VA rolls out regional framework amid reform

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) on Monday unveiled the first piece of an agencywide overhaul designed to provide better service to veterans.

{mosads}The agency, still working to get past last year’s scandal over medical wait times, announced a new framework that divides the VA into five regions.

The realignment is part of the “MyVA” initiative announced in 2014 by Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald to streamline department coordination, improve customer service and allow veterans to navigate the agency more easily.

“We want every Veteran to have a seamless, integrated, and responsive VA customer service experience every time. This regional alignment is the first step in empowering Veterans to interact with one VA – MyVA,” McDonald said in a statement.

“Ultimately, this reform will improve the Veteran experience by enabling Veterans to more easily navigate VA and access their earned care and benefits,” he added.

The VA today boasts nine organizational maps and at least a dozen websites, many of which require a separate login and password to access.

“This is the first step in a journey,” Bob Snyder, executive director of the MyVA Program Management Office, told reporters during a conference call.

He did not offer a price tag for the realignment, but he predicted the costs would be minimal since only the agency’s Veterans Benefits Administration will have to hire additional staff.

Snyder said the new structure will be in place by June 30.

An agency spokesman said others parts of the MyVA revamp, including a new chief customer service officer who will report directly to McDonald, are still being ironed out.

“We’re still building the team,” he said.