§533 Anti-harassment and anti-sexual assault policy

Summary

The Secretary must make a clear, Department-wide plan to stop harassment and sexual assault at VA sites. The plan must explain how staff and contractors will handle reports when a non-VA person harms a VA worker, and how they will handle reports when a non-VA person is harmed. It must let non-VA people report safely, including confidentially, and must tell everyone who to contact and how to report. Staff and contractors who see harassment must report it, and the plan must say what can happen to workers who fail to report. The plan must require training at least once a year (including bystander training), send the policy and education materials at least annually to people who get VA benefits, put clear messages and contacts up in each facility, and post banners on VA websites. The Secretary must name at least one person to take reports at each facility (including Vet Centers), one in each Veterans Integrated Service Network, one in each regional benefits office, one at each National Cemetery site, and one at Central Office to track reports broken down by facility. Facility leaders must act to fix problems and must have a remediation plan if a site has five or more incidents in one fiscal year and use the personnel actions the law allows. New patients must get a safety survey and can ask to be contacted later. A working group with veterans groups, State/local/Tribal veterans agencies, and others will help make local actions, shared media, and veteran bystander training. The Secretary must send an annual report to the House and Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committees with program results, research, data, actions taken, training checks, and needed resources. Definitions: non-Department individual = anyone at a VA site who is not a VA employee or contractor. sexual harassment = unwanted sexual words or touching that feel threatening.