During a hearing last week, the House Veterans Affairs Committee (HVAC) discussed a proposal to restructure the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of Accountability and Whistleblower Protection (OAWP). Lawmakers heard from both OAWP officials and a panel of whistleblower advocates on the Office’s current form and potential reforms.
The VA OAWP was created in April 2017 as a result of the VA Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act of 2017. Currently, the Office receives and investigates allegations of misconduct and poor performance against VA senior leaders and allegations of whistleblower retaliation against VA supervisors. OAWP also receives whistleblower disclosures from VA employees and applicants for VA employment, and if they do not involve whistleblower retaliation or senior leader misconduct or poor performance, refers it for investigation within VA while the office monitors the investigation.
In 2019, a report by the Office of Inspector General (OIG) for the VA identified significant, across the board failures within OAWP. The OIG found that OAWP failed to conduct unbiased investigations of VA executives and managers, used untrained staff to conduct its investigations, failed to conduct thorough fact-findings, and placed whistleblowers in greater harm for having engaged in whistleblowing to the office.
In the same year, a panel of whistleblowers and whistleblower advocates testified before HVAC that retaliation against whistleblowers continues to...
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