Lawmakers press Collins on VA overhaul, staffing cuts and risks to veteran care

Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins faced questioning Tuesday from lawmakers over the proposed overhaul of the Veterans Health Administration, as they raised concerns about staffing cuts, accountability, and whether the reorganization risks disrupting veterans’ care.

The plan, known as RISE, short for “restructure for impact and sustainability,”  would reshape how the VA manages and oversees healthcare nationwide, consolidating its 18 Veterans Integrated Service Networks, or VISNs, into five and creating new “health service areas” to handle day-to-day engagement with hospitals and clinics.

Collins describes the proposal as the most significant reorganization of the VA’s health system since the 1990s, arguing it is designed to reduce bureaucracy, standardize operations, and push resources closer to the front lines.

“This is not a reduction in force,” Collins told the Senate