WASHINGTON – To increase efficiencies and to ensure high-quality medical care for about a million veterans in the Midwest, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is announcing the merger of two health care networks that provide services to veterans in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa and Nebraska.
“This merger builds a stronger, more responsive health care organization,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Anthony J. Principi. “The veterans of the Midwest will be the winners as VA – once again – relies on smart business practices to honor our nation’s commitments to its veterans.”
The planned reorganization puts under one structure two Veterans Integrated Service Networks (VISNs), which manage VA hospitals and clinics in specific regions. VISN 13, headquartered in Minneapolis, oversees VA facilities in Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota. VISN 14, headquartered in Lincoln, Neb., manages VA’s health care efforts in Iowa and Nebraska. Also affected are veterans in portions of Wisconsin, Illinois, Wyoming, Kansas and Missouri.
Principi pointed out that VISN 14 serves fewer veterans than any of VA’s 22 networks, while VISN 13 has the third fewest. The combined network, now called VISN 23, will still rank as the eighth smallest among the 21 remaining networks.
Among the anticipated benefits, the merger will create a single, large operating budget that creates efficiencies by reducing administration overhead and eliminating duplicated services.
Principi recently named Robert Petzel as interim director for the new network. He will develop an integration strategy. Discussions with groups affected by the merger — from veterans service organizations to unions — will be a part of the process.
Veterans with questions or comments can call VISN 23’s Minneapolis office at 612-725-1968 or VISN 23’s Lincoln office at 402-484-3201. Veterans can also submit questions through e-mail to mailto:visn23integration@med.va.gov.
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Reporters and media outlets with questions or comments should contact the Office of Media Relations at vapublicaffairs@va.gov
Veterans with questions about their health care and benefits (including GI Bill). Questions, updates and documents can be submitted online.
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