President Biden Picks Non-Veteran

[Buck52]

President Biden

Picks a Non Veteran to lead the Veterans Administration 

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/bidens-pick-of-denis-mcdonough-for-va-sparks-pushback-from-veterans

[ShrekTheTank]

Can I ask has it always been a Veteran who has lead the VA?  I am assuming it was.  If it was the majority of the time over the past say 100 years, I would say they did not do a great job.  It feels like in the past they just throw someone in the job who does not give 2 craps and then the mess just keeps getting worse.  They focus on one fire in the yard while the house is burning down.

I mean it is pretty bad when the VA is made fun of in every movie/TV show for how bad their healthcare was in the past.  I think they have gotten better is some areas, but there are areas they are far behind.  

As for this person, I assume they can get things done in Washington.  Lets hope they are smart and all those who are advising them are actual veterans with heath problems who know what is going on in the VA as they are dealing with it themselves (hopeful thinking).  

Like has been said we should give it a chance and keep it on a very short leash!  

[broncovet]

According to Wikipedia, Incoming VaSec McDonough will be the first VAsec who was not a Veteran, (if approved by congress to head the agency). 

Source:

Quote

To date, all appointees and acting appointees to the post have been United States military veterans, but that is not a requirement to fill the position.

https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Secretary_of_Veterans_Affairs

[Marine Corp 69/70]

Without a VETERAN none and  I mean none  of them would be in Office and we would be speaking GERMAN

[Buck52]

 Marine corp 69/70

Ani't that the truth!

I am not sure if any Veterans were even considered for the Job?

Seems the President picked his cabinet and staff in a hurry?

We just have to wait and see how this guy does.??

[Al329]

Agree a Vet would be good.

First and foremost, we need a decent and good person in the slot.

Look at last Vet to head it up .... 

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/01/opinion/sunday/trump-va-racism.html

https://www.propublica.org/article/va-secretary-focused-on-smearing-woman-who-said-she-was-sexually-assaulted-in-a-va-hospital-probe-finds

https://www.militarytimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2020/05/28/amid-criticism-secretary-wilkie-wont-commit-to-removing-nazi-headstones-from-va-cemeteries/

https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/04/politics/kfile-wilkie-confirmation-form/index.html

 

[Berta]

Dr David Shulkin was a civilian, and Sec of  the VA. The fact that he was a doctor, to me, was an asset to his too brief stint, as VA Sec, and he supported the new nominee via twitter.

I guess we all have to give the new Secretary a chance.

Since he is a civilian I bet he will be astonished at how difficult it is for so many disabled veterans to get through the VA claims process.

Covid has sure slowed up the process, but there is no excuse for some of the errors the VA makes.

I read BVA decisions every week and see that many of the  BVA awards could have been awarded at the RO level,in my opinion, if the veteran had gotten the right advice early on or had done what many of us learned to do- to study the regulations, M21-1MR, and all the other options available we have via the internet, in order to prepare valid claims.