WASHINGTON, D.C. — Veterans and their families who rely on the Department of Veterans Affairs have a new leader in government.
- Robert Wilkie an Air Force, Navy veteran
- Previous VA head David Shulkin fired in March
- New job comes with serious challenges
President Trump officially swore in Air Force and Navy veteran Robert Wilkie at the White House on Thursday.
“I am deeply grateful to President Trump for the opportunity to serve for him and for American’s veterans,” Wilkie said during the Oval Office event.
Wilkie's new job brings with it several challenges, including staff turnover and communication problems, according to a veteran and former VA employee.
“The most urgent, immediate challenge is to calm some of the personnel churn that the office of the secretary has been plagued with in recent months,” said Kayla Williams, director of the Military, Veterans, and Society Program at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS).
Wilkie will also inherit reportedly low morale and a list of vacant leadership positions.
His department provides crucial medical care and resources for those who have served the United States. According to Williams, he'll need to remind people of that.
“In my opinion, one of the biggest challenges for the department has been getting the story out about what VA is able to do successfully,” said Williams, who served in Iraq before heading the Center for Women Veterans at the VA.
She said she thinks Wilkie is well-positioned to make some positive changes, because he’s worked in the federal government for years, served himself, and his father was in the Army.
But she also believes it’s vital that Wilkie surround himself with the right staff, and that she’ll be watching how Wilkie handles the ongoing debate over whether the private sector can better serve veterans than the government.
“My husband sustained a brain injury when he was [serving] in Iraq,” Williams said. “When he’s tried to seek care in the civilian sector, he’s had providers say, ‘I just don’t know anything about blast injuries. You should go to VA for that.’ We can’t lose that competence and that expertise. We have to keep the system strong.”
Wilkie takes over after President Trump fired VA Secretary David Shulkin in March.
Trump originally wanted his White House doctor to take the job, but Ronny Jackson withdrew his name after concerns over his experience and reports about workplace misconduct surfaced.