Senator King Questions VA Secretary on Reorganization and Cancelled Contracts

VA Reorganization Under Scrutiny

• 💡 Senator Angus King questions VA Secretary Doug Collins on the agency's reorganization, asking if the presented structure is a finalized plan or a work in progress.
• 🎯 The Secretary confirms the plan is largely moving forward, with ongoing discussions and minor adjustments based on feedback.
• ❓ King expresses confusion about the reorganization, specifically how inserting a new layer (HSAs) flattens the organization when moving from 18 visions to five.
• 🧠 The Secretary explains that original visions were intended for 10-15 people, but some have grown to tens of thousands, hindering efficient answers.
• 🚀 The reorganization is described as a fundamental change in how the organization is structured and how support is provided to medical centers, not just adding a layer.
• 📊 This structure is based on market research and considered a best practice for specializing in quality and oversight of care delivery.

Concerns Over Cancelled Contracts

• 📌 Senator King expresses frustration over the saga of cancelled contracts, which he has been tracking for nearly a year.
• ⚠️ A recent list of cancelled contracts was found to be inaccurate, containing obvious mistakes like listing $79 billion in cancellations (more than the VA's total contract amount) and including contracts cancelled years ago under a prior administration.
• 🔍 King requests a clean, realistic list detailing what contracts have been cancelled, their purpose, and the amounts involved.
• ✅ The Secretary assures that they will work to alleviate these concerns and provide a clear list.

Disappearing Functions in New Structure

• 🧐 King notes that several functions, including Tribal health, women's health, and research oversight, are not listed in the new organizational chart.
• 🤝 The Secretary assures that these functions will still be addressed within the new structure.