about abuses -- warned us about abuses. now the alleged actions drawing the attention of a key republican senator. will carr is in our west coast newsroom with the details. will, how bad is that supposed retaliation? >> reporter: well, eric, some of the whistleblowers we've spoken with say it's pretty bad. they say their v.a.s have tried to fire them, others are put in what they call solitary confinement within their hospitals. that includes dr. dale kline who may be the highest paid government employee who quite literally does nothing every day. dr. kline makes $250,000 a year as a double board-certified yale fellow who specializes in pain management at the v.a. in poplar bluff, missouri. but after becoming a whistleblower and reporting alleged secret wait lists, wait time manipulation and more to the inspector general in washington, d.c., court documents show the missouri v.a. stripped kline of his duties, his clinic was shut down, and he now has to sit in an empty office every day with nothing to do.