Veterans' Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald is hearing a range of concerns about his agency’s performance on a two-day tour of VA facilities in Montana.
With Senator Jon Tester at his side, VA secretary McDonald listened to representatives of various groups, from mental health advocates to the American Legion, spell out what the VA needs to do to better serve the thousands of veterans across the state. He said the fact that Montana’s VA Health Care System went without a permanent director for eight months is a symptom of the problems his agency is facing.
"The VA's been under siege for a number of years; and as a result of that, right now as we’re meeting, over 90 percent of our medical centers have either new acting directors of new acting members of their leadership team," Mcdonald said.
The man who served as acting director of VA’s Montana Health Care system, and finally got the permanent job after his temporary appointment ran out, is Johnny Ginnity. He readily admits that staff morale is low at local VA facilities, but thinks his appointment as permanent director will help turn that around.
"When it’s just an interim or there’s just folks passing by or passing through, there’s not that commitment to wanting change to make things better. Now there’s commitment, and I fully believe that the team’s on board to help out," said Ginnity.
Secretary McDonald says the VA is also hiring more staff in Billings and Helena and is working to hire primary care doctors and mental health specialists, particularly in rural parts of the state.
