The U.S. attorney’s office inquiry stems from concerns raised by county psychiatrists that their names and provider numbers were being used on Medicare claims for services provided by social workers. The investigation is separate from five other ongoing state and federal audits into the county’s mental health system.

The audits were sparked by the county’s disastrous attempt last year to merge its mental health department and social services agency. The county dismantled the 10-month-old superagency in December after officials warned it violated federal organizational rules.

Craig Duncan said he met with Assistant U.S. Atty. Wendy Weiss in May and provided information on the alleged illegal billing practices. A few days later, he met with FBI agents and gave them the same information, he said.

“What’s happening to my wife is political retaliation,” Duncan said.

Fitzgerald, one of the chief architects behind the merger, fiercely denied that claim. Fitzgerald also said she doubted that Duncan was not informed of any perceived problems relating to her work.

“Our general policy is that we counsel employees over a period of time,” Fitzgerald said. “It could be over a two-year period. We identify the weaknesses, capitalize on the strengths and work with them pretty intensely over a period of time. We adhere to that policy at all times.”

Ellyn Dembowski, deputy director of the Service Employees International Union, applauded Fitzgerald’s decision to investigate Duncan. Dembowski said several grievances have been filed against Duncan over the years by social workers.

Dembowski said disciplinary action has never been taken against Duncan because social services department directors before Fitzgerald had ignored the alleged problem.

But people who have worked with Duncan for years had a different view.

Synde Hampton defended Duncan, a 23-year co-worker.

“She’s a long-term, dedicated member of the organization,” said Hampton, a supervisor with the Childrens and Family Services Department. “This worries me. It doesn’t feel very safe here right now.”