Mission Roll Call CEO Jim Whaley Meets with VA Secretary Doug Collins for a VSO Breakfast Discussion 

Secretary Collins Emphasizes the VA Will Not Cut Veteran Health Services or Benefits. 

Mission Roll Call’s CEO Jim Whaley was in Washington, D.C. on March 20th at the invitation of VA Secretary Doug Collins for his first breakfast discussion with Veteran Service Organizations (VSO) since taking the helm at the VA.  During this breakfast, Secretary Collins outlined the VA’s plans to implement personnel cuts and reductions. Consistent with his public statements on these cuts, Secretary Collins assured the gathered VSO representatives that veterans would not see any cuts or reductions in their health care or service benefits. 

Secretary Collins also discussed the VA’s focus on improving delivery of care and services to veterans through increased use of community care options. Through our polling and communication efforts with veterans, Mission Roll Call has studied veteran preferences regarding the liberal use of community care. Most veterans support community care as a means to put the veteran at the center of their own care decisions, to ease wait times for care, and to reduce travel and time commitments many veterans face to receive care at VA facilities. 

Finally, Secretary Collins shared that much of the work currently being done at the VA involves streamlining many of the byzantine and duplicative administrative systems and processes put in place over the decades. He shared the focused effort to review contracts and seek areas of savings and performance improvements. As one example, the VA has over a dozen payroll programs, that combined makes it challenging for the VA to track and evaluate these programs. 

Mission Roll Call wasn’t alone at this meeting and were proud to represent the veteran community along with 9 other Veteran Service Organization’s in attendance. This included leadership from the Wounded Warrior Project, AMVETS, Paralyzed Veterans of America, Vietnam Veterans of America, The American Legion, Boulder Crest, the Blinded Veterans Association, Student Veterans of America, and The Independence Fund. We take pride in our partnerships and productive working relationships with these organizations. Their success is beneficial to veterans everywhere. 

Mission Roll Call Conducts Survey of Veterans to Help Lead Discussion on VA Cuts 

Here at Mission Roll Call we work hard to amplify veteran voices and ensure those voices are heard during pivotal moments in time. Since the Trump administration took office in January 2025, we have seen a focus on government downsizing, including at the VA. Mission Roll Call designed a survey to help us understand the implications of the proposed changes and how veterans and their loved ones feel about these efforts.  

To view this survey and include your voice and thoughts, click here. 

Though we are still collating results, one aspect of these cuts has become clear through our discussions and communications with veterans. That is the administration’s efforts could be helped and supported through a robust and well-executed communication plan that leads implementation of cuts and changes. Such a plan would help paint a clear picture of the impending changes and alleviate concerns among veterans and their families that proposed cuts might dig into their health care benefits. 

Along with our coalition partners, we plan to share your voice directly with Capitol Hill and the VA to help inform and educate them on what these decisions mean for veterans and their families. 

Continued Collaboration with Congress on Legislative Efforts 

Also during March, Mission Roll Call continued to leverage veteran input to research, educate, and inform the debate on key pieces of legislation progressing through Congress. Most of these are introduced in the House Veterans Affairs Committee, led by Representative and Chairman Mike Bost of Illinois. 

Notable among these pieces of legislation are efforts to broaden community care options, to reauthorize grants to help reduce veteran suicide, to protect veterans’ 2nd amendment rights, to protect veterans’ education benefits, and to eliminate co-pays for veterans. 

This legislation, and more, is working through Congress’ process of introduction, discussion, markup, and voting. Mission Roll Call is tracking these bills and providing your voices as it helps educate the community and advance efforts in support of veterans.  

The Road Ahead 

At Mission Roll Call, we don’t just advocate—we take action. Through our polling and direct engagement with veterans and their families across the country, we bring their unfiltered perspectives straight to policymakers. Testifying in Washington, D.C. was a step forward in ensuring that veterans and their loved ones receive the respect, resources, and opportunities they deserve. 

But we can’t do it alone. Real change requires a collective effort. If you believe in this mission, join us at Mission Roll Call. We can challenge harmful stereotypes, push for impactful policy changes, and create a better future for veterans and their families. Your voice matters.