{"id":16476,"date":"2015-04-13T21:26:01","date_gmt":"2015-04-13T21:26:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2015\/04\/13\/va-whistleblowers-allege-continued-attacks-failures\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T05:39:53","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T05:39:53","slug":"va-whistleblowers-allege-continued-attacks-failures","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/veterans\/2015\/04\/13\/va-whistleblowers-allege-continued-attacks-failures\/","title":{"rendered":"VA whistleblowers allege continued attacks, failures"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Last July, when Dr. Christian Head testified before Congress about improper record keeping at the Greater Los Angeles Veterans Affairs Health Care system, he also detailed what department whistleblowers typically face when they speak out: isolation, defamation, and aggressive attacks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since then, he said, VA managers in Los Angeles have reassigned many of his patients, blocked some of his operating room access, moved his office to a converted closet and stripped him of his chief of staff duties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;When I complained, they said, &#8216;If you don&#8217;t like it, take it to Congress,&#8217; &#8221; the 20-year neck surgeon said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He did. On Monday, Head was part of a list of whistleblowers before the House Veterans Affairs Committee testifying that despite public promises of protections for employees who speak out, intimidation and punishment are still common throughout the department.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Stories included at least 11 employees in Delaware&#8217;s Wilmington VA Medical Center who have been sidelined for months after clashes with local management and an associate director at the Central Alabama VA Health Care system who was physically removed from a hospital after complaining about fraudulent patient records.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The hearing came just days after the one-year anniversary of the start of the patient wait times scandal that caused a national uproar and forced the resignation of several top department officials, including former VA Secretary Eric Shinseki.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His replacement, VA Secretary Bob McDonald, has repeatedly vowed to punish officials who retaliated against employees reporting wrongdoing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But lawmakers questioned that promise, saying they still see too many problems for whistleblowers in the department.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"3640\" height=\"2560\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/635645260573875923-tns-mike-coffmanjpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-38374\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/635645260573875923-tns-mike-coffmanjpg.jpg 3640w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/635645260573875923-tns-mike-coffmanjpg.jpg?resize=300,211 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/635645260573875923-tns-mike-coffmanjpg.jpg?resize=768,540 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/635645260573875923-tns-mike-coffmanjpg.jpg?resize=1024,720 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/635645260573875923-tns-mike-coffmanjpg.jpg?resize=1536,1080 1536w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/635645260573875923-tns-mike-coffmanjpg.jpg?resize=2048,1440 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 3640px) 100vw, 3640px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">U.S. Rep. and current incumbent candidate Mike Coffman, R-Colo., speaks to the crowd at a GOP election night gathering at the Hyatt Regency Denver Tech Center on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2014, in Denver. (AP Photo\/Chris Schneider)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span>Rep. Mike Coffman, R-Colo.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span>Photo Credit: Chris Schneider\/The Associated Press<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;It is very simple. If you retaliate against or stifle employees who are trying to improve VA for our nation&#8217;s veterans, you should not be working for VA.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2848\" height=\"4288\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/635645260006808653-fed-osc-lerner01jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-38378\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/635645260006808653-fed-osc-lerner01jpg.jpg 2848w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/635645260006808653-fed-osc-lerner01jpg.jpg?resize=199,300 199w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/635645260006808653-fed-osc-lerner01jpg.jpg?resize=768,1156 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/635645260006808653-fed-osc-lerner01jpg.jpg?resize=680,1024 680w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/635645260006808653-fed-osc-lerner01jpg.jpg?resize=1020,1536 1020w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/635645260006808653-fed-osc-lerner01jpg.jpg?resize=1360,2048 1360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2848px) 100vw, 2848px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Carolyn N. Lerner, Special Counsel, U.S. Office of Special Counsel, speaking with Federal Times on July 22, 2013 in Washington, D.C. (Colin Kelly \/ Staff)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span>Carolyn Lerner<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span>Photo Credit: Staff<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meghan Flanz, director of VA&#8217;s Office of Accountability Review, said the department is working closer with the special counsel to settle those cases and punish retaliatory supervisors, but noted that firing managers is a time-consuming federal process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That excuse prompted more anger from lawmakers, who have accused the department repeatedly of working too slowly to remove problem employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Flanz said she believes whistleblowers in the department are coming forward in greater numbers because of their confidence in the changes made in recent months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Head disagreed, calling his experience since publicly exposing problems more of the same from the department. He said the last nine months have been trying, but he doesn&#8217;t regret speaking out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;I will always take a stand against these problems,&#8221; he said, &#8220;because I think veterans deserve better.&#8221;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>VA officials say they&#8217;re working to end retaliation against employees who report problems, but lawmakers are unconvinced<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":38371,"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":[19],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3222,1824],"class_list":["post-16476","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-veterans"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"QEREJQRC2RGVFJYPRLKU3O6TF4","arc_canonical_url":"\/veterans\/2015\/04\/13\/va-whistleblowers-allege-continued-attacks-failures\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>VA whistleblowers allege continued attacks, failures - Navy Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"VA officials say they&#039;re working to end retaliation against employees who report problems, but lawmakers are unconvinced\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/veterans\/2015\/04\/13\/va-whistleblowers-allege-continued-attacks-failures\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"VA whistleblowers allege continued attacks, failures\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"VA officials say they&#039;re working to end retaliation against employees who report problems, but lawmakers are unconvinced\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/veterans\/2015\/04\/13\/va-whistleblowers-allege-continued-attacks-failures\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Navy Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-04-13T21:26:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T05:39:53+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Leo Shane III, Staff\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Leo Shane III, Staff\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/veterans\\\/2015\\\/04\\\/13\\\/va-whistleblowers-allege-continued-attacks-failures\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/veterans\\\/2015\\\/04\\\/13\\\/va-whistleblowers-allege-continued-attacks-failures\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"headline\": \"VA whistleblowers allege continued attacks, failures\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2015-04-13T21:26:01+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T05:39:53+00:00\",\n\t            \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/veterans\\\/2015\\\/04\\\/13\\\/va-whistleblowers-allege-continued-attacks-failures\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"wordCount\": 502,\n\t            \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/veterans\\\/2015\\\/04\\\/13\\\/va-whistleblowers-allege-continued-attacks-failures\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/635646009123518123-tns-christian-headjpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"articleSection\": [\n\t                \"Veterans\"\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"CommentAction\",\n\t                    \"name\": \"Comment\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/veterans\\\/2015\\\/04\\\/13\\\/va-whistleblowers-allege-continued-attacks-failures\\\/#respond\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/veterans\\\/2015\\\/04\\\/13\\\/va-whistleblowers-allege-continued-attacks-failures\\\/\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/veterans\\\/2015\\\/04\\\/13\\\/va-whistleblowers-allege-continued-attacks-failures\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"VA whistleblowers allege continued attacks, failures - Navy Times\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#website\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"primaryImageOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/veterans\\\/2015\\\/04\\\/13\\\/va-whistleblowers-allege-continued-attacks-failures\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/veterans\\\/2015\\\/04\\\/13\\\/va-whistleblowers-allege-continued-attacks-failures\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/635646009123518123-tns-christian-headjpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2015-04-13T21:26:01+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T05:39:53+00:00\",\n\t            \"description\": \"VA officials say they're working to end retaliation against employees who report problems, but lawmakers are unconvinced\",\n\t            \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/veterans\\\/2015\\\/04\\\/13\\\/va-whistleblowers-allege-continued-attacks-failures\\\/#breadcrumb\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/veterans\\\/2015\\\/04\\\/13\\\/va-whistleblowers-allege-continued-attacks-failures\\\/\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/veterans\\\/2015\\\/04\\\/13\\\/va-whistleblowers-allege-continued-attacks-failures\\\/#primaryimage\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/635646009123518123-tns-christian-headjpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/635646009123518123-tns-christian-headjpg.jpg\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/veterans\\\/2015\\\/04\\\/13\\\/va-whistleblowers-allege-continued-attacks-failures\\\/#breadcrumb\",\n\t            \"itemListElement\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 1,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"home\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 2,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Veterans\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/veterans\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"veterans\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 3,\n\t                    \"name\": \"VA whistleblowers allege continued attacks, failures\"\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#website\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Navy Times\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Independent News For Sailors | Navy Times\",\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t                        \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t                    },\n\t                    \"query-input\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t                        \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t                        \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t                    }\n\t                }\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#organization\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Navy Times\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"logo\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/navy-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/navy-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"Navy Times\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"\n\t            }\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\",\n\t            \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"migration\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/author\\\/migration\\\/\"\n\t        }\n\t    ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"VA whistleblowers allege continued attacks, failures - Navy Times","description":"VA officials say they're working to end retaliation against employees who report problems, but lawmakers are unconvinced","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/veterans\/2015\/04\/13\/va-whistleblowers-allege-continued-attacks-failures\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"VA whistleblowers allege continued attacks, failures","og_description":"VA officials say they're working to end retaliation against employees who report problems, but lawmakers are unconvinced","og_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/veterans\/2015\/04\/13\/va-whistleblowers-allege-continued-attacks-failures\/","og_site_name":"Navy Times","article_published_time":"2015-04-13T21:26:01+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-08T05:39:53+00:00","author":"Leo Shane III, Staff","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Leo Shane III, Staff","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/veterans\/2015\/04\/13\/va-whistleblowers-allege-continued-attacks-failures\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/veterans\/2015\/04\/13\/va-whistleblowers-allege-continued-attacks-failures\/"},"author":{"name":"migration","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1"},"headline":"VA whistleblowers allege continued attacks, failures","datePublished":"2015-04-13T21:26:01+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T05:39:53+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/veterans\/2015\/04\/13\/va-whistleblowers-allege-continued-attacks-failures\/"},"wordCount":502,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/veterans\/2015\/04\/13\/va-whistleblowers-allege-continued-attacks-failures\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/635646009123518123-tns-christian-headjpg.jpg","articleSection":["Veterans"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/veterans\/2015\/04\/13\/va-whistleblowers-allege-continued-attacks-failures\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/veterans\/2015\/04\/13\/va-whistleblowers-allege-continued-attacks-failures\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/veterans\/2015\/04\/13\/va-whistleblowers-allege-continued-attacks-failures\/","name":"VA whistleblowers allege continued attacks, failures - Navy Times","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/veterans\/2015\/04\/13\/va-whistleblowers-allege-continued-attacks-failures\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/veterans\/2015\/04\/13\/va-whistleblowers-allege-continued-attacks-failures\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/635646009123518123-tns-christian-headjpg.jpg","datePublished":"2015-04-13T21:26:01+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T05:39:53+00:00","description":"VA officials say they're working to end retaliation against employees who report problems, but lawmakers are unconvinced","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/veterans\/2015\/04\/13\/va-whistleblowers-allege-continued-attacks-failures\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/veterans\/2015\/04\/13\/va-whistleblowers-allege-continued-attacks-failures\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/veterans\/2015\/04\/13\/va-whistleblowers-allege-continued-attacks-failures\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/635646009123518123-tns-christian-headjpg.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/635646009123518123-tns-christian-headjpg.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/veterans\/2015\/04\/13\/va-whistleblowers-allege-continued-attacks-failures\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/","ad_zone":"home"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Veterans","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/veterans\/","ad_zone":"veterans"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"VA whistleblowers allege continued attacks, failures"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#website","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/","name":"Navy Times","description":"Independent News For Sailors | Navy Times","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#organization","name":"Navy Times","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/navy-logo-white.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/navy-logo-white.png","caption":"Navy Times"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1","name":"migration","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"migration"},"url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/author\/migration\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/635646009123518123-tns-christian-headjpg.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Navy Times","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16476","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16476"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16476\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16479,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16476\/revisions\/16479"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16476"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16476"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16476"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=16476"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}