Last month, the Senate took an important step in the direction of reforming the badly broken system that provides essential services to our nation’s veterans. The “Department of Veterans Affairs Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act” contains a variety of provisions aimed at improving the Veterans’ Affairs system, including increased protection for whistleblowers within the Department of Veterans’ Affairs. The recent rash of VA whistleblower cases is evidence of a culture of retaliation towards whistleblowers within the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, hence, the increased protection that the Act aims to provide is essential at this time.
The Department of Veterans’ Affairs provides health care and other services to those who serve our nation. Over the years, the system by which those benefits get provided has become severely broken in some ways due to mismanagement and other problems within the agency with the result being poor service to our veterans. Congress has tried to make some improvements in years past, and progress has been made, but it is slow and more changes are needed. In 2014, Congress enacted the “Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act” which gave the VA Secretary the authority to quickly and easily remove underperforming senior executives. That Act also required the VA to incorporate disciplinary action into its human resources policies in instances of misconduct involving falsification of patient care data.
The “Department of Veterans Affairs Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act” builds on prior improvements by giving the VA Secretary more flexibility in how they can discipline or remove employees who are not delivering quality care or upholding the department’s best practices. As noted before, retaliation against whistleblowers is a major problem within the Department of Veterans’ Affairs. The new Act will strengthen existing measures which protect whistleblowers from retaliation for reporting problems, in the spirit of promoting a culture of accountability within the Department.
The “Department of Veterans Affairs Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act” got signed by President Trump on June 23. It is expected to deliver, as it promises, much-needed change within the Department of Veterans’ Affairs. Many people are pleased that this legislation passed, as support for the legislation by outside groups was enthusiastic throughout the legislative process. For example, the legislative director of the organization Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America stated that they think the Act is “the strongest VA accountability measure that can be signed into law.”
The Mississippi Whistleblower Protection Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC appreciate the efforts of the legislators who worked to draft, promote, and pass “Department of Veterans Affairs Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act.” Whistleblowers within the Department of Veterans Affairs need all of the support that they can get, given the organization’s current culture of retaliation as evidenced by the numerous whistleblower cases that have been filed by VA whistleblowers. Hopefully, the new legislation will encourage whistleblowers to continue to come forward when they witness wrongdoing within the VA. If you have questions about whistleblower protection claims, call 1 (800) 707-9577 to set up a consultation with the Mississippi Whistleblower Protection Attorneys of Barrett Law PLLC.