New: @VetAffairsOIG found in a nearly yearlong review that Secretary Wilkie and his staff disparaged and sought to discredit a veteran and Congressional advisor who reported a sexual assault at the D.C. VA hospital.

radio.com/connectingvets…
@VetAffairsOIG The @VetAffairsOIG was unable to substantiate that SecVA Wilkie investigated, or asked his staff to investigate the veteran, but did find evidence he and his staff made comments that attempted to discredit her, accusing her of a history of complaints.
radio.com/connectingvets…
@VetAffairsOIG Though earlier reports suggested @VetAffairsOIG told federal prosecutors its review may have found criminal conduct, OIG spokesman tells me that's not the case. radio.com/connectingvets…
@VetAffairsOIG “The tone set by Sec Wilkie was at minimum unprofessional and at worst provided the basis for senior officials to put out information to national reporters to question the credibility and background of the veteran who filed the sexual assault complaint."
radio.com/connectingvets…
@VetAffairsOIG Last month I spoke with former VA DepSec Jim Byrne, who says he was dismissed at least in part because he refused to follow repeated orders from Wilkie to "shop dirt" on the veteran.

Today, he tells me he stands by those allegations.

radio.com/connectingvets…
OIG's report reveals important details about the alleged sexual assault, including that the man accused was a VA contractor at the hospital with a criminal history who repeatedly sexually harassed female VA staff.
radio.com/connectingvets…
OIG also found that VA police ran a background check on the veteran who reported the sexual assault two days before running a background check on the man accused of assaulting her. radio.com/connectingvets…
“The response of Secretary Wilkie and senior VA officials to the veteran’s complaint of sexual assault was troubling. Scrutinizing the veteran’s background is contrary to VA’s stated goal to serve veterans with respect," IG Missal said.
radio.com/connectingvets…
Previously, when confronted by Congress about issues of sexual harassment/assault at VA, Wilkie's second in command told lawmakers such incidents were not "pervasive."
Dozens of women vets told me those comments made them feel unsafe/unsupported by VA.
radio.com/connectingvets…
Just yesterday, this was published: blogs.va.gov/VAntage/82195/…
OIG's analysis of VA systems and a DoD system VA had access to did not find any evidence of attempts to access the veteran's records, but that's in part because access logging wasn't turned on for her records at the time.
radio.com/connectingvets…
.@VetAffairsDems Chairman @RepMarkTakano is now calling for SecVA Wilkie toresign.
"Secretary Wilkie has lost the trust of all those he is charged to serve and must resign."
radio.com/connectingvets…
@VetAffairsDems @RepMarkTakano Reports and survey results released earlier this year showed at least 1 in 4 women veterans reported sexual harassment at VA and 1 in 4 VA employees reported sexual harassment at work.
radio.com/connectingvets…
@VetAffairsDems @RepMarkTakano .@USGAO earlier this year released a report showing that VA's sexual harassment policies were "inconsistent and incomplete." radio.com/connectingvets…
*to resign

Someone stop the news before I make any more stupid typos
@VetAffairsDems @RepMarkTakano @USGAO Since we're talking about sexual harassment/assault on the TL today, if you need help please call the National Sexual Assault hotline at 800-656-4673 or go to online.rainn.org, 24/7.
@VetAffairsDems @RepMarkTakano @USGAO .@SenateVA Chairman @JerryMoran says the OIG report shows a "disappointing response from VA leadership" to the assault and "a failure by those leaders" to respond to the IG investigation.
@VetAffairsDems @RepMarkTakano @USGAO @SenateVA @JerryMoran .@HouseVetAffairs ranking member @DrPhilRoe and incoming (after Roe retires) ranking member @RepBost on the IG investigation:
@VetAffairsDems @RepMarkTakano @USGAO @SenateVA @JerryMoran @HouseVetAffairs @DrPhilRoe @RepBost @SVACDems @SenatorTester Looks like Takano is the only VA committee leader currently calling for resignations.
Another bit of interesting timing from VA — this went up a few days ago:

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More from @AbbieRBennett

11 Dec
Really sitting with this tonight and I think what sticks out more than anything is that VA didn’t take any action against the man (a VA contractor) with a history of abusing women (VA staff) but focused seemingly all it’s attention on discrediting the victim.
I know this isn’t a revelation to anyone, really. But it’s disturbing that it appears there wasn’t much concern that a man with a track record of sexual harassment potentially escalated to violence against a woman in a hospital in broad daylight around witnesses and cops.
There was so little concern, that VA police didn’t run his background check until 2 days after they ran one on the alleged victim and shared it with VA senior leaders.
But it follows some of the things these veterans and VA staffers told me: radio.com/connectingvets…
Read 6 tweets
9 Dec
Inbox: GAO finds, unsurprisingly, that Gulf War Illness claims are "complex and hard for VA to process."

Those claims are also denied at a higher rate than many others.

VA is in the final stages of officially defining the condition, hopefully in 2021.

gao.gov/assets/720/711…
The good news is there's some incredibly encouraging researching being done by VA experts that could pave the way for a cure: radio.com/connectingvets…
Vets who have Gulf War Illness should be cautious during the pandemic. They may be at elevated risk for complications.
radio.com/connectingvets…
Read 4 tweets
9 Dec
Today at 10 a.m., @SenateVA @SVACDems holds a hearing on @DeptVetAffairs and the pandemic. Also at 10 a.m., @VetAffairsDems @HouseVetAffairs holds a hearing on toxic exposures and VA presumptive service connection.
@SenateVA @SVACDems @DeptVetAffairs @VetAffairsDems @HouseVetAffairs VHA Executive Dr. Richard Stone is among those testifying in the Senate today.

Former SecVA @DavidShulkin is testifying on the second panel of the House hearing.
@SenateVA @SVACDems @DeptVetAffairs @VetAffairsDems @HouseVetAffairs @DavidShulkin Chairman @JerryMoran says he's looking to hear from VA about its progress on broadband agreements to support rural veterans and telehealth during the pandemic.
Read 32 tweets
16 Sep
If you'll let me, I'd like to interrupt your TLs for a moment to talk to you about Pat Duva, a 29-year-old Marine veteran who is dying of a rare brain cancer, and whose family asked me to help share his story.
connectingvets.radio.com/articles/29-ye… @USMC
Pat is a history nerd and wanted to be a teacher. You'd want him on your trivia team. He from Jersey and fancies himself a pizza connoisseur. He turned down full college scholarships to become a Marine after watching the 9/11 terrorist attacks firsthand.
connectingvets.radio.com/articles/29-ye…
"Pat always said, 'I went into the Marine Corps a healthy 18-year-old and I came out with all of these issues,'" his sister told me. "He felt in his heart that if he never joined, he would not have had the cancer. But he would not have changed anything." connectingvets.radio.com/articles/29-ye…
Read 8 tweets
5 Aug
New: More than 2 dozen vets and half a dozen VA pharmacy staffers told me they're seeing veterans' USPS mail-order prescriptions delayed by weeks.

"We are swamped with patient complaints over delivery delays," one VA pharmacy chief said.

connectingvets.radio.com/articles/veter…
About 80% of VA outpatient prescriptions are delivered by mail, fulfilled at 7 massive, "highly automated" hub pharmacies.

So far, VA officials are providing little to no information about how the USPS delays are VA's mail-order prescription system.

connectingvets.radio.com/articles/veter…
This is all VA officials would tell me:
"VA always encourages veterans to order routine prescriptions in advance. When it comes to emergent prescriptions, VA fills them onsite or uses commercial carriers to ensure timely delivery."

connectingvets.radio.com/articles/veter…
Read 4 tweets
3 Jun
New from @USGAO: In January 2017, Trump said he and VA would consult private citizens to help address VA issues. This raised questions about influence on VA’s decisions.
GAO found interactions between VA officials and private citizens in 2016 and 2018.
gao.gov/products/GAO-2…
@USGAO VA officials communicated with these 3 men with connections to the president about:
- Contract for a $16B electronic health record system
- Mobile app development
- Suicide prevention campaign
- Medical device registry
- Personnel decisions, including Under Secretary for Health
Read 30 tweets

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