VA Secretary discusses the future as the nation ushers in a new presidential administration

Robert A. McDonald was appointed Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs in July 2014. Over the last two and a half years, the West Point graduate has led a transformation of the VA from the top down. The first to remark that there is still a long way to go to ensure veterans get the care they’ve earned, McDonald says he believes they’re on the right track. In an interview with DAV, McDonald discussed top legislative priorities and the future of the VA as we move closer to a new presidential administration.

DAV: You took the reins at one of the most difficult and controversial times in the VA’s history. What progress have you made over the last two years, and what have you found most challenging?

McDonald: I think the overall evidence of the transformation underway is the improvement in veteran trust. We’ve gone from basically 40 percent of veterans trusting the VA to 59 percent. That’s really the most challenging thing. How do you gain the trust of veterans while you’re doing things like improving access to health care, reducing the backlog of claims, and trying to end veterans’ homelessness? Particularly at a time when many people have tried the VA already and had a bad experience so they’re not going to go back. Getting, in a sense, a retrial is a big challenge.

I would measure [our progress] on the improvement of access. We’ve made more medical appointments this year versus last year. We’ve added over 1,200 doctors and 2,300 nurses. We’ve expanded clinical hours, added over 2 million square feet of new space and clinics, all designed to improve access to care.

We’ve brought the VA claims backlog down by about 90 percent, which is a big accomplishment. We’ve been able to reduce veteran homelessness by about half since 2010, with a 17-percent reduction last year alone. But there’s obviously more work to do.

DAV: MyVA is a hallmark of your time in this office. How will you ensure the transformation continues into the next administration?

McDonald: We’ve been working really hard to create irreversible momentum. Meaning, no matter what happens in the future, this trend of transformation and better veteran outcomes will continue. We’ve tried to change the culture, to put the veteran in the center of everything we do and also improve the experience of employees. All of these things are designed to make sure our progress is irreversible. We’re putting together a very thorough transition plan, so the next administration will know what we’re doing and why we’re doing it.

DAV: What improvements have you seen in the past two years in regard to women veterans?

McDonald: I think the initiative to improve care for the increasing number of veterans who are women is one of the most important things we can do during my time. We’re going from roughly 11 to 12 percent of veterans who are women to as many as 20 percent. What we’ve been trying to do is put in place individual clinics for women veterans, hire more providers trained in providing care for females and we’ve identified female providers at each one of our facilities. These are top priorities for us. We’re making progress, but we’re obviously going to need to make more.

DAV: How essential is it for the VA to be granted a sufficient budget?

McDonald: If you look at the Independent Budget that you all come up with, I think you would argue that we have been underfunded for construction and infrastructure by about $9 billion, if I’m not mistaken. Sixty percent of our buildings are over 50 years old. We’ve got to fund the infrastructure that the VA has. One of the things we’ve tried to do is put in budgets that have been reflective of our needs. Under President Obama, our budget has gone up 86 percent since he became president, but we still have work to do.

One of the lunacies of all this is we, right now, have 24 leases of clinical space that have been appropriated by Congress, but have not been authorized by our committee. So we can’t move on them. Here’s an example where Congress has already appropriated a budget but not authorized it. We can’t do anything about it. Congress passes the laws that say what benefits we give, and Congress funds that, but when the funding doesn’t match the demand, we have problems.

I think my job is to tell the American people what the truth is, and to hold Congress responsible for what only they can do. I’m going to continue to call out the appropriate parties. I’m also glad to be held accountable myself, but if I can’t do something without the help of someone else, I’m going to call them out.

DAV: Fixing the VA has certainly been a hot topic in the presidential debates. No matter the outcome of the election, what do you feel is most important for the next administration to remember in shaping the future of the department for the coming generations of veterans?

McDonald: We can’t let political ideology get in the way of transformation. The veterans in this country have spoken with one voice and gotten a lot done over the years, so I would encourage veterans and all veterans service organizations to continue to do that. Do not settle. Veterans should not be political pawns. Veterans have served their country, and they are owed what we’ve committed to them since the very beginning, before they were sworn in.

To read additional responses from Bob McDonald, visit dav.org/learn-more/news/2016/one-one-bob-mcdonald.