EVANSVILLE, Ind. — Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins visited the Evansville VA facility this week, meeting with staff and engaging with local veterans to hear firsthand about their needs and concerns.
During his visit, Collins emphasized the VA’s core mission as a service organization dedicated to veterans, stating, “We’re a service organization first and foremost. We’re the largest in the government outside of the Department of Defense, but our job is not being an employment agent; it’s about service to our veterans.”
Collins acknowledged ongoing challenges faced by the VA, including lengthy patient wait times and a backlog of disability claims. However, he highlighted significant progress made since he assumed office just over 100 days ago. “We’ve attacked that head-on. In just a couple of days that I’ve been in the seat, we’ve had 260,000 in backlogs for disability. We’ve now lowered that. Last week, we were able to tell everybody we’re under 200,000. We’ve cut it 25% in almost 100 days, and we’re on our way down even further,” Collins said.
The visit also included discussions with Zachary Sage, executive director of the Marion VA Healthcare System, who expressed optimism about the Secretary’s agenda. “This is a really historic moment for this community with the veteran population here. We’ve never had a secretary from the VA here, and it was a wonderful, productive conversation about what we can do to advance our mission to serve veterans better,” Sage said.
Secretary Collins encouraged veterans who may have had negative experiences with the VA in the past to reconsider the department as improvements continue to be made. “And I want to say to the veterans out there, if you’ve had a bad experience, give us another try,” he said.
Collins’ stop in Evansville is part of a broader nationwide tour aimed at sharing his vision for the future of the VA and reinforcing the department’s commitment to serving America’s veterans.
