Doug Collins, new VA secretary, vows to tackle big challenges

Doug Collins served in the Iraq War and was a military chaplain, and now he takes on his biggest mission.

Former Congressman Doug Collins has been confirmed as the new Secretary of Veterans Affairs. The Senate voted Tuesday to confirm his nomination.

The U.S. Senate confirmed Collins’ nomination Tuesday to serve as the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, putting him in charge of an agency serving more than 9 million veterans. The Veterans Health Administration operates 170 medical centers and nearly 1,200 outpatient facilities.

Collins, a Republican, previously represented Georgia in the U.S. House of Representatives. He faced less drama and enjoyed more bipartisan support than some of President Trump’s other cabinet nominees, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr., his choice to lead the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The Senate voted 77-23 in favor of Collins, as two dozen Democrats joined Republicans on the confirmation vote.

During his appearance before the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs last month, Collins said he is ready to take on some big challenges. He told the committee that the VA needs to do more outreach for veterans at risk of suicide or being homeless.

“We will not shy away from challenges like homelessness and suicide prevention, electronic health record modernization, and shrinking the department’s claims backlog,” Collins told the committee. “And we will not stop until we succeed on behalf of the men and women who have worn the uniform.”

During the hearing, Collins said he was interested in using AI to help reduce the backlog of veterans’ claims seeking benefits.

Collins said he’d like to use AI to “take the ones that are, you know, quote, easy, the ones that match the box, that we can get out of the way, so that we can actually get hands on those that are a little bit more difficult.”

The VA has been engaged in a lengthy effort to move to a new electronic health record system, which has encountered delays. The VA said last month it had planned to deploy the new system in four facilities in Michigan in 2026; the project has been paused since 2023.

At the hearing, Collins said he was going to be focused on the electronic health record system.

Collins also takes over the VA at a time when President Trump’s administration has been offering buyouts to federal employees to shrink the government workforce. Some have raised concerns about the potential for buyouts to impact the care of veterans. Federal employees have been given a deadline of Feb. 6 to accept the offer.

U.S. Rep. Mark Takano, a California Democrat and the ranking Democrat on the House Committee on Veterans Affairs, has warned that a wave of buyouts could hurt veterans’ care.

“VA employees, thousands of whom are veterans themselves, keep the largest integrated healthcare system in the country running and provide world-class care and benefits to veterans each and every day,” Takano said in a statement. “The Trump Administration is playing a dangerous game with your livelihoods and veterans’ lives.”

Takano, Democrats and union leaders are urging government employees to be cautious about accepting the offers, which guarantee pay through September. Labor groups have filed a suit to push back the deadline for buyouts and ensure protections for federal workers.

The Association of American Medical Colleges congratulated Collins on his confirmation. The AAMC notes that 70% of America’s doctors have completed at least a portion of their training in VA facilities.

“The AAMC looks forward to working with Secretary Collins and the dedicated VA staff to build on our impactful and historic partnership to provide high-quality care to those veterans who have bravely and selflessly served this country,” the AAMC said.

Randy Reese, executive director of DAV Washington headquarters, offered a statement of support for Collins.

“As fellow veterans, we look forward to seeing him carry out sensible reforms that enable VA to deliver high-quality, timely health care and other benefits to our brothers- and sisters-in-arms,” Reese said in a statement.

“His confirmation to this critical role signals congressional confidence in his ability to make the federal government work as it should for America’s veterans, and we hope to see additional nominations and confirmations for other senior VA leaders take place as expeditiously as possible.”