VA boss: 'Fighting like hell' for veterans

COEUR d’ALENE — In his address to the Western Governors’ Association about serving and honoring veterans, Denis McDonough used words like collaboration, transparency, market-based assessments and improving outcomes.

“If you weren't thinking I was a D.C. bureaucrat with a tie, I'm sure those phrases help,” the secretary of Veterans Affairs said Wednesday morning, as the governors wearing boots and open-collared shirts laughed.

But McDonough, wearing a suit, was serious as he explained the federal government can’t take care of the country’s 17 million veterans alone.

“We want the govs to be part of this process,” he said. “We need the governors to be part of this process. And we'll stay close together every step of the way.”

Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte said many veterans continue to carry scars, both visible and invisible.

He said it's the states' duty to serve veterans and their families “after they made such tremendous sacrifices for each and everyone of us.”

One goal is to smooth the transition for veterans from military to civilian life and make sure opportunities are there for them. Another is increasing veterans' access to services and treatments.

“It’s of the utmost importance to the western governors," Gianforte said.

The WGA annual meeting is being hosted by Idaho Gov. Brad Little at The Coeur d'Alene Resort.

It brought in governors Doug Ducey (Arizona), Jared Polis (Colorado) David Ige (Hawaii), Doug Burgum (North Dakota), Spencer Cox (Utah) and Mark Gordon (Wyoming).

On day two of the three-day gathering, McDonough told the story of Dwight Birdwell, who recently received the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions in the Vietnam War on Jan. 31, 1968.

“Heroes like him fought for us, sacrificed for us, served us,” McDonough said. “Now, it’s our job to serve them.”

“That's what I want to talk about today, how we're fighting like hell, as they say, to serve veterans,” he added.

Progress is being made.

McDonough said since the beginning of last year, the VA has delivered more care and more benefits to more veterans than at any time in the nation's history.

He said this year alone, they permanently housed more than 19,000 homeless veterans, on track to house 38,000.

The VA is processing claims at the fastest rate in its history, and he said 90% of vets trust the VA with their health care.

All those data points add up to what matters most, McDonough said: Veterans’ lives saved and quality of life improved.

He said rural veterans, “many of whom live in your big beautiful states,” are accessing telehealth and telemental health at unprecedented rates.

Idaho is home to more than 100,000 veterans.

McDonough said the VA is developing a new health care infrastructure investment strategy so it can modernize its facilities.

He said one of the things the VA hears most from veterans and their families is they want access to burial sites close to their homes.

"That's why it's our goal to provide 95% of vets with access to a burial site within 75 miles of their home," McDonough said.

Since 2018, the VA has opened five new cemeteries in rural communities, including Idaho, North Dakota and Wyoming, and eight new cemeteries total.

It has taken over management of 10 Army post cemeteries, and funded construction or expansion of 12 state and tribal cemeteries. All told, it manages 155 cemeteries.

He said veterans endured much for their country, including breathing in toxic fumes and particulate matter.

“They've developed or will develop conditions that followed them home from war and affected their lives," he said. "And in some cases took their lives, long after the final bullets of war were fired.”

McDonough said whether it's working to end veteran homelessness, prevent veteran suicides or help veterans struggling with substance abuse or loneliness, "we're gonna fight like hell for the vets who fought for us and we're going to serve vets in your states."

"They deserve our very best and we'll never settle for anything less," he said.

The WGA meeting continues today, with Pete Buttigieg, Secretary of Transportation, discussing the nation’s transportation system and infrastructure.