How We Report: Methodology & Corrections

VA Headlines reports on the Department of Veterans Affairs from official records. Our current reports link to the government document behind them. Older items in our headline archive, tagged NEWS, link to press coverage and are labeled with the outlet's name. This page explains where our information comes from, how we check it, and how we fix mistakes.

Our sources

We use primary government documents:

  • VA Office of Inspector General (vaoig.gov) reports, inspections, audits and press releases

  • U.S. Government Accountability Office (gao.gov) reports and testimony

  • U.S. Office of Special Counsel (osc.gov) whistleblower case files and letters

  • U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Attorney's Office press releases (justice.gov)

  • Congressional committee records, letters and votes

  • Official VA news releases and the Federal Register

News articles may point us to a story, but new reports are published only when we can link the official record behind them.

Archive items tagged NEWS

Our headline wall also keeps older archive items (mostly 2019 to 2021, with a few later) that link to press coverage rather than a government record. These are handled differently:

  • Each one is tagged NEWS and its headline starts with the outlet's name (for example, "Military Times:"). Opinion pieces are marked "Opinion," "Op-Ed" or "Editorial."

  • The headline restates what that outlet reported. It is not our own finding, and we add no facts the article does not support.

  • We do not name individuals in these items unless an official government document linked from the item names them.

  • Items with no working source are tagged PENDING and carry no names. Items linking to our older archive site are tagged ARCHIVE.

  • If we find the official record behind an archive item, we update it to cite that record.

How we verify

Before publishing, we:

  1. Open the original document and confirm the agency, report number and date.

  2. Check every number in our headline and summary against the document, including the denominator (for example, "33 of 55 sampled work items," not "most claims").

  3. Use the document's own money terms. "Questioned costs," "improper payments," "potential revenue" and "overpayments" mean different things, and we keep them separate.

  4. Report the number of recommendations and whether VA concurred, plus target dates when given.

  5. Attribute findings to the agency that made them ("OIG found," "GAO reported," "DOJ said").

  6. Link the official source on every new headline and story. (Older archive items tagged NEWS link to the press article instead; see above.)

Sampled estimates

Many OIG and GAO findings are statistical estimates projected from a sample. When a number is an estimate, we say so ("OIG estimated 17,900 decisions had errors"), and we note when a figure is a minimum or lower bound. If VA disputes an estimate in its comments, we report that too.

Allegations, charges and convictions

  • Charged or indicted means accused. We write "charged" or "alleged," and a defendant is presumed innocent.

  • Pleaded guilty means the person admitted the conduct in court.

  • Convicted or sentenced is reported only when a court record or DOJ release says so.

  • Administrative findings (for example, an OIG finding of misconduct) are not criminal convictions, and we say which is which.

  • We name people only as the official source names them. We generally do not name lower-level employees.

Headlines

Our headlines summarize the official finding, or for NEWS archive items, what the named outlet reported. We avoid labels such as "corrupt" or "cover-up" unless an official record uses them, and we never imply guilt: a charge is an allegation. When an allegation was not substantiated, we say so.

Corrections

If we get something wrong, we fix it quickly and say what changed. Corrected stories carry a note at the bottom with the date and the correction. Archive headlines that cannot be tied to an official record are labeled NEWS or PENDING, attributed to their source, and kept neutral; we update or remove them when the record shows they are wrong.

To request a correction, email VAHeadlines@outlook.com with the headline or link, what is wrong, and the official source that shows the right information. We review every request.

Independence

We are not affiliated with the Department of Veterans Affairs or any government agency. We are not attacking the VA; we are holding it accountable.

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