David Shulkin, nominee for the Veterans Affairs secretary post, has said that he would implement efforts to increase former service members’ access to care services in the private sector if the Senate confirms him, USA Today reported Wednesday.
“Should I be confirmed, I intend to build an integrated system of care that would strengthen services within the VA that are essential for veteran well-being and use services in the community that can serve veterans with better outcomes and value to the taxpayer,” Shulkin told Senate Veterans Affairs Committee members during his nomination hearing Wednesday.
Donovan Slack writes Shulkin also informed the committee of his plans to overhaul a “choice program” to allow for the transfer of veterans into VA-sponsored private sector care.
The report said President Donald Trump wants the department to establish a 24-hour hotline for VA complaints as well as an option for veterans to receive VA-paid care from the private sector.
