Lawsuits piling up against former Leavenworth VA worker accused of sex abuse

A former physician assistant at the Department of Veterans Affairs hospital in Leavenworth faces yet more federal lawsuits alleging he sexually abused patients.

A search of court records shows Mark Wisner now faces a dozen lawsuits, with four filed within the past two months — the latest coming last week.

The lawsuits accuse Wisner of improper genital examinations, and criminal charges of sexual battery and criminal sodomy are pending. The lawsuits paint a remarkably similar picture of alleged abuse by Wisner, detailing inappropriate comments and touching that happened repeatedly.

The most recent, filed Sept. 13 by “John Doe” — a Gulf War veteran — alleges Wisner conducted numerous genital examinations without using medical gloves, fondled the man’s genitals and made remarks about his anatomy.

The lawsuit also targets the federal government. The government knew or should have known Wisner was incapable of appropriate patient care, the lawsuit argues. The VA has said Wisner was swiftly removed from patient care after accusations of inappropriate activity.

U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran questioned VA secretary Bob McDonald during a recent Senate hearing. Moran said Wisner had disclosed a criminal record on his application for state licensure.

“The VA hired him anyway. Clearly, he should never have been hired and never have been retained as an employee of the VA,” Moran said.

McDonald said any accusation of sexual assault was unacceptable. McDonald referred to a visit he made to Leavenworth, and said his understanding was that McDonald was immediately removed from caring for patients once an accusation was made.

The VA immediately began an investigation, McDonald said. The hiring process also was examined, he indicated.

“There was nothing in his file that suggested that this was a risk,” McDonald said. “So obviously you have different data than I have, and this is not something we would tolerate, and obviously if this showed up in a person’s hiring process we would not hire them.”

The VA has previously said all physician assistants must be re-credentialed every two years and that Wisner had been re-credentialed. Additionally, the VA said the process includes “exhaustive verification of training, education, work history, certification and references.”

McDonald said the VA would provide a written response to Moran’s questions. Moran’s office said Friday it hadn’t yet received a response.

Wisner agreed in a consent order last year he violated the law by having inappropriate sexual contact with patients and overprescribing medication. He could potentially face trial on the criminal charges against him sometime this fall.

While several of the victims haven’t identified themselves publicly, one veteran has spoken to The Associated Press. Josh Hutchison, an Army veteran who served in Pakistan and Afghanistan, has said he and other plaintiffs have post-traumatic stress disorder.

“We were even more susceptible to this, because he presented himself as someone who was helping,” Hutchison told The Associated Press.