Veterans Affairs Department officials will add a new customer service branch and a national network of veteran advisory councils in what is being touted as the largest restructuring of the department in its history.
The moves come after months of scandal within the department and promises from VA Secretary Bob McDonald of a new "veteran-centered" culture throughout the bureaucracy.
The former Proctor & Gamble CEO dubbed the reorganization his "MyVA" plan, another phase of ongoing efforts to add a personal touch to VA operations.
The moves announced Monday do not include any employee dismissals, although McDonald repeatedly has promised such actions in public appearances. In a "60 Minutes" interview that aired Sunday, he said at least 35 employees face firing in coming days and more than 1,000 others could face other discipline.
But lawmakers have criticized his actions as too slow and cautious, and openly mocked his promises of more department accountability when only one senior department executive has been fired despite dozens of ongoing administrative and criminal investigations.
VA's new customer service branch, led by a chief customer service officer who reports directly to McDonald, is designed to "drive VA culture and practices to understand and respond to the expectations of our veteran customers."
The moves come after a three-month listening tour by McDonald, in which the new secretary collected criticism and ideas for improvement from patients and department employees. To keep those ideas coming, VA also will set up an online suggestion box.
The veterans advisory councils will include state and local advocates as well as VA employees, to offer additional improvements to local and national operations.
On CNN, McDonald described the changes as "embracing veterans, giving them a warm hug and the care they need."
VA officials also promised a single regional framework for operations that will "simplify internal coordination" and "allow veterans to more easily navigate VA without having to understand our inner structure."
No details were immediately available on what those changes would mean for staffing, benefits processing or availability of medical care appointments.
McDonald also has promised to update internal business processes to cut costs, increase productivity and better serve veterans. That includes "options used in the private sector to enhance our rapid delivery of services."
The department has also stood up a new digital services team to increase VA's technical offerings. Officials said the team will include "some of the nation's top technologists," but no formal hires have been announced.
News of the restructuring came just hours before Veterans Day, with lawmakers and veterans groups given little advance notice of the massive changes. Members of Congress have been critical of similar unexpected announcements in recent weeks, noting that the department's lack of transparency was at the root of recent care delay and mismanagement scandals.
But VA officials insist they are working to overcome that image, sharing more data on patient wait times and personnel actions in recent months.
On Friday, during a National Press Club event in Washington, D.C., McDonald struck back at critics who said the department isn't changing fast enough, saying he is still heartbroken over its past mistakes.
He also labeled some of the questions over employee dismissals and ongoing investigations as "shenanigans going on for political purposes" rather than constructive criticism.
"Any veteran outcome that's adverse in our facilities, I take personally," he said. "That's all you need to know."
Leo covers Congress, Veterans Affairs and the White House for Military Times. He has covered Washington, D.C. since 2004, focusing on military personnel and veterans policies. His work has earned numerous honors, including a 2009 Polk award, a 2010 National Headliner Award, the IAVA Leadership in Journalism award and the VFW News Media award.
