Secretary McDonough

At the Department of Veterans Affairs, we honor America’s Veterans. So, let me acknowledge the nearly 40 percent of National Action Network members who are Veterans. Thanks for your selfless service to our country.

So the set of leadership challenges are about promoting and protecting transparency in the decision development process. They’re about facilitating the free flow of information to inform the decision, so everyone is up front, candid in their assessment and positions.

For VA and Veterans, we’ll continue to depend on some proven models: HUD-VASH, that prioritizes chronically homeless; Veteran Justice Programs and Treatment Courts; Supportive Services for Veteran Families; Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem; Community Resource and Referral Centers; robust data analytics and research assessing the effectiveness of our programs.

For more than 101 years, now, the Legion, the oldest Veterans Service Organization in the country, has been one of VA’s and Veterans’ strongest advocates.

When I think about the student Veterans this organization represents—more than three quarters of a million strong—I’m so inspired. More than any other single group, you have both the potential and the great responsibility to continue to shape our country’s future and to keep the United States a world leader. 

As I begin my tenure and join you in caring for our nation’s Veterans, I want to take a moment to reflect on our shared mission and the road ahead. First and foremost, I want to thank you for devoting yourself to this noble work. The peace and freedom we enjoy as Americans have been secured by the sacrifices of generations of Veterans. Like you, I believe that it is a privilege and an honor for us to serve our Veterans, their families, caregivers, and survivors as well as they’ve served us.

I want to focus on one thing that I’ve been reminded of time and again throughout my first year at VA—that student Veterans are the bedrock of this country, and we need you to lead us into the future. Especially now. Because, to put it gently, it’s been a hard time... for all of us.