Senator Murkowski Engages with VA Secretary Collins on Alaska Veterans’ Priorities
Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) welcomed the Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins to the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee to discuss the Department of Veteran Affairs’ Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) budget request. Senator Murkowski reinforced to the Secretary the unique needs of Alaska’s veterans, and sought confirmation that the VA Advisory Committee on Tribal and Indian Affairs will continue to serve the needs of Alaska Native veterans.
Watch the Senator’s full line of questioning here.
The full transcript is below.
TRANSCRIPT
Murkowski: Welcome, thank you. To follow on Senator Collins’ comments about our rural veterans, you kind of pointed out that Alaska is in that same bucket. I’m just going to say, we’re bigger, we’re badder, we’re just more complicated as you know. We’re very proud to host more veterans per capita in Alaska than anywhere else out there. So, how we do outreach to our rural veterans has long been a challenge. You and I have had an opportunity to talk about that. But it’s everything from traveling the long distances, we’re not going to be able to put that veteran in a car. More likely than not, it’s going to be travel that requires flying. It may be trying to access them through telehealth but when you have limited broadband that’s a problem. Then we have shortages of local healthcare providers, it’s complicated in many ways. But all of our veterans deserve this care and I think we recognize that.
So, know that I, along with Senator Collins, are very interested in any strategies that you are looking to advance to maintain and expand services in our rural communities. I have talked about establishing an outreach program that would send teams to rural areas that are off the road system to just kind of let them know about their benefits, about the services that are made available. We can’t necessarily do everything, but we can at least let you know this is what your VA can do for you. I would hope that you’d work with us to support that kind of an event.
Collins: I definitely would and if you would allow me to expand just a minute on that: I think this is one of the issues that… I want us to break out of the model in many ways, and I say this in a very generic fashion. I want us to break out of the model that everything has to be the way we’ve always done it.
Murkowski: Right.
Collins: We have to go to a brick and mortar, we have to go to this as a clinic. We have one of the things, and it just highlighted recently: we had to close our ambulatory clinic. This is not a rural issue, but it’s sort of the class of the issue, we had to close our ambulatory clinic in L.A. because of the riots and other things going on in L.A. We had interrupted almost 1,800 appointments and some were telehealth, some we were able to move to others, but for the most part we had folks who weren’t getting care. Very familiar, if you were in the middle of a rural state or Alaska or anywhere else you’re not getting it.
So, we were already beginning to see how could we bring in mobile clinics and others even in that area, in a safe area, where our appointments could be kept. So, for me, if we have those kind of resources, can we do those in states such as Alaska and others? Instead of always just defaulting to something as you said, like a telehealth model or a visiting doctor, maybe have regular roundabouts that have our health teams go out with these mobile vehicles that could actually do and provide primary care and others. Of course, they need to go elsewhere, and we could do that I think. I’m willing to think outside the box to do that. It would work in a very rural state, it could work in a state like you know New York, Georgia, anywhere else.
Murkowski: You’ve kind of picked my brain. We provide or there are some non-profits and some for-profits that provide mobile mammography units, that go out to put them on a barge, you go up the river. It has provided access to women in rural parts of the state that would never be able to get this kind of screening. You can do that kind of teaming, but you do have to be willing to think outside the box a little bit, and I appreciate that you’re looking into that.
Let me ask you here about the Tribal health side. I’m pleased that IHS and VA have entered into a reimbursement agreement as we’re trying to figure out how we access some of the unique challenges in VA services. Office of Tribal Government Relations, this is an office that has proven to be important. I would like to know if you think that that government relations office will continue. And then, the VA Advisory Committee on Tribal and Indian Affairs, this is another VA advisory body, this is under review. Know that the committee really does play a vital role in ensuring that Native voices are represented when VA policies are developed. We think that it’s good, it helps to advance culturally competent care, strengthens Tribal consultation, and helps the VA fulfill its commitment.
So, I don’t know if you can give me an update on the current status of this committee and whether its work will continue uninterrupted. And then, if you can share with me whether or not you think the Office of Tribal Government Relations will continue.
Collins: Yes, to both, they’re both going to be continuing and also, we’re continuing to outreach as well through, and as I said earlier, we’re making sure our intergovernmental offices and working with different organizations is strengthening. We brought in our caseload to make sure that we’re reaching out to States, Tribes, and others, that is being a part of what we do, so, they’re both increasing. Also, I’m looking forward to being there I think, if my schedule told me correctly, I’ll be up there in October. I think around some of these issues that will be going on with the Tribes.
Murkowski: Great, hopefully you’re scheduling that trip to coincide with the Alaska Federation of Natives Conference in October.
Collins: I believe it is, yes.
Murkowski: That’s great. Mr. Chairman, I’ve got a couple questions that I’m going to submit for the record, one is on the roof of the Palmer Pioneer Home. I can’t let a hearing go by without mentioning that. As well as the electronic health record roll out, as you know the Alaska VA system is going to get the roll out of this technology in 2026. There’s a lot of people anxious about that because previous rollouts have not exactly been fun. So, you will see those questions submitted for the record.
Collins: I look forward to that and maybe later on you know, we’ll discuss it. Electronic health record is very important.
Murkowski: Yes, it sure is, thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
