The Department of Veterans Affairs has centered inclusion, diversity, equity, and access in its cultural transformation action plan.
The Department of Veterans Affairs has vowed to improve inclusion and gender equality as it undergoes a total transformation from recommendations for the department. Some of these recommendations are to incorporate practices that further inclusion and diversity in gender identity.
Many of these improvements address disparity pertaining to race, sex, gender, and other demographics among VA veterans and their employees. Many minoritized employees have suffered in their employment positions and development and undergone some difficult times with management and rank. It is in the VA’s best interest to focus on these struggling communities and continue offering resources to inform and advocate on their behalf.
Since December of 2021, the national medical system began to include gender identifiers on veteran records in order to be more inclusive. By allowing the national medical system to define gender identity beyond male and female, the Department of Veteran Affairs hopes to reduce discrimination and increase trust among its members.
The Department of Veteran Affairs has been highly vocal about its efforts to reach all its members. In its April 2021 plan, the department stated its wish to offer services and treat all employees with the utmost respect. According to the department, this change goes beyond its transformation goals and involves serving all veterans regardless of their cultural background or gender identity.
Although the VA has recognized that this transformation might take time and effort in the future, it is committed to diversifying the workplace and making changes to improve the department. Many employees and veterans hope to see some improvement under the Biden-Harris administration. By advocating for one another and keeping the VA accountable to its transformation plans, one can hope to begin to see changes in the near future.
