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Wednesday, Feb 1 2017

Full Issue

VA Secretary: Wide-Scale Firings, Dismantling Agency Not The Way To Fix System

David Shulkin, who is in line to be the lone ex-Obama administration official serving in Trump's Cabinet, is expected to advocate for a measured response over dramatic changes to the system at his Senate hearing on Wednesday.

President Donald Trump's pick to lead the Veterans Affairs Department, David Shulkin, promises to meet the health care needs of millions of veterans and is rejecting a dismantling of the beleaguered agency or wide-scale firings as a way to do it. During the campaign, Trump described the VA as "the most corrupt" and "probably the most incompetently run" of all federal agencies. But as nominee David Shulkin, the VA's top health official, prepared for a Senate hearing Wednesday, the 57-year-old physician was suggesting more modest changes. (Yen, 2/1)

In other news —

[Jay] Zimmerman is a peer counselor at the Mountain Home VA Medical Center in Johnson City, Tennessee. He also travels to conferences all over the country, sharing his story with therapists and with other vets. He tries to set an example that it’s okay to ask for help. Even today, if he’s not doing well, he disassembles his guns and stores them separately from ammunition, so he can’t make any rash decisions. If things get really bad, Zimmerman has a special arrangement with a few friends. (Dembosky, 2/1)

This is part of the Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.
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