National Center for Ethics in Health Care

The National Center for Ethics in Health Care (NCEHC) does not initiate nor conduct investigations and cannot intervene in individual matters between Veterans and their healthcare providers. Considering what is right or what should be done in the face of uncertainty or conflict about values, ethics involves making reflective judgments about the optimal decision or action among ethically justifiable options.

Please read through the options below to help you decide which office you should contact.

Questions related to Health Care Ethics:

Do you or a Veteran you know need help with:

• shared health care decision-making,
• ethical practices at the end of life or the beginning of life, or
• patient privacy and confidentiality?

Contact the Health Care Ethics Consultation Service at your VA Facility.

Issues dealing with fraud, waste, and abuse:

Do you have concerns about fraud, waste, and abuse in:

• business and administrative operations,
• patient registration,
• medical record documentation, or billing?

Facility Compliance and Business Integrity Office: Contact your local VA and ask for the Compliance Officer.

Compliance and Business Integrity Hotline:
866-VHA-HELP

Questions relating to legal requirements governing VA Employees:

Are you considering legal opinions in regards to conflicts of interest, gifts, use of government resources, outside-employment, and/or the Hatch Act?

Contact Government Ethics: 
contactoge@oge.gov

Issues dealing with individual matters between Veterans and their health care providers:

Facility Patient Advocate: Contact your local VA and ask to speak to the Patient Advocate.

National Patient Advocates: 
VHA10PADVNationalPatientAdvocates@va.gov

Client Services Response Team: 
VHAClientServicesResponseTeam@va.gov

White House Hotline: 1-855-948-2311

To contact the National Center for Ethics in Health Care,
email vhaethics@va.gov.