On Thursday, October 9, 2014, VA Secretary Bob McDonald held a Town Hall employee meeting at VA Central Office in Washington, D.C. (VA/Robert Turtil)Bob McDonald visits Los Angeles on Jan. 29.VA Secretary Bob McDonald took his first visit as Secretary to the Phoenix VA Medical Center where he met with veterans and employees. On Saturday, Aug. 9, he addressed the DAV National Convention and spoke about his experience, the veterans and employees he met and his vision for VA. He also visited the Las Vegas VAMC during the trip.The Washington DC VA Medical Centers Winterhaven event saw record numbers of homeless, at-risk and underemployed Veterans. More than 700 Veterans attended the 21st annual Winterhaven Homeless Stand Down to receive one-on-one assistance withhealth care, benefits, employment and housing. The event also offered comprehensive womens health care to 86 female Veterans. On January 24th, many received something they didnt expect, hope. VA Secretary Bob McDonald and Interim Under Secretary for Health Carolyn Clancy joined medical center administrators, employees and volunteers for the event.
Winterhaven is a true community effort. At least 500 Volunteers, including 100 active duty service members, were on-hand doing everything from giving directions and serving hot meals, to counseling Veterans on avoiding foreclosure and HIV infection. With over 60 agencies and community partners on-site, Veterans received the resources needed to propel them forward. Area employers participated in a mini-job fair, offering on-site access to job opportunities. Numerous Veteran Service Organizations, businesses and state and local agencies joined forces for the day to provide one-stop access to necessary services such as housing, tax preparing assistance and haircuts. (VA/Reynaldo Leal)Sec. Bob McDonald visits with Veteran Janet McMillian at the Bronx VA Medical Center in New York. (REYNALDO LEAL/U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs)Team Red White & Blue Old Glory Coast to Coast relay finished after a 3,800 mile journey at Walter Reed Medical Hospital. Old Glory was given to VA Secretary Bob McDonald and will be put on display in his office until Team RWB runs it back to the west coast. Nov. 9.Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert McDonald, center, talks with combat veterans Michael Gerold, left, and Yon-Teo Seeger on Wednesday afternoon Dec. 10, 2014, during a veterans small business convention at the Georgia World Congress Center, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Ben Gray) MARIETTA DAILY OUT; GWINNETT DAILY POST OUT; LOCAL TELEVISION OUT; WXIA-TV OUT; WGCL-TV OUT Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald, third from right, with, from left, Interim Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs Ronald Walters, Under Secretary for Benefits Allison Hickey, Interim Under Secretary for Health Carolyn Clancy, McDonald, Executive in Charge for the Office of Management and VA Chief Financial Officer Helen Tierney, and Executive in Charge and Chief Information Officer, Office of Information and Technology Stephen Warren, testifies during a House Veterans' Affairs Committee hearing on VA budget on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2015. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Bob McDonald, left, speaks during a news conference outside the El Paso VA Healthcare System, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2015, in El Paso, Texas, as acting El Paso VA Director Peter Dancy listens. McDonald visited the El Paso office in the aftermath of a murder-suicide which left a doctor and his shooter dead Tuesday. (AP Photo/El PasoTimes, Victor Calzada)In this photo taken Oct. 1, 2014, Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert A. McDonald, right, accompanied House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., speaks in Tampa, Fla. Fewer veterans are taking advantage of a new law aimed at making it easier for them to get private health care and avoid the long waits that plagued VA facilities nationwide. In fact, so few veterans are signing up for the much-ballyhooed Choice cards that allow access to private health care that the Veterans Affairs Department says it wants to redirect some of the $10 billion Congress allocated for the program. Republicans say the VA should do a better job selling the choice program. Lawmakers also want to address a quirk in the law that makes it harder for veterans in rural areas to prove they live at least 40 miles from a VA clinic. The government measure the distance as the crow flies, rather than driving miles, leaving thousands of veterans out of the choice program. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 30: (AFP OUT) U.S. President Barack Obama (C), Robert McDonald (R) and Vice President Joe Biden walk back to the White House through LaFayette Park after President Obama announced his intention to nominate Robert McDonald to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs June 30, 2014 in Washington, DC. McDonald served as the chief executive of Procter & Gamble and will replace Eric Shinseki who resigned after allegations of delayed care came to light. (Photo by Dennis Brack-Pool/Getty Images)WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 22: Robert McDonald (R), President ObamaÕs nominee to be the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, greets committee chairman Sen. Bernie Sanders (L) (I-VT) after McDonald testified before the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee July 22, 2014 in Washington, DC. McDonald, if confirmed, would lead the recently scandal plagued Department of Veterans Affairs. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 09: Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald (R) arrives for testimony before the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee September 9, 2014 in Washington, DC. The committee heard testimony on "The State of VA Health Care." (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)ARLINGTON, VA - NOVEMBER 11: U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert McDonald (L) and his wife Diane McDonald arrive for a wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknowns during Veterans Day observations at Arlington National Cemetery November 11, 2014 in Arlington, Virginia. Originally established as Armistice Day in 1919, the holiday was renamed Veterans Day in 1954 by President Dwight Eisenhower. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 09: Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald (R) speaks with Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) (L) as he awaits the start of a hearing before the Senate VeteransÕ Affairs Committee September 9, 2014 in Washington, DC. The committee heard testimony on "The State of VA Health Care." (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)President Barack Obama stands with Helen Loring Ensign, 85, from Palm Desert, Calif., after awarding the Medal of Honor posthumously to Army First Lt. Alonzo H. Cushing for conspicuous gallantry during a ceremony in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, Thursday, Nov. 6, 2014. With them, from left to right, are Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., Rep. Ron Kind, D-Wis., Army Secretary John McHugh and Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald. Obama bestowed the nation's highest military honor to the Union Officer who was killed more the 150 years ago in the Battle of Gettysburg. Cushing died in July 1863 while standing his ground against Pickett's Charge. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)ARLINGTON, VA - NOVEMBER 10: (L-R) Robert A. McDonald, U.S. Army Veteran, U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs greets President and Chief Executive Officer, TriWest Healthcare Alliance David J. McIntyre, Jr. on stage during the Women Veterans Career Development Forum at Women in Military Service for America Memorial on November 10, 2014 in Arlington, Virginia. (Photo by Paul Morigi/Getty Images for BPW Foundation)Veterans Affairs Secretary nominee Robert McDonald of Ohio is flanked by Sens. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, left, and Rob Portman, R-Ohio, right, prepare for a Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee hearings to examine his nomination to be Secretary of Veterans Affairs on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, July 22, 2014. (AP Photo)WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 08: U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert McDonald talks about the lapel pin he is wearing during a news conference at Veterans Affairs Department September 8, 2014 in Washington, DC. Secretary McDonald shared stories of veterans he met across the country. He also outlined his key priorities to better serve veterans. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
