WASHINGTON -- President-elect Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he has tapped David Shulkin, a physician who is currently serving in President Barack Obama's administration as VA undersecretary, to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs.
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The decision ends a protracted search for a head of the second-largest federal agency and would make Shulkin the first VA secretary who had not served in the military. Trump said he and his transition team had interviewed "at least 100 people" in their search for an executive to carry out multiple promises he has made to improve the care of veterans. In the end, they looked inside.
Shulkin, 57, who would be the first Obama administration holdover for Trump, was confirmed unanimously for his post in June 2015, a sign he could breeze through the Senate confirmation process.
"I have no doubt Dr. Shulkin will be able to lead the turnaround our Department of Veterans Affairs needs," Trump said at his first news conference since his election, calling him an "incredibly gifted doctor."
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"His sole mandate will be to serve our veterans and restore the level of care we owe to our brave men and women in the military," Trump said. "Sadly our great veterans have not gotten the level of care they deserve, but Dr. Shulkin has the experience and the vision to ensure we will meet the health care needs of every veteran."
Shulkin is an internist who entered government service with 30 years' experience leading private hospitals. He has led the sprawling veterans health system -- the country's largest, with 1,700 clinics and hospitals -- for just 18 months, working to improve patients' access to care after a nationwide scandal over fudged wait lists for medical appointments.
During his campaign, Trump called the VA a "broken" system that treats illegal immigrants "better than our vets."
Shulkin is in line to run an agency beset by challenges, including a backlog in disability claims that has shifted in recent years from initial applications to appeals; a rising suicide rate; overuse of opiates; and a shortage of doctors and nurses.
"We are both eager to begin reforming the areas in our Veterans Affairs system that need critical attention, and do it in a swift, thoughtful and responsible way," Shulkin said in a statement released by the transition team.
An expert in health care quality, Shulkin held leadership positions at Drexel University College of Medicine, Temple University Hospital and the Medical College of Pennsylvania before entering government service. He founded a now-defunct company, DoctorQuality, that provided information for patients on health care safety and quality.
He received his medical degree from the Medical College of Pennsylvania, completed his internship at Yale University School of Medicine and his residency and fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh Presbyterian Medical Center.
His selection drew praise from some of the largest veterans groups as a welcome sign of continuity.
"The VFW is proud to support the nomination of Dr. David Shulkin as the next Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and we are most appreciative of his willingness to continue serving veterans and making the VA better," Brian Duffy, national commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, said in a statement.
Mark Lucas, Concerned Veterans for America's executive director, said in a statement, "It is no secret that the VA has been failing veterans for years. While Shulkin already holds a leadership position at the VA, as Secretary, he will now have ultimate responsibility over the agency and we are hopeful he will take it in a new direction."
Louis Celli, legislative director for the American Legion, said in an interview that Shulkin has had an open door to not just veterans' groups but also his staff at the Veterans Health Administration.
Shulkin's selection "says to me that Trump has faith in the direction VA is going with health care," Celli said. "I think this is a huge reality check for a group of people who want to privatize VA."
A Section on 01/12/2017