WEBVTT

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Hey everybody, it’s Doug.

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You know, 2025 has been an amazing year for Veterans.
Under President Trump’s leadership, we have been transforming VA

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from a bureaucratic organization to a service organization
where Veterans come first in everything that we do.

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This has helped us improve customer service and convenience
for Veterans across the VA.

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We’ve taken thousands of employees off remote work
and brought them back into the office,
where they can work better as a team.

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And since then, our performance has improved.

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This year, we’ve reduced the backlog of Veterans waiting
for VA benefits by 57%.

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And we also totally eliminated the backlog
of Veteran family members waiting for VA health care.

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We’ve opened 20 new health care facilities across America,
expanding care to Veterans close to home.

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We’ve increased convenience by offering Veterans
more than a million appointments outside regular operating hours.

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And we provided Veterans more health care choices
by giving them access to community care
when it’s in their best medical interest.

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For dependents dealing with the loss of a deceased Veteran
or service member, we created a white-glove service

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to help them get the VA support and compassion
they deserve in their time of need.

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The woke social justice programs and green energy boondoggles
of the last administration — they’re gone.

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Instead, we’re solely focused on things that will better serve
Veterans, families, caregivers, and survivors.

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We’ve terminated union contracts for most collective bargaining
unit employees and redirected millions in wasteful union spending
back to Veterans.

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VA housed more than 50,000 homeless Veterans in fiscal year 2025.
But let me just say, there’s much more to be done there.

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So we are hard at work implementing President Trump’s executive order
to establish the National Center for Warrior Independence
for homeless Veterans at the West Los Angeles VA Medical Center.

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The last administration left the VA Electronic Health Records
modernization effort nearly dormant for two years.
Well, not really dormant — they just put it on hold.

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We’re reviving this crucial project and rolling it out
at 13 sites in 2026.

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2025 was an amazing year at the VA,
but it’s just a preview of things yet to come.

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I want to say this from my heart to our VA employees:
It’s been a long year, a lot of change,
but thank you for your hard work and dedication.

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And to America’s Veterans, thank you for your service.
Please never forget — the VA only exists because of you.

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We’re here to serve you.
God bless you this year and for many more years to come.