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In January I went public with my concerns about how my employer, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Health Care System in Phoenix, was failing to address the needs of suicidal veterans.

It was one of the most difficult decisions I’ve ever made—and I paid the price when VA officials retaliated against me.

As an addiction counselor with the Phoenix VA since 2009, I’ve received positive feedback from the veterans serve and in my personnel reviews.

But after exposing the VA’s failures to care for veterans in need, I have been subjected to harassment and intimidation from my superiors, who placed me on “administrative leave” on flimsy grounds.

I was not entirely surprised. I had heard the horror stories of how VA officials punish employees deemed a “problem.” Whistleblowers recount sudden transfers and reassignments, having their computers confiscated and other forms of harassment.

That’s why whistleblowers must be afforded the highest level of protection against reprisals. And it’s why Congress and the president must enact those stronger protections through the VA Accountability Act—so that other truth-tellers aren’t forced to undergo what I faced.

Here’s my story. As a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, I came to my calling as a counselor after hitting bottom—a decade ago I suffered from substance abuse issues of my own.

I was fortunate to receive help from a committed VA counselor, so I knew firsthand that the VA could be a vital resource for helping veterans get their lives back. Being able to serve my fellow veterans, as I did through a specialized 52-week outpatient treatment program I designed, was the most rewarding job I could have imagined.

But I also witnessed how the department had veered from its mission to serve veterans. After seeing how the cases of potentially suicidal veterans were mishandled, with veterans taking their own lives after being turned away, I made my complaints public.

The retaliation and harassment began soon thereafter:

  • My superiors falsely claimed I “threatened” another VA employee, and placed me on leave pending investigation.
  • In the weeks that followed, my private VA medical records were accessed repeatedly, though it remains unclear by whom.
  • The treatment program I developed was shut down—thereby punishing not only me but also the veterans who benefited.

If you think those actions are just coincidental, consider this: the day after I shared my concerns with the media, Glenn Grippen, the head of the Phoenix VA hospital, held a secret meeting to propose terminating my employment. According to a sworn affidavit from another attendee, a VA lawyer said I could not be terminated for being a whistleblower, but I could be fired for “adverse employee actions.” This apparently set off a frantic search for evidence of “adverse” behavior to be used against me.

Bear in mind the true purpose behind such reprisals. Tarring my reputation and barring me from working with veterans is not simply intended to target me. It’s also intended to intimidate others who might be considering stepping up to expose wrongdoing.

Not many people are willing to come forward knowing it will jeopardize their careers or livelihoods. That’s why the whistleblower protections in the VA Accountability Act, which include disciplinary consequences for managers who retaliate against employees, are critical.

Some claim this bill will hurt whistleblowers – that’s not true. It would protect people like me by ensuring that those who attempt to punish whistleblowers would face disciplinary actions. Perhaps that’s one reason the VA Accountability Act is supported by a bipartisan coalition in Congress and by most leading veterans’ organizations.

Government watchdogs have also praised the bill, which passed the House in July and awaits action in the Senate. The legal director for the Government Accountability Project, Tom Devine, told the Washington Post in August that the VA Accountability Act “would be the strongest law in the U.S. Code requiring accountability for bureaucratic bullies who retaliate. It puts whistleblowers on an unprecedented pedestal.”

In working with my clients as they struggle to overcome their addictions, I tell them they must take responsibility for their decisions and actions.

I’ve found that to be a good formula for life in general. So when I saw wrongdoing at the VA, I spoke up, though I knew it would have consequences. I only wanted to tell the truth and effect change. To my superiors, that makes me a “troublemaker.”

I suppose that’s a matter of perspective. But what’s not a matter of perspective is that you should not be punished for exposing wrongdoing or management failures in government. I stand behind the VA Accountability Act because it is a privilege to work for the VA, not a right, and every employee, including hospital directors, should face consequences for poor performance or wrongdoing. The whistleblower protections in the VA Accountability Act will help make that ideal a reality.

Author:
Brandon Coleman