Press Releases

Today, House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Chairman Mike Bost (R-Ill.), provided the following update on the Committee’s investigation into disturbing allegations of sexual misconduct, including allegations of sexual harassment, sexual assault, and inappropriate interpersonal relationships, at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Mountain Home VA Medical Center in Tennessee. These concerns were first brought to the Chairman by Under Secretary for Health, Dr. Shereef Elnahal, in July, and later confirmed by whistleblowers. Since then, Chairman Bost has sent three letters to Secretary McDonough on the situation at the Mountain Home VA, requested numerous documents and performance reviews, and sent an oversight team to Tennessee to assess the situation.

To date, VA has provided the Committee with certain documents related to the department’s investigation into Mountain Home. The information that has been shared with the Committee revealed that sexual relationships and misconduct did occur on VA property in Mountain Home, Tennessee. However, the VA investigation is still ongoing and to the Committee’s knowledge, senior leaders at Mountain Home who were aware of this sexually explicit activity, are still employed by VA. The Committee continues to wait for documents to reveal whether senior leaders in Mountain Home, and those who participated in sexual activity at work, will be appropriately disciplined.

“The sexual misconduct, harassment, and inappropriate interpersonal relationships that were allowed to persist at the Mountain Home VA facility are disturbing and disgusting. If these allegations are verified, without question, these men and women have no business serving veterans in East Tennessee, and this should have never happened,” said Chairman Bost. “As we continue to get more information from the Department on why this behavior was allowed, who committed these actions, whether those involved are still collecting a taxpayer-funded paycheck from VA, and who is ultimately responsible, I will continue to fight tooth and nail to urge the Biden administration to hold everyone involved accountable,” Chairman Bost continued. “I have been clear from the start of this Congress and throughout the multiple investigations we have unveiled, situations of sexual harassment and misconduct like the one in Mountain Home should never happen at VA. That is exactly why one of my top priorities next Congress will be to work with the Trump administration to pass the Restore VA Accountability Act, so that no bureaucrat can stand in the way of getting bad VA employees away from veterans – for good.”

Background:
Under Chairman Bost’s leadership this Congress, the Committee has repeatedly uncovered VA’s mismanagement of serious misconduct allegations, including allegations of sexual harassment and improper interpersonal relationships, through oversight visits and conversations with whistleblowers. In addition to the Mountain Home VA allegations, recent sexual harassment and improper interpersonal relationship allegations mishandled by VA and brought to light by the Committee, include allegations against leadership within the Atlanta VA police force, and allegations against senior leaders within VA’s Office of Resolution Management, Diversity & Inclusion (ORMDI). In both instances, leaders at VA allegedly ignored sexual harassment and other misconduct for months. With the recent Mountain Home VA allegations, and after meeting with employees on the ground, it appears VA leadership may have, yet again, failed to adequately address serious allegations. To read the first letter that was sent to Secretary McDonough on these allegations in July, click here. To read the second letter that was sent in August, click here. To read the third letter on the investigation into Mountain Home, click here.