VA Secretary Shulkin stresses there’s ‘a lot of work to do’ to fix department
Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin warned Wednesday that the VA is “still in critical condition” despite efforts that predate his tenure to reduce wait times for medical appointments and expand opportunities to seek care in the private sector.
In a “State of the VA” report, Shulkin, a physician, issued a blunt diagnosis: “There is a lot of work to do.”
Veterans can get “sameday” services at medical centers but are still waiting too long — more than 60 days — for new appointments at about 30 locations nationwide. Many primary care centers are understaffed or running out of space. Appeals of disability claims remain backed up with years of wait. Inventory systems at several VA facilities are woefully out of date, and employee accountability is “clearly broken.”
Shulkin said the department had about 1,500 disciplinary actions against employees on hold, citing legal requirements that it must wait at least a month before taking action for misconduct. That means people are being paid “for violating our core values,” he said in a 17-page report.
“Our veterans and their families have benefited from our early success but have suffered due to the failures of the past to effect real change,” Shulkin said.
Shulkin provided his “top to bottom review” at a critical time. His biggest proposals for revamping the VA — and fulfilling the campaign promises of President Donald Trump — will need to be acted on soon by an increasingly polarized Congress if measures are to be passed by this fall.