Veterans, their families, caregivers, and survivors have a new way to report incidents of sexual assault or sexual harassment at Department of Veterans Affairs facilities.
The incidents can be reported by calling 1-800-MyVA411 (1-800-698-2411, option 9).
“Maintaining a safe and welcoming environment at all VA facilities for veterans, their caregivers, volunteers, visitors, and employees is a key priority for the department,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough.
Whenever someone calls the hotline, they will be able to confidentially report incidents of sexual assault or harassment that occur at VA facilities, according to a VA release.
“We find none of these events to be excusable under any circumstances,” VA Undersecretary for Health Dr. Shereef Elnahal told reporters during a June 21 media roundtable. “This is another way for veterans to let us know if they are experiencing this. We want to make sure that number eventually gets to zero reports of sexual assault and harassment.
Elnahal said he expects the number of reports to increase as a result of the new capability, which is part VA’s “no wrong door” reporting policy for sexual assault or sexual harassment.
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“Every single report we get is an opportunity to address a veteran who has been wronged and really represents behavior that is inexcusable in your system,” he said. “There are no time limits when veterans can tell us they were sexually assaulted or abused.”
The call center operates 24/7 and follow-up health care and support will also be made available to those in need.
“They can call this number and be routed to somebody who can take their complaint,” said Elnahal.
Veterans, their families, caregivers, and survivors are encouraged to report incidents of sexual harassment or sexual assault as soon as they occur, including while they are still at the VA facility. Incidents can be reported directly to VA police, VA staff, local law enforcement and by calling 1-800-MyVA411.
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“By creating multiple avenues for persons to report sexual harassment or sexual assault incidents, the VA removes barriers to reporting and creates a quicker path for VA to investigate and take appropriate action,” added McDonough.
VA has also taken steps in recent years to prevent and address sexual harassment and sexual assault at its facilities and to support survivors, including designating points of contact at VA facilities to accept reports of harassment from veterans and visitors; implementing veteran safety surveys; providing bystander intervention training for staff and veterans; encouraging employees and veterans to take the White Ribbon VA Pledge to never commit, excuse, or stay silent about sexual harassment, sexual assault, or domestic violence; and requiring facility remediation plans for those that obtain five or more founded sexual assault or sexual harassment incidents during a fiscal year.
VA also has an active Secretary’s Working Group on Sexual Assault and Harassment Prevention — a group of Veterans Service Organization representatives, advocates, State Directors of Veterans Affairs, Tribal representatives, VA employees serving in a personal capacity, and survivors of sexual assault and harassment.
To learn more about reporting incidents of sexual harassment or sexual assault, visit here. For more information about the MyVA411 contact line, visit here.
Reach Julia LeDoux at Julia@connectingvets.com.