{"id":77739,"date":"2025-01-21T17:23:15","date_gmt":"2025-01-21T17:23:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2025\/01\/21\/va-secretary-nominee-promises-more-medical-care-options-and-upgrades\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T15:48:21","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T15:48:21","slug":"va-secretary-nominee-promises-more-medical-care-options-and-upgrades","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2025\/01\/21\/va-secretary-nominee-promises-more-medical-care-options-and-upgrades\/","title":{"rendered":"VA secretary nominee promises more medical care options and upgrades"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Veterans Affairs Secretary nominee Doug Collins <\/a>on Tuesday pledged to be a fierce defender of the department\u2019s workforce and operations <\/a>if confirmed to the department leadership role, but also said health care delivery must evolve for the agency to stay relevant for veterans in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cVeterans will always be able to use the health care system, the issue is how we make it better,\u201d he said. \u201cWe don\u2019t do the same things 40 years ago that we do today. Our newer veterans deserve every access to finding care where they can.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That includes expanding veterans\u2019 access to medical care outside the VA system <\/a>at taxpayer expense, a position that could cause friction with union groups and veterans advocates who worry that President Donald Trump\u2019s policies could strip funding away from department medical centers in favor of private-sector companies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Collins, a former Georgia Republican House representative<\/a> and Air Force Reserve chaplain, balances those concerns will be a major focus of his first few months in office, if he is confirmed as expected in the coming days.<\/p>\n\n\n\t