“Nearly 1 in 4 employees at the Department of Veterans Affairs say they have been subjected to unwanted sexual comments and other harassment — one of the highest levels in federal government — and an audit says the Trump administration has not been doing enough to protect them.”
“At a House hearing Wednesday, lawmakers heard VA express a commitment to ‘changing the culture’ to make the department more welcoming to women, but that long-sought improvements urged by the Government Accountability Office could take until 2024 to fully implement.”
“Lawmakers responded that they’re not willing to wait, even if it means passing legislation to force more immediate changes…”
“The GAO audit said the agency has outdated training and policies, a leadership structure that creates conflicts of interest in reviewing harassment complaints, and gaps in reporting complaints to VA headquarters in Washington.”
“Powers said the agency was addressing the issue but stressed that personnel and other fixes require more money. She said some changes won’t start until 2024, in part because ‘every hour we spend takes away from patient care…’” Read the full article here.
Source: Nearly 1 in 4 VA employees report sex harassment, audit says – By Hope Yen, July 22, 2020. Federal News Network.
