AP FACT CHECK: Trump hails ‘new’ VA as old problems persist
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump speaks with pride about the progress of his overhaul of health care for veterans, declaring that the Department of Veterans Affairs already “is a whole new place.” Old problems persist, though, and some of his steps are not as advanced as he advertises.
For Veterans Day, the White House came out with a two-page statement to support the contention that “tremendous progress has been made in a short period of time.” And in Vietnam on Friday, Trump told a small group of U.S. veterans of the Vietnam War that Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin is doing an “amazing job” on “things that we are doing and in the process of doing. “
“In the process” is the key phrase, because some of Trump’s big plans for veterans are lagging, and problems he has declared to be cured are still evident.
While the VA has made some strides under the leadership of Shulkin, a holdover from the Obama administration who began work on several of the changes before Trump took office, the White House statement doesn’t tell the full story. It doesn’t divulge that a key Trump administration effort to improve wait times by revamping VA’s electronic medical record system may not be completed for eight more years — when Trump will be out of office.