{"id":57258,"date":"2020-07-15T20:26:35","date_gmt":"2020-07-15T20:26:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/uncategorized\/2020\/07\/15\/watchdog-lawmakers-blast-vas-sexual-harassment-policies-as-inadequate\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T12:12:36","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T12:12:36","slug":"watchdog-lawmakers-blast-vas-sexual-harassment-policies-as-inadequate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/veterans\/2020\/07\/15\/watchdog-lawmakers-blast-vas-sexual-harassment-policies-as-inadequate\/","title":{"rendered":"Watchdog, lawmakers blast VA\u2019s sexual harassment policies as inadequate"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Following a new report highlighting that more than one-quarter of women working as Veterans Affairs employees experienced <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2019\/09\/26\/lawmaker-demands-overhaul-of-va-anti-harassment-policies-after-staffer-reports-assault-at-veterans-hospital\/\" target=_blank>sexual harassment<\/a>, congressional leaders on Wednesday demanded immediate changes in department policies to ensure that such claims are investigated and addressed instead of being overlooked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe department must make the prevention and addressing of sexual harassment a top priority,\u201d a bipartisan group of House and Senate lawmakers stated in a letter to VA Secretary <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2020\/02\/07\/complaint-accuses-va-secretary-of-working-to-discredit-hill-staffer-who-reported-sexual-assault\/\" target=_blank>Robert Wilkie<\/a>. \u201cAs an institution that is charged with providing healthcare and benefits to survivors of sexual violence, VA must lead on all fronts \u2026 on addressing this issue.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The letter \u2014 signed by the chairmen and ranking members of the House and Senate Veterans\u2019 Affairs committees, as well as Iraq War veteran Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa \u2014 came just a few hours after a new Government Accountability Office report lamenting shortfalls in VA training, reporting and oversight of sexual harassment events.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2020\/01\/16\/va-lawmakers-trade-barbs-after-sexual-assault-claim-from-congressional-staffer\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/DSC_6403.JPG.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">VA, lawmakers trade barbs after sexual assault claim from congressional staffer<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">VA leaders labeled the claim unsubstantiated, but Inspector General officials called that a wrong characterization of the case.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAbsent additional action, some VA employees may continue to distrust VA\u2019s handling of sexual harassment allegations,\u201d the report stated. \u201cFurther, VA\u2019s core values, which include integrity, advocacy, and respect, along with its ability to deliver the highest quality services to the nation\u2019s veterans, may be compromised.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to federal survey data from 2014 to 2016 \u2014 the latest year the survey was conducted \u2014 26 percent of women who worked at VA reported some form of sexual harassment, and 14 percent of male employees said they were subject to similar unwelcome workplace behavior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Government-wide, the number of women reporting workplace sexual harassment was 21 percent. Among men, it was 9 percent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In response to the report, VA press secretary Christina Noel said that much of the report is based on years-old information and \u201csince then, VA has championed several efforts aimed at preventing harassment in all forms while improving employee experiences, retention and morale.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">VA officials told GAO that many of their recommendations have already been fully or completely implemented in recent years, and that they are focused on finding ways to end problems of harassment among employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But lawmakers pointed to several overdue changes that need to be made to strengthen department policies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For example, VA does not currently require reporting of all sexual harassment complaints, which critics say could lead to under-reporting of cases and inefficient response to the problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The GAO also noted a potential problems with how the VA\u2019s Equal Employment Opportunity office is structured, saying it should not oversee both harassment complaints and other personnel functions. VA officials have rejected calls for that change.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2019\/11\/06\/va-sexual-assault-cases-raise-concerns-among-a-pair-of-gop-lawmakers\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"161\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/8229267847_6915df3c79_k.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">VA sexual assault cases raise concerns among a pair of GOP lawmakers<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">A pair of women senators want explanations for how VA officials are confronting the problem.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And lawmakers for months have complained about \u201cincomplete and outdated policies\u201d regarding sexual harassment training and awareness programs, saying they have lead to cultural problems within the agency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">VA leaders said they expect to have a new reporting and training system in place to deal with those concerns by fall 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But that\u2019s not fast enough for the congressional critics. They asked for a briefing on potential changes within 60 days to ensure the issue is being taken seriously, and to detail which of the numerous GAO recommendations are still not completed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">VA leaders have sparred with House Veterans\u2019 Affairs leaders in recent months over the issue of sexual assault and harassment policies, after a committee staffer alleged she was assaulted at a Washington, D.C., VA medical center last fall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Inspector General investigators could not prove or disprove that claim, but opened <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2020\/02\/27\/va-secretary-under-investigation-for-attempts-to-discredit-staffers-claims-of-sexual-assault\/\" target=_blank>a second inquiry<\/a> into whether top VA officials worked to discredit her amid an investigation into those allegations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In a government poll, more than one-quarter of women who worked for the department reported experiencing sexual harassment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":65647,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":19,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[101,23,93,12,25,67,19],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3226],"class_list":["post-57258","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-home","category-middle-column","category-news","category-newsletters","category-pentagon-congress","category-veterans"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"ABREUW46QVHTZBWGH2GFD4RC7M","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2020\/07\/15\/watchdog-lawmakers-blast-vas-sexual-harassment-policies-as-inadequate\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented 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