Press Release - Readout of Veterans Affairs Secretary-designee Denis McDonough's Virtual Meeting with Veterans Service Organizations

Veterans Affairs Secretary-designee Denis McDonough joined leaders of several veterans service organizations for a virtual roundtable discussion on the afternoon of Wednesday, Dec. 16. Mr. McDonough thanked the leaders for meeting with him and reiterated that if confirmed, his mission is to fulfill our country's most sacred obligation — caring for our service members, veterans, their families, caregivers, and survivors. They had a productive discussion, covering mental health and suicide prevention, the unique needs faced by caregivers, access to health care — particularly in the pandemic — and the need for collaboration and diversity of leadership to meet the changing demographics of the veteran community. He expressed that he views this as the beginning of an ongoing partnership and that he is committed to working together to deliver results. Additional meetings with the Secretary-designee and other veteran, caregiver, and survivor organizations will be announced in the coming days.

The Secretary-designee was joined by:

• Chanin Nuntavong, Executive Director, American Legion
• Joseph R. Chenelly, National Executive Director, AMVETS
• Randy Reese, Executive Director Washington Headquarters, Disabled American Veterans
• Carl Blake, Executive Director, Paralyzed Veterans of America
• B. J. Lawrence, Executive Director, Veterans of Foreign Wars
• John Rowan, National Executive Director, Vietnam Veterans of America