By Matthew Daly Associated Press
Secretary calls overhaul largest in history of division.
WASHINGTON The Veterans Affairs Department announced a reorganization Monday designed to make it easier for veterans to gain access to the sprawling department and its maze-like websites.
VA Secretary Robert McDonald called the restructuring the largest in the departments history and said it will bring a singular focus on customer service to an agency that serves 22 million veterans.
As VA moves forward we will judge the success of all our efforts against a single metric: the outcomes we provide for veterans" McDonald said.
The VAs mission is to care for veterans so we must become more focused on veterans needs" he said.
The VA has been under intense scrutiny since a whistle-blower reported this spring that dozens of veterans may have died while awaiting treatment at the Phoenix VA hospital and that appointment records were manipulated to hide the delays.
A report by the departments inspector general said workers falsified wait lists while their supervisors looked the other way or even directed it resulting in chronic delays for veterans seeking care and bonuses for managers who appeared to meet on-time goals.
The inspector generals office identified 40 patients who died while awaiting appointments in Phoenix but said officials could not conclusively assert" that the de lays caused the deaths.
As part of the restructuring announced on the eve of Veterans Day the VA will hire a chief customer service officer and simplify the way it is organized to deliver health care and other services McDonald said.
For instance the department will create a single customer service structure with a limited number of regional divisions that will apply to all aspects of the agency from health care to benefits loan centers and even cemetery plots.
The VA now has nine regional structures of varying size and at least a dozen websites ma ny with their own user names and passwords. McDonald said he would like all veterans to have one user name and password for all VA services.
The reorganization to be known as MyVA" is designed to provide veterans with a seamless integrated and responsive customer service experience." he said.
