by Sarah Schauerte
*Update – In late July, the Senate unanimously approved Mr. McDonald’s nomination as the next VA secretary. He will replace acting Secretary, Mr. Sloan Gibson, who has occupied the position since Mr. Eric Shinseki’s resignation in mid-May.
On Monday, President Barack Obama announced his nomination of former Procter & Gamble executive Robert McDonald as the next Secretary of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (“VA”). This, of course, comes on the heels of former Secretary Eric Shinseki’s resignation last month, which followed high-profile scandals surrounding several VA medical centers.
While Shinseki initially expressed his intention to remain as Secretary, this changed after a report by the VA’s Office of Inspector General confirmed the public’s worst fears about veteran treatment and “fudging the numbers” at the healthcare center in Phoenix.
In tapping McDonald for the post, Obama is signaling his desire to install a VA chief with broad management experience. McDonald also has a military background, graduating near the top of his class at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and serving as a captain in the Army, primarily in the 82nd Airborne Division.
McDonald resigned abruptly from Procter & Gamble in May 2013 amid pressure from investors concerned that he was not doing enough to boost the company’s performance. This isn’t the best way to depart, but we don’t know what this actually means. When his nomination is approved by the Senate, which must happen to solidify the appointment, I’m sure more information about his past with Procter & Gamble will become public.
Personally, I believe that someone with a strong business background is a smart pick for the new Secretary. The VA is in desperate need of someone skilled in process improvement, practical solutions, and who possesses business savvy. We need someone who makes improvements and changes with actual teeth. We don’t need more memorandums and reports.
One thing important to remember, however, is that McDonald is inheriting a broken system. The VA isn’t going to significantly improve, quickly, regardless of who Obama places in charge. I think most people know we can’t expect a fast fix, but this is worth mentioning. We’re appointing a Secretary, not a Superman.
Another issue is red tape. Even if McDonald has the capacity to effect change, what type of process must he go through to do so? The bureaucratic nature of the system might impede him.
Good luck to Mr. McDonald. He’s going to need it.
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Good article! A word not heard often enough in this story is the word “culture”. The new Secretary in my opinion will need to do nothing less than re-create the VA culture into one that operates more ethically, and with greater accountability. I wish him the best. I receive my healthcare from VA. The quality is first-rate, but access to specialists needs to improve considerably.