A message from the Secretary of Veterans Affairs
Dear Veteran or Beneficiary,
On behalf of all Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) staff, thank you for choosing VA. It is an honor and a privilege to serve you.
VA has made significant progress over the last year implementing our Veteran First strategy – easing access to care when and where you need it most. Patient safety, delivering high quality health outcomes, and providing best-in-class customer experience for all Veterans and beneficiaries remain our top priorities. That includes maintaining the safety and well-being of Veterans, their families, caregivers, survivors, visitors, and our dedicated staff. As a requirement of Public Law 116-315, this message serves as an annual reminder of VA’s continued commitment to ensure our medical facilities, staff offices, regional benefits offices, and the sacred grounds of our cemeteries are places where all are welcome and treated with dignity and respect.
Though VA continues its long-standing adherence to anti-harassment and anti-sexual assault policies, laws, and programs, it takes all of us working together to maintain safe and welcoming environments for all. One way you can help is to practice the Bystander Intervention Techniques described in this brochure. These are practical techniques to enable you to feel confident in your ability to identify harassment or sexual assault, seek help, and prevent the situation from escalating.
We understand that reporting harassment or sexual assault may feel uncomfortable. But I assure you, our trained staff stands ready to support and assist you throughout the process. If you or someone you know has been harassed or sexually assaulted at a VA facility, we ask that you tell a VA staff member you trust. There is no wrong door for reporting harassment or sexual assault. You may also submit a report by following the guidance found at www.va.gov/report-harassment. Reporting not only helps VA better support victims, it enables us to more effectively prevent future incidents.
Thank you for choosing VA as the place to receive your benefits and services. You are our mission, a responsibility we do not take lightly.
You can view the Veterans Health Administration’s sexual assault and harassment prevention policy here.
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