Human Services Official Alleges Mistreatment After Whistleblowing

SAINT PAUL, MN — A Minnesota official is accusing colleagues of retaliation over her raising concerns on the legality of contracts, according to reports. Faye Bernstein, a compliance officer at the Department of Human Services, said she was treated punitively after bringing the issue up.

Bernstein said she wasn't allowed to do her job and was verbally reprimanded after bringing up what she called "serious non-compliance issues," according to a Star Tribune report.

"On a good day I am met with dismissiveness, on a bad day it feels to me to be intentionally punitive," she said in an email to all of the employees of her DHS division, according to the report.

Less than an hour after sending the email, Bernstein was escorted out of the DHS central office, the Tribune reported.

DHS Deputy Commissioner Claire Wilson said the agency is going through an internal audit to review the issues Bernstein alleged, an AP report said.