Sen. Richard Blumenthal, the top Democrat on the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, complained in a letter to the VA secretary about a rise in the number of sexual harassment and assault allegations at its facilities. Blumenthal is shown at a congressional hearing in 2025. (Eric Kayne/Stars and Stripes)
WASHINGTON — The top Democrat on the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee is raising concerns about a rise in allegations of sexual harassment and assault at Department of Veterans Affairs facilities.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, of Connecticut, urged VA Secretary Doug Collins to address the “staggering increase” in complaints filed by employees and the public at VA hospitals, clinics and offices.
Reports of sexual harassment more than doubled from 2021 through 2024 — rising from 600 to 1,541 — according to data collected by the VA from hospitals, clinics, offices and individuals.
Allegations of sexual assault at VA facilities rose from 323 to 472 during the same period.
Data comes from a report the VA sends to Congress annually that examines safety incidents at VA facilities.
Lindsay Church, executive director of Minority Veterans of America, a nonprofit advocacy group, described the figures as a “serious” warning sign.
“For veterans, it signals that spaces meant for healing and care are too often unsafe, undermining trust and discouraging people from seeking the services they need,” Church said. “For VA employees, caregivers and volunteers, it reflects workplaces where harmful behavior may go unaddressed and where fear of retaliation can suppress reporting.”
Blumenthal said the higher figures point to the need for anti-harassment workplace training, which the VA eliminated following President Donald Trump’s 2025 executive order ending “diversity and equity inclusion” programs in the federal government.
“It is unacceptable that, while sexual harassment and assault reports at VA facilities continue to increase, the Department is unconcerned with providing its employees mandated sexual harassment prevention training,” Blumenthal wrote in a Jan. 5 letter to Collins.
But the VA stated that the higher number of allegations reflects a greater awareness of the avenues for filing complaints and confidence in the system to appropriately manage them.
“The Veterans Health Administration remains dedicated to its efforts to encourage reporting and address sexual assault and harassment within VA facilities,” according to a VA statement.
Incidents included staff complaints about disruptive patients who were mentally impaired or incompetent, according to the report.
Minority Veterans of America also acknowledged that the higher number of complaints may indicate a greater willingness to report incidents.
But “progress is undermined when reporting systems lack consistency, and required prevention tools are removed,” Church said.
The VA defines sexual harassment as unwelcome comments and contact “of a sexual nature” that may include requests for favors, physical touching and inappropriate texts and emails.
Sexual assault is described as nonconsensual sexual contact or activity, including incidents where victims were incapacitated by illness, injury, intoxication and other reasons.
A total of 28,000 safety incidents were reported at VA facilities in fiscal 2024 of which sexual harassment and assaults were a subset, according to the VA.
VA officials noted the large volume of patient care it provides at its hospitals and clinics, in comparison to allegations it received.
VA hospitals reported 1.4 million patient admissions and 167 million visits to outpatient clinics in fiscal 2024.
The agency’s Office of Resolution Management responded to sexual harassment claims and other incidents at VA facilities. Sexual assault allegations were compiled from VA police reports.
