The secretary of Veterans Affairs testified earlier than a home committee immediately for simply the second time in the course of the Trump administration, to elucidate a nationwide plan to drastically streamline VA forms.
SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
The secretary of Veterans Affairs appeared earlier than a Home committee immediately to elucidate a nationwide reorganization plan to streamline its forms. This can be a important problem, contemplating the VA is the second largest within the federal authorities, after the Pentagon, by way of scale. Lawmakers had questions, and so did NPR’s Quil Lawrence, who covers veterans and the VA and is on the road now. Hey, Quil.
QUIL LAWRENCE, BYLINE: Hiya.
DETROW: What’s the objective of this reorganization?
LAWRENCE: Effectively, the VA is the most important well being care community within the U.S., and the acknowledged objective is to make the VA extra – type of extra uniform throughout the board and have fewer huge bosses. They need to lower the regional bosses that divide up the nation from 18 down to 5. However there is a lack of belief right here, and Democrats say an absence of transparency. They see VA pushing towards spending extra money or – on paying for personal care outdoors the VA system whereas neglecting these persistent medical employees shortages at VA. And it obtained heated, like when California Democrat Mark Takano requested if this was all only a push to intestine the VA workforce. He and VA Secretary Doug Collins had this change.
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DOUG COLLINS: After I got here earlier than this committee final yr, we have been discussing an total discount in pressure throughout the federal government as an entire. At that time, as I instructed you on this committee, that we have been – that our goal would have been 83,000.
MARK TAKANO: So…
COLLINS: We ended up with about 30 – you both need a solution, or you do not.
TAKANO: Is {that a} sure or a no?
COLLINS: You both need a solution – I do not know the reply (ph).
TAKANO: It is a sure or no query.
COLLINS: I do not give yes-noes, and you recognize that.
LAWRENCE: In order you’ll be able to hear, it obtained sort of spicy. However the baseline right here is that the VA’s proposing possibly probably the most important reorganization in at the least 30 years and being sort of tight-lipped about what precisely they will do.
DETROW: Once we talked to you about this in January, you talked about the VA-mandated experiences that had not been launched, together with about prevention of veterans’ suicide. Has that report now been launched?
LAWRENCE: Sure. It was months late – got here out final week. Basically, there was no change within the veterans’ suicide fee, actually. It is nonetheless round 17 per day, which is tragic. However the VA is doing a reasonably good job in contrast with the civilian type of enchancment of prevention of suicide fee. However this report, it was simply – the primary quantity was simply six pages of textual content, and final yr’s report was 38 pages, with graphs and charts and rather more accessible info. I imply, a few of the issues that have been lacking, for instance, following a Trump administration coverage of not likely discussing range, is there was much less data about what populations are at increased danger, like by race and age, gender, sexuality. Consultants say that you just need to know – if you wish to attempt to forestall suicide, it’s essential to know which teams are most in danger. And so they want that info.
DETROW: And one other report that you’ve got been making an attempt to maintain tabs on is one about homelessness amongst veterans. Any details about that?
LAWRENCE: No, and that is truly formally put out by HUD, however the VA has a hand, and so they normally have it by November. It isn’t out but. And there is been an actual lack of expertise across the Trump administration’s signature effort on this – an government order that they have been going to create a 6,000-bed facility in West LA on the VA campus on the market. Initially, that made veterans’ advocates in LA very blissful. They have probably the most homeless vets within the nation on the market. However there actually hasn’t been a lot info in any respect since then – no funding requests. And vets’ advocates are apprehensive. They are saying once they’re not consulted, issues do not at all times work out so nicely.
I’ve coated six VA secretaries over 5 administrations now, and I feel I can say that is the least entry to the press and to Congress and veterans’ teams. Half of the listening to immediately was simply Democratic Congress members asking on digicam for particulars that they stated they’d requested in writing someday final yr.
DETROW: That’s NPR’s Quil Lawrence. Thanks a lot.
LAWRENCE: Thanks.
DETROW: And for those who or somebody you recognize could also be contemplating suicide or is in disaster, name or textual content 988 to succeed in out to the Suicide & Disaster Lifeline. Press one for those who’re a veteran.
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