Strong partnership with service organizations key to success for new VA secretary

President Trump’s selection of Dr. David Shulkin to serve as secretary of Veterans Affairs marks the beginning of a new chapter for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and for America’s veterans.

Shulkin will take over in the middle of the most significant transformation of the VA in a generation. With far-reaching decisions about the role of the agency, “choice” and the private sector all on the table, it is essential that he and the VA succeed.

One often overlooked, but essential, key to success will be how well Shulkin and new Trump administration officials continue and strengthen their partnership with the nation’s leading veterans service organizations (VSOs).

{mosads}Both of us have been part of this critical relationship: one as VA secretary and the other as a leader of a major national VSO. We have learned firsthand that the level of cooperation, collaboration and trust among the VA, administration and VSOs is a leading indicator of how effective Veterans Affairs will be in delivering timely and high-quality services and benefits to the men and women who wore our nation’s uniform.

Running the second largest department of the federal government is an enormously complex and consuming job, often leaving the secretary somewhat isolated. Outside voices from VSOs can and have served as the canary in the coal mine for the secretary to alert him to problems before they become serious or systemic. From excessive healthcare waiting times to the backlog of claims and appeals to problems with prosthetics, VSOs have been among the first to alert VA, the administration and Congress, often years before these issues made headlines.

The level of trust in this relationship is especially critical in times of crisis or when making systemic changes. Past collaboration with VSOs has led to a more patient-focused healthcare system, realigning several VA medical centers and opening new ones along with hundreds of community-based outpatient clinics. This cooperative relationship remains critical in the years ahead as comprehensive reform of the VA healthcare system and questions over the proper role of “choice” must be addressed.

We have both found that VA develops better programs and policies when VSOs are at the table from the beginning. The leading VSOs are stocked with professional staff who have decades of experience and expertise gained from working for VA, in Congress and in the VSO community.  That’s not to say there will not be differences on important policy issues, but open and collaborative communications lead to better decisions, better services and better outcomes for the men and women who served.

Another major benefit of developing close partnerships with VSOs is the ability to quickly disseminate information to the nation’s veterans. Combined, VSOs have over 8 million members, plus family, who regularly receive communications and information from VSO magazines, social media channels and email lists.

There are thousands of VSO chapters and departments covering every state and territory, as well as annual national conventions educating VSO members about VA’s policies and programs. Whether making veterans aware of the new Hepatitis C vaccine or the latest electronic means of filing claims, VSOs have and will continue to play a vital role in keeping our nation’s veterans informed.

Furthermore, VSOs provide direct services to veterans that save VA and taxpayers money and strengthen the delivery of VA’s benefits to veterans, their family members and survivors. There are over 10,000 accredited VSO service officers around the country assisting veterans and their survivors in filing claims for earned benefits.

This not only relieves the burden on VA to guide veterans and family members through the claims process, it also provides VA’s benefit processors with more complete and accurate claims, thereby lowering their workload. VSO members also provide hundreds of thousands of volunteer hours in hospitals, clinics and other VA facilities, saving taxpayers millions of dollars and — most importantly — contributing to the health and wellbeing of their fellow veterans.

As Shulkin and the Trump administration move forward to complete the VA transformation that is now underway, it will be absolutely critical that they have regular, open and candid communication with VSO leaders. Fortunately, having worked as undersecretary of Health for almost two years, Shulkin knows firsthand how this partnership can benefit VA and the veterans it serves.

As he moves up to be secretary and his responsibilities expand to include benefits, cemeteries and transition services, it will be even more important for him and the new Trump administration to work closely with VSO leaders on the front line. Our nation’s veterans are counting on it.

Anthony J. Principi served as the fourth U.S. secretary of Veterans Affairs (2001-05). Garry J. Augustine, a Vietnam-era combat-wounded Army veteran, is executive director of DAV’s Washington, D.C., headquarters.