Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Judiciary Committee, as a long-time advocate for whistleblowers, wrote to the Department of Veterans Affairs twice about VA retaliation against Brandon Coleman for pointing out poor treatment of suicidal veterans where he worked in Arizona. Coleman and the VA reached a settlement through the Office of Special Counsel to restore Coleman in a VA position. Coleman had been on administrative leave for more than a year and prevented from running an addiction treatment program for veterans. Now, Coleman has a new position at the VA’s new Office of Accountability and Whistleblower Protection. Grassley made the following comment.
“This is good news. Brandon Coleman and whistleblowers like him are key to accountability and good government. They deserve a welcome mat, not retaliation. The Administration is right to recognize what Brandon Coleman has to offer the VA as the agency tries to fix the ways it’s failed veterans and taxpayers. This move sets an example for all agencies to follow.”
