Veterans Affairs denies it discriminates based on politics, marital status
A report from the Guardian details how the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is instructing its doctors nationwide to ignore previous anti-discrimination guidelines for services, particularly those that pertain to political beliefs and marital status.
The outlet said it is in possession of internal documents that point to the VA removing the protective language, effectively opening the door for patients to be denied services. This allegedly expands beyond standard medical care and includes dentistry and psychiatric services.
Notably, the VA has not changed its policy—as it aligns with federal law—that forbids discrimination on the basis of race, religion or sex. However, the Guardian said current language within VA hospital bylaws “requiring healthcare professionals to care for veterans regardless of their politics and marital status has been explicitly eliminated,” meaning providers are allowed to deny care on the basis of personal beliefs and political ideology.
The Guardian added that this potentially expands to party registry and a patient’s level of union activity.
The VA cited President Donald Trump’s executive order from January that pitted the federal government against “gender ideology extremism” and aimed to restore “biological truth” as it relates to healthcare and science policy.
However, this change in policy seems unrelated to the larger issues surrounding transgender care, which the VA already announced a moratorium on earlier this year. Instead, removal of this protective language, the Guardian argues, would speak more to personal politics.
The outlet said it reached out to the VA for comment and was told by Press Secretary Peter Kasperowicz that while the protective language related to lifestyle and a patient’s own ethics and philosophy was removed, it was merely a "formality" to comply with the executive order.
The outlet said Kasperowicz confirmed that “all eligible veterans will always be welcome at VA and will always receive the benefits and services they’ve earned under the law.”
The Guardian did not cite any specific examples of discrimination happening and was more reporting on the change in policy.
Veterans Affairs denies assertions made in the report
In a fact-check investigation by Snopes, multiple officials within the department denied the allegations outright, and rejected that there will be any discrimination based on political ideology or marital status.
“VA recently updated its medical center bylaws to ensure compliance with White House executive orders, such as the order on Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism And Restoring Biological Truth To The Federal Government,” assistant secretary for public affairs Macaulay Porter told Snopes. “These updates will have no impact whatsoever on who VA treats or employs.”
“The fact that the Guardian is trying to misrepresent these changes as anything more than a formality underscores its extreme liberal bias and steadfast commitment to spreading disinformation,” Porter added.
The agency confirmed that federal law prohibits any form of discrimination and the “VA will always follow federal law.”
In a statement on social media, VA Secretary Doug Collins also rejected the Guardians assertions.
“More proof that the fake news cannot be trusted. This story is not only false, it's ridiculous. All eligible Veterans will always be welcome at VA and will always receive the benefits and services they've earned under the law,” he wrote.
HealthExec welcomes anyone with more information, or specific examples of policy shifts, to email us at [email protected].
Chad is an award-winning writer and editor with over 15 years of experience working in media. He has a decade-long professional background in healthcare, working as a writer and in public relations.