(Washington – January 11, 2017) – Veterans for Common Sense, a Washington, DC-based veterans organization, today released the following statement regarding the appointment of David Shulkin, M.D. as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA):
“After substantial public discussion regarding possible wholesale privatization of VA healthcare, we are relieved by today’s announcement.
“We support the appointment as VA Secretary of Dr. David Shulkin, an accomplished medical doctor with significant VA and private sector experience running large and complex healthcare organizations.
“VA is of course much more than just a healthcare provider, and Dr. Shulkin’s current VA experience should lend itself well to this expanded role. While VA has many enduring challenges, a common-sense approach to solving them can only succeed.
“Our veterans deserve the very best healthcare, medical research, benefits, programs, and services that we as a nation can provide. That means fully funding the VA, fixing VA’s many challenges, and ensuring veterans receive the assistance they need at the time they need it.”
# # #
Dr. David Shulkin currently serves as Undersecretary of Health for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, a position to which he was appointed in 2015 by President Obama and confirmed unanimously by the Republican-controlled U.S. Senate.
Shulkin’s public bio is available at: https://www.va.gov/opa/bios/bio_shulkin.asp
