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U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins visited San Antonio on Wednesday to highlight what the agency says are significant improvements in veterans' health care and benefits services while recognizing employees at the South Texas Veterans Health Care System for their service.
Collins toured the Audie L. Murphy Memorial Veterans' Hospital and met with veterans and staff as part of what the department described as an effort to improve VA care, benefits, and customer service nationwide.
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During a media briefing, Collins pointed to reductions in the agency's disability claims backlog as one of the VA's most significant achievements.
“We had over a million claims when I first started. We're down to about 500,000 now,” Collins said. “So we're not only taking the backlog down, we're taking the influx that comes in. So we're actually at a point where we're almost finishing more than we're taking in.”
According to Collins, the VA has also reduced the number of older pending claims from roughly 260,000 to about 70,000 in less than a year. He said the department is continuing efforts to streamline the application process for veterans seeking care and benefits, reducing paperwork requirements from 18 pages to four.
Collins also discussed the VA's RISE initiative, a reorganization effort intended to shift resources closer to patient care and give local facilities more flexibility in meeting veterans' needs. He said the initiative is not intended to reduce services but to improve efficiency throughout the department.
The secretary also revealed plans for a new VA hospital in San Antonio. He said the department has allocated $30 million toward development of the project, which would expand health care capacity for veterans in South Texas.
Mental health treatment was another focus of Collins' remarks. He defended ongoing clinical trials involving Schedule 1 drug MDMA and psilocybin-assisted therapy for veterans experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and alcohol use disorder.
“MDMA by itself has 120 clinical hours per actual application,” Collins said. “We're going to do it very carefully, methodically, but we are going to move forward. We're going to do what the President has asked for, and to be there and provide it for our veterans.”
The secretary also answered questions about hospital wait times, staffing changes, and claims processing across the VA system.
As part of the visit, Collins recognized seven South Texas Veterans Health Care System employees for their dedication to serving veterans: social worker Lakeisha Hester, health system specialist Jennifer Martinez, maintenance and operations supervisor Robert DeSoto, electrician supervisor Ruben Reyes, electronic industrial controls mechanic Leonardo Rodriguez, orthopedic surgeon Dr. Christina Brady, and physician associate Tish Williams.
The visit was part of Collins' nationwide effort to showcase changes the VA says have improved access to care and benefits for veterans under the Trump administration.
