Navy Sailors Report Unusual Duties

PHOTO CAPTION: The U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., photographed before dawn on December 15, 2021. Navy personnel assigned to Congress's Office of the Attending Physician have alleged unusually long workweeks, inappropriate assignments and pressure over leave and career decisions. Several sailors have since been reassigned, and the office's longtime attending physician has left his position amid an ongoing Pentagon inspector general evaluation. (Architect of the Capitol file photo by Thomas Hatzenbuhler.)

Active-duty Navy personnel assigned to provide medical care for members of Congress say their duties included clipping a lawmaker's toenails, delivering medication to private residences in the middle of the night and working schedules that sometimes left almost no time to sleep.

The allegations are part of a November 12 Navy Times investigation into working conditions at the Office of the Attending Physician, the congressional medical operation staffed partly by military personnel.

Four people who worked in the office described 70- to 80-hour workweeks, pressure to avoid taking leave, threats involving monthly financial allowances and difficulty obtaining transfers.

The reporting comes amid an ongoing Pentagon inspector general evaluation and the recent reassignment of multiple sailors.

In another significant development, Rear Adm. Brian Monahan, the Navy physician who led the office for more than 17 years, has left his position.

The circumstances of his departure have not been fully explained by the Navy.

The inspector general has not publicly released findings establishing whether the reported treatment of sailors violated military rules or other requirements.
Clipping Toenails and Making 3 A.M. Medication Deliveries
The Office of the Attending Physician provides medical care and emergency medical support to members of Congress, the Supreme Court and other eligible personnel.

The office operates around the clock, with Navy medical personnel among those historically assigned to support its mission.

But one active-duty sailor told Navy Times that some assignments appeared to extend well beyond the responsibilities expected of military medical personnel.

The sailor described being required to cut a congressman's toenails and deliver medication to a lawmaker's private residence at 3 a.m.

Other personnel reported providing medical standby coverage at congressional birthday celebrations, dinners and VIP events.

Some of those duties may fall within legitimate medical support responsibilities. The allegations raise questions about how the assignments were determined, which services were medically necessary and whether Navy personnel were being used for inappropriate personal tasks.

The lawmakers receiving the reported services were not identified.

The reporting also does not establish that those lawmakers personally ordered the sailors to perform the tasks or knew about any alleged mistreatment.
Working Until 4 A.M., Then Reporting at 6 A.M.
The allegations go well beyond unusual assignments.

A former Navy hospital corpsman described a schedule that ordinarily involved 12-hour shifts from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., with additional duty every other day.

When Congress remained in session late, personnel assigned to duty had to remain available.

On some nights, according to the former corpsman, work continued until approximately 4 a.m.

The regular shift still began at 6 a.m.

Other people who worked in the office described weekly schedules reaching 70 to 80 hours.

These accounts have not been established through independently released duty records, but they were among the conditions described to Navy Times by people with experience in the congressional medical operation.

Military personnel are accustomed to irregular schedules, extended duty periods and responding to emergencies.

The issue raised by the former staff members is whether those demands were necessary, properly supervised and accompanied by reasonable opportunities for rest.

A civilian medical professional familiar with the office expressed concern about the effects of inadequate sleep on military readiness.
Sailors Say Leave Requests Were Discouraged
Several people interviewed for the investigation said civilian supervisors pressured sailors not to take leave.

According to the accounts, that pressure sometimes involved requests connected to family medical emergencies.

One former corpsman said supervisors discouraged leave by arguing that taking time off would place additional burdens on fellow sailors.

Another allegation involved monthly financial allowances.

Congress has authorized special monthly allowances for certain positions in the medical office, ranging from hundreds to thousands of dollars depending on the job.

Sailors told Navy Times that managers threatened to withhold their payments when they challenged decisions or pushed back against working conditions.

One sailor said the possibility of losing a monthly payment was repeatedly used as a reminder of management's authority.

The reporting does not establish that those threats were lawful, that every threatened payment was actually withheld or that any specific supervisor has been disciplined.

But the allegations raise questions about who controlled those payments and whether financial incentives were being used to discourage personnel from reporting problems.
Some Sailors Say They Could Not Leave the Assignment
The Office of the Attending Physician is ordinarily a three-year assignment for Navy personnel.

According to three people familiar with the office, sailors who completed that period could still face significant obstacles to transferring.

They alleged that civilian supervisors sometimes prevented reassignment requests from reaching senior Navy leadership.

One former corpsman said a request to leave the office was met with warnings that the sailor could be sent to the Middle East and that a transfer would damage their career.

The former corpsman eventually departed but reported receiving a negative performance evaluation, described as the only unfavorable evaluation of their career.

Other personnel said they were discouraged from communicating directly with Navy medical leadership.

The accounts raise an important question about the chain of command.

The sailors were active-duty military personnel, yet they worked in an unusual congressional environment where civilian supervisors had substantial influence over everyday operations.

It remains unclear exactly how responsibility for scheduling, leave approval, assignments, allowances and transfers was divided between the Navy and congressional medical office leadership.
Congress's Top Doctor Has Left His Position
The investigation has also drawn attention to the departure of Rear Adm. Brian Monahan.

Monahan had served as the attending physician for Congress and the Supreme Court since 2009.

On November 12, Sens. Mike Rounds and Alex Padilla confirmed that he was no longer serving in that position.

The Wall Street Journal subsequently reported that Monahan had resigned amid an investigation, while other reporting characterized his departure as a removal.

The Navy has not publicly provided a complete explanation.

The departure is significant because Monahan was responsible for leading the office while military personnel were assigned there.

However, Navy Times attributed the allegations about leave, schedules and financial pressure primarily to civilian supervisors.

Its reporting did not establish that Monahan personally directed sailors to clip lawmakers' toenails, deliver medication to private homes or work the disputed schedules.

His departure also does not constitute a finding that he committed misconduct.
Pentagon Inspector General Reviewing the Office
The Department of Defense inspector general announced an evaluation on September 2, 2025, examining internal controls over medical care provided by military personnel assigned to the Office of the Attending Physician.

The review also involves the Defense Health Agency and Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery.

According to the project announcement, investigators are assessing how effectively Defense Department personnel perform their assigned responsibilities, including providing medical care to eligible recipients.

That scope could shed light on how military personnel were supervised and how their work was managed.

However, the announcement itself is not a report of wrongdoing.

As of the November 12 Navy Times investigation, the inspector general had not publicly released its conclusions.

Navy Times also reported that the Navy and the Office of the Attending Physician did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

Several military personnel have since been reassigned away from the office.

The available reporting does not establish whether those transfers were disciplinary actions, protective measures or the result of other administrative decisions.
Who Is Responsible for Protecting Sailors Assigned to Congress?
The unusual organization of Congress's medical office makes the allegations especially important.

The office has existed since 1928 and has historically relied on Navy personnel to help provide medical services within the Capitol complex.

Congress funds aspects of its operations while the military supplies personnel and other support.

For fiscal 2026, lawmakers authorized approximately $3.4 million to reimburse the Navy for certain expenses associated with personnel allowances and equipment supporting the office.

The arrangement creates responsibilities for both congressional administrators and Navy leaders.

But the personnel interviewed by Navy Times described a workplace where those lines of authority could become difficult to navigate.

They alleged that sailors could be pressured by civilian supervisors while facing obstacles to seeking assistance through their military chain of command.

Those claims have not been independently adjudicated.

The inspector general's findings may eventually clarify how responsibilities were assigned, whether appropriate controls existed and whether corrective action is needed.
What Happens Next?
The Navy has reassigned multiple sailors, and the physician who led the congressional medical office has departed.

But the central questions remain unresolved.

Who authorized the duties described by the sailors? Were the extended schedules and leave restrictions properly managed? Could civilian supervisors influence military career decisions or special payments inappropriately?

And did Navy leadership have enough oversight of personnel assigned to serve Congress?

The answers may depend on the results of the Pentagon inspector general's evaluation and any subsequent investigations.

For now, the most unusual allegation is also the easiest to understand: a sailor assigned to support Congress says military duties included clipping a lawmaker's toenails and delivering medication to a private home at 3 a.m.

The larger issue is whether those service members had the same access to accountability, leave and protection from retaliation that the military is expected to provide its personnel elsewhere.

(Source: OAF Nation)