U.S. Veteran Affairs Secretary Doug Collins conducted a whirlwind visit to three Michigan veterans’ sites on Monday, seeking to refute misperceptions that the highly publicized VA cuts will cut veterans’ benefits or VA staff directly related to the care of those who served in the U.S. armed forces.

The former Georgia Republican congressman stopped at VA hospitals in Battle Creek and Ann Arbor, with a stop in between in Howell. The Midwesterner attended Collins’ second Michigan stop at the American Legion Devereaux Post 141 in Howell.

Collins addressed concerns with the highly publicized cutbacks within his agency, saying that the increased taxpayer dollars appropriated to the VA budget over the past several decades have done little to decrease veteran wait times at VA hospitals. At the same time, he noted, the number of claims has increased.

He also said that the additional $588 million appropriation for veteran suicide prevention and $3 billion funding to address veteran homelessness during the last administration hasn’t changed the number of afflicted former service members.

“Don’t believe the doom and gloom,” Collins said. “We’re not cutting health care, we’re not cutting benefits.”

Instead, he said, his staff is seeking to rectify inconsistent standards for approvals and appeals by addressing outdated systems that “aren’t working” while streamlining workforce, paperwork, and administrative procedures.

While left unmentioned by Collins during his Monday presentation, many costly VA programs have been cut, including diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, saving the agency $14 million. Staffing issues have also been addressed by Collins’ order ending the VA’s remote work and telework policies.

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Before the event, The Midwesterner spoke with several veterans who described their negative experiences obtaining their service records prior to receiving medical care.

Collins and U.S. Rep. Tom Barrett, R-Michigan, announced a new electronic health record rollout that will be operational in Michigan within one year to address the Howell veterans’ concerns.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Michigan had 461,809 veterans in 2022, the 12th-highest veteran population in the U.S.