New VA Head for Obama Administration

The Department of Veterans Affairs is important to our nation (we have 25 million veterans out there), and it is important to the City of Lowell, where many of our residents have served in one or another of the Armed Forces. In a Press Release from the Department of Defense, released today, I was reminded that the VA is the second-largest Cabinet agency and has a budget of around $95 billion. That sounds like a lot of money, but it works out to less than $4,000 per veteran each year. Considering that some of our veterans require round-the-clock care in VA Hospitals and we are funding college educations for many others, that may be a bargain.

Today retired Army Chief of Staff General Eric Shinseki testified to the US Senate today as part of his confirmation hearing to be the next Secretary of Veterans Affairs. Part of his testimony as reported by the the Department of Defense included:

"Transformation is always challenging for any organization, and I use the term transformation rather than incremental change," Shinseki told the committee. Transformation is particularly challenging for organizations that have complex missions and are steeped in tradition, he explained, and he promised the department will look at fundamental and comprehensive processes as it girds for these new challenges. He noted he served as Army chief of staff as the service began a similar transformation.

"Positive leadership, dedication and teamwork on the part of all in the organization allowed all of us to redefine the challenges we first perceived to be opportunities," he said.

Shinseki vowed to put in place a precise strategy for VA reflecting Obama's vision. He acknowledged he has much to learn about the department, and said he looks forward to "gaining the valuable input and insights from its dedicated employees, the veterans and the organizations that serve those veterans."

The department must have three attributes, Shinseki said. It must be people-centric, results-driven and forward-looking.

I am sure we all wish General Shinseki the very best of luck as he tackles this new challenge.

Regards -- Cliff