President Trump Picks Robert Wilkie to Head Department of Veterans Affairs
Jul 23, 2018
Tampa, FL (Law Firm Newswire) July 23, 2018 – President Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) had a confirmation hearing on June 27 and cleared the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee on July 10.
Trump announced in May that he had picked Robert Wilkie, 55, to permanently lead the troubled VA. However, his original nominee for the post was White House physician Ronny Jackson. Jackson withdrew from consideration after unsubstantiated allegations of professional misconduct emerged. He was also criticized for a lack of experience.
“The VA is in need of strong leadership that puts veterans at the forefront and focuses on serving them,” said Florida veterans lawyer David W. Magann. “The agency’s new head must work quickly to resolve its internal issues and replace bureaucracy with efficiency. There is a wide array of pressing concerns that range from veterans’ health care to filling staff vacancies.”
Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) said Wilkie was crucial to the VA’s transformation as he possessed “the expertise and the positive attitude to take on challenges that lie ahead.” Wilkie has been a Pentagon undersecretary and an officer in the Air Force Reserves. He has led the VA in an acting capacity since Trump fired the agency’s former secretary David Shulkin in March.
The Washington Post previously published a report on Wilkie’s career and his support of Confederate organizations. He was a former member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, which has supported public displays of the Confederate flag. Wilkie said he was no longer associated with those groups. He defended his record when questioned during his June confirmation hearing.
Wilkie pledged to “shake up complacency” at the VA and said that excuses would no longer be tolerated. He spoke about his plans to improve the agency’s outdated medical appointment system and tackle various bureaucratic issues.
Learn more at http://www.tampaveteranslawyer.com/
David W. Magann, P.A.
Main Office:
156 W. Robertson St.
Brandon, FL 33511
Call: (813) 657-9175
Tampa Office:
4012 Gunn Highway #165
Tampa, Florida 33618
- Veterans Statistics At A Glance
Gulf War Veterans, Persian Gulf War, The Global War on Terror (GWOT), Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), Operation Freedom’s Sentinel (OFS) and ongoing conflicts : Gulf War-era II veterans served on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces any time since September 2001. In 2015, there were 3.6 million veterans who had served during Gulf War Era II. U.S. combat operations in Afghanistan ended on December 31, 2014. As part of Operation FREEDOM’S SENTINEL (OFS), U.S. forces remain in the country to participate in a coalition mission to train, advise, and assist Afghan National Defense and Security […] - Agent Orange Claims
The VA’s general regulations implementing the laws related to Agent Orange are found at 38 C.F.R. § 3.307. Also, specific provisions relating to Agent Orange are found at 38 U.S.C. § 1116. In essence, specific medical conditions are presumed to be related to exposure to Agent Orange in service. The claim will still need to be supported by an adequate medical diagnosis of the condition and proof of those requirements for service location(s) as outlined below. Generally, veterans who served in the Country of Vietnam are presumed to have been exposed, but other types of exposure may require direct proof. […] - Camp Lejeune: Water Contamination Update, Presumptive Conditions
From the 1950s through the 1980s, people living or working at the U.S. Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, were potentially exposed to drinking water contaminated with industrial solvents, benzene, and other chemicals. VA has established a presumptive service connection for Veterans, Reservists, and National Guard members exposed to contaminants in the water supply at Camp Lejeune from August 1, 1953 through December 31, 1987 who later developed one of the following eight diseases: Adult leukemia Aplastic anemia and other myelodysplastic syndromes Bladder cancer Kidney cancer Liver cancer Multiple myeloma Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma Parkinson’s disease Presently, these conditions are the only […]
