Senate confirms Shulkin as VA Secretary

Two weeks after his confirmation hearing before the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee (SVAC), Dr. David Shulkin was confirmed unanimously by the Senate to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Feb. 13, 2017. Shulkin has served as the Under Secretary for Health for nearly two years.

“With his prior experience at VA and in the private sector, Dr. Shulkin is well poised to address the access barriers, appeals backlog and accountability issues within the department, all without jeopardizing the system many veterans choose and rely on,” said DAV Washington Headquarters Executive Director Garry Augustine. “He has shown—through his previous position—that he has a strong commitment to ensuring we have a comprehensive VA health care system that can meet the specialized needs of injured and ill veterans.”

As Under Secretary for Health, Shulkin took charge of VA’s health care system with approximately 9 million enrolled veterans. He testified before the SVAC Jan. 31 that he intends to take the best of VA and the best practices of the community to move VA forward into a comprehensive integrated health care system.

“My sole focus is going to be on making sure that veteran’s needs are met and veterans are getting the services they need,” Shulkin testified. “That’s going to be my role in the Cabinet and I see that as a very important responsibility and I’m going to speak up on behalf of veterans.”

“DAV looks forward to working with Secretary Shulkin as, together, we in the veterans community work to develop a system worthy of the men and women VA exists to serve,” added Augustine.