Ex-Phoenix VA head gets probation in wait list-linked case

PHOENIX (AP) — A former VA health system director has been sentenced to two years' probation for failing to disclose gifts received while supervising the Phoenix hospital where whistleblowers revealed veterans on secret waiting lists faced scheduling delays of up to a year.

U.S. District Court Judge Steven Logan sentenced Sharon Helman on Monday for making a false statement to a government agency by not including more than $19,000 in gifts — including a car, concert tickets and round-trip airfare — on a financial disclosure report.

Prosecutors said all of the gifts were from a single source, a person identified in court as a former high-level VA employee who from 2005-2009 served as Helman's supervisor.