President-elect Donald J. Trump has nominated former Rep. Doug Collins, a Republican from Georgia, to serve as his administration's Secretary of Veterans Affairs.

WHY IT MATTERS
"I am pleased to announce my intent to nominate former Congressman Doug Collins, of Georgia, as The United States Secretary for Veterans Affairs," said Trump. "Doug is a Veteran himself, who currently serves our Nation as a Chaplain in the United States Air Force Reserve Command, and fought for our Country in the Iraq War.

"We must take care of our brave men and women in uniform, and Doug will be a great advocate for our Active Duty Servicemembers, Veterans, and Military Families to ensure they have the support they need," he added. "Thank you, Doug, for your willingness to serve our Country in this very important role!"

According to an AP fact sheet, Collins, 58, holds a master’s degree in divinity from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He was a U.S. Navy chaplain during the late 1980s, and served as a church pastor for more than a decade.

Collins joined the U.S. Air Force Reserve as a chaplain after 9/11 and deployed to Balad Air Force Base in Iraq for five months in 2008. He is still colonel in the reserves. He also earned a JD from Atlanta's John Marshall Law School.

He was first elected to the Georgia state House in 2007, serving three two-year terms. In 2012, Collins then won a seat in the U.S. Congress representing northeast Georgia’s conservative 9th Congressional District.

That district is among the most heavily Republican in the country, and the AP notes that "despite his right-wing positions, Collins faced serious primary challenges in 2016 from other Republicans who claimed he wasn’t conservative enough." 

Still, he made a national name for himself as a vocal defender of President Trump as ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee during the 2016 Robert Mueller probe into Russian election interference. He later authored a book about the Democrats' first impeachment of Trump in 2019.

Collins ran for Senate in 2020, but lost in the Georgia primary. He still has political ambitions for statewide office – and he spoke at many Trump rallies across the Peach State this past year. However, the AP points out that, should he be confirmed for VA Secretary, "it could be less likely that he will run for office in 2026."

THE LARGER TREND
At VA, Collins would oversee the largest health system in the U.S. – with some 1,380 inpatient and ambulatory healthcare facilities employing more than 371,000 clinicians and support staff.

The VA has a wide array of innovative and effective health IT initiatives going on at any given time, from telehealth and virtual care to artificial intelligence and automation projects focused on medical device management, radiology and imaging.

Of course, Collins would also inherit oversight of the massive electronic health record modernization that has been a major and challenging initiative at VA for more than seven years now – since Trump's first term.

The agency hit pause on the problem-plagued rollout in 2023. And it has renegotiated its contract with Oracle. The project continues to face scrutiny on Capitol Hill and from its own Office of Inspector General. But current plans are for the implementation to resume at more sites in 2025.

ON THE RECORD
"Honored to accept @realDonaldTrump nomination as Secretary of Veterans Affairs. Our heroes deserve the best care and support," said Collins. "We'll fight tirelessly to streamline and cut regulations in the VA, root out corruption, and ensure every veteran receives the benefits they've earned. Together, we'll make the VA work for those who fought for us. Time to deliver for our veterans and give them the world class care they deserve."

Mike Miliard is executive editor of Healthcare IT News
Email the writer: mike.miliard@himssmedia.com
Healthcare IT News is a HIMSS publication.