Air Force Reserve Colonel Robert Wilkie has been the U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs since July 2018. Comprised of three branches, the VA oversees the nation’s largest integrated healthcare system — with 1,250 facilities serving more than nine million enrolled veterans. The agency was thrust into the headlines a few years ago for long patient wait times at its medical centers and a culture that discouraged whistleblowers.
Secretary Wilkie spoke with WAMC’s Jim Levulis about how the VA has responded to those issues.