Veterans Affairs secretary insists cuts to agency won't affect care for veterans

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins said change is coming to the VA — but insists patient care won't be compromised.

Collins visited the Roudebush Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Indianapolis Thursday.

Collins said the goal the Trump administration laid out was a 15 percent cut to the VA — prompted, he said, by years of spending that didn't deliver adequate results.

"Our wait times were still up; our backlogs were up," Collins said. "It's time to ask new questions."

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But veterans groups have voiced fears about how the cuts will impact care. Collins said frontline health care staff and benefits advisors will not be part of any cuts.

"We have duplicative HR systems, we have duplicative payroll systems, we have duplicative contracting systems — none of which affect the actual care," Collins said.

Collins said the agency will look at modernizing the Indianapolis medical center. But he notes many VA hospitals are aging and addressing that is a budget issue Congress must confront.

Brandon is our Statehouse bureau chief. Contact him at bsmith@ipbs.org or follow him on Twitter at @brandonjsmith5.