There is a Whistleblowing Crisis at VA, but There Does Not Have to Be
To learn more about this important legislation explained in this blog, read our in-depth review.
This blog contains mentions of suicide.
Over a decade ago, Marine Corps veteran and Addiction Therapist for the Phoenix Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Hospital in Arizona, Brandon Coleman, came to Government Accountability Project for help after he witnessed a variety of improper and possibly unlawful practices. In 2014, Coleman disclosed to the U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC) that suicidal veterans had been neglected and left to walk out of VA hospital without proper care. Coleman testified before Congress that following his disclosure, he was retaliated against by having his own medical records illegally accessed, placed on leave, and accused of threatening another employee.
In 2016, OSC reported that Coleman’s disclosures helped prompt improvements to the care of suicidal veterans at the Phoenix VA hospital. OSC stated that, although leadership at the hospital was aware of many of these problems, it was not until Coleman contacted OSC and went public that the hospital began to comply with the preexisting VA directive regarding the care of suicidal patients. The OSC’s Special Counsel said Coleman likely saved lives through his whistleblowing. Coleman afterward thanked “the fine people at Government Accountability Project. Tom Devine and the [Government Accountability Project] team are a class act,...
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