Chairman Moran Leads Hearing to Review Reforms to the Veterans Health Administration with VA Secretary Doug Collins

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) – chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs – today led a committee hearing with Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Doug Collins about VA’s efforts to reform the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) through the Restructure for Impact and Sustainability Effort (RISE) reorganization initiative.

“The Restructure for Impact and Sustainability Effort - or RISE – represents the most significant reorganization of the VA health care system since the 1990’s,” said Sen. Moran. “Once fully implemented over the next two years, RISE would change how VA manages and oversees the delivery of health care to veterans across the country.”

“The department describes RISE as an effort to reduce bureaucracy and red tape, empower local leaders, standardize operations, strengthen accountability, and better align VA resources with the needs of VA patients and staff” continued Sen. Moran. “Those are important goals, and I commend Secretary Collins and his team for prioritizing them.”

Sen. Moran also gave examples of findings from the Government Accountability Office and the VA Inspector General Office that “recommended changes that would require significant restructuring” and that VA’s current Veteran Integrated Service Network (VISN) structure “did not ensure accountability and lacked clearly defined roles and standardized responsibilities.”

You can watch his questioning here.