MESSAGE FROM THE SECRETARY
False Reporting in The Guardian
Fellow Veterans and VA Employees:
A news story published by the Guardian on Monday, June 16, 2025, has misled Veterans, our employees, and the public.
The article was recklessly and maliciously false. It claimed that recent changes to Veterans Health Administration bylaws would allow the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to discriminate against Veterans and facility staff based on political affiliation and marital status.
To be clear, VA does not tolerate discrimination on any grounds, including political affiliation or marital status.
Our public affairs staff spent many hours over the course of 3 days asking The Guardian to retract its harmful and defamatory story, but the publication refused.
To make matters worse, other media outlets and some politicians irresponsibly amplified the article’s disinformation.
While some reporters, media outlets, and politicians obviously have no standards, please make no mistake about our standards at VA.
Under no circumstances whatsoever would VA ever deny appropriate care to any eligible Veteran, survivor, or beneficiary or appropriate employment to any qualified, potential employees. Under no circumstances whatsoever would VA ever allow any employee to refuse to provide appropriate care to any eligible Veteran, survivor, or beneficiary or appropriate employment to any qualified, potential employees.
I ask that you help convey this message to Veterans, survivors, beneficiaries, and others who may be concerned due to disinformation propagated by media outlets like The Guardian.
Thank you for your service to our Nation and to America’s Veterans.
Douglas A. Collins
