A year into the job, the VA secretary reflects on what he’s learned, what he’s changing, and what he hopes to tackle next
A year into the job, the VA secretary reflects on what he’s learned, what he’s changing, and what he hopes to tackle next  
Podcast: The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton
Published On: Wed Feb 18 2026
Description: Secretary Doug Collins is a year into his tenure at the VA. He joins me now for a look back at what he learned over the past year and how those lessons informed his plan to reorganize the Veterans Health Administration. We'll also examine how VA is making progress in benefits eligibility decisions and payments. He'll lay out what’s changing and why. and what he hopes to accomplish in the year ahead. Here's my conversation with Secretary Collins.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.