Georgia veterans hopeful Doug Collins can make resources easier to get

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - A familiar Georgia name could oversee the nation’s sprawling network of veteran offices and hospitals if confirmed.

President-elect Donald Trump has tapped former Georgia Congressman Doug Collins to lead the Department of Veteran Affairs. Collins served north Georgia in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2013-2021 and has been a vocal er of Trump.

Collins is also a chaplain in the U.S. Air Force Reserve Command. There’s some excitement among local veterans and organizations that the department will be led by someone who served.

“I think he, as a vet, would lean into that conversation very well in understanding the plight each veteran has, and it’s different,” said Tony Kimbrough, an Army veteran and CEO of Atlanta-based Veteran Empowerment Organization. “It’s a very complex problem.”

Veterans often face a long list of issues when leaving the service, ranging from trouble finding reliable housing, medical treatment, and jobs, to understanding the benefits they have as retired service .

“You have a structured life in there and then you’re out, you know, trying to structure your own life, so yeah, people hit bumps in the road,” said Troy Williams, an Army vet, who is currently staying at VEO’s Bankhead location. “There’s no cliff notes on your benefits or what’s available to you.”

Like Kimbrough, Williams is also optimistic about a Georgia veteran leading the department. Collins, he said, may come in with a better understanding of what Georgia vets like Williams need. He went years without knowing he had health benefits through the VA.

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“I went a good six, seven years without even trying to access the hospital and then I acquired bills and whatnot that I really probably would not have if I’d have been made more aware,” he said.

Staffing has been a long-standing issue at the VA, stifling the agency’s ability to provide timely medical care and put housing vouchers in the hands of homeless or housing insecure veterans. It’s an issue local veterans hope Collins can tackle right away.

“Their ability to be able to fully dive into a case is based off of their ability to staff,” said Kimbrough.

There’s no silver bullet for fixing veteran issues nationwide, and progress is often slow. Williams got a job Friday at the Fulton County Animal Shelter and hopes other Georgia service can have the same success.

With a leadership change comes an opportunity for organizations like the VEO that work directly with the VA to help vets at the community level.

“When you have leadership change you have new ideas and you have new thoughts that come into place,” said Kimbrough “Anybody who is going to jump in the fight and say hey, this is not perfect today but can we move it to another step, and can we make it perfect in the future. We welcome that in this community.”

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