Former VA sec predicts Trump if reelected would get private sector more involved in vet health care

Former acting Secretary of Veterans Affairs Peter O'Rourke said that veterans would get the most effective healthcare through local communities and the public and private sector working together. 

"We know that the only true way we're going to be able to serve veterans is becoming truly integral, but  also supportive of local communities," O'Rourke said Tuesday on the "Just the News, No Noise" TV show.

The Veterans Affairs Department has long had issues getting healthcare delivered to veterans due to challenges with bureaucracy, long wait times and lack of access.

O'Rourke said that the VA rarely works with local partners and it's time to change that because of the positive impact it would have on veterans.

O'Rourke, who served in former President Donald Trump's administration, stated that if Trump were to get a second term in office, he would likely make sure the VA would partner with the private sector, and local communities to get veterans the help they need. 

"I could see a Trump administration doing that almost immediately," he said.

O'Rourke added that there are many governors and state leaders who would be interested in assisting with the partnership among local communities, the private sector and the public sector to create more opportunities for veteran treatment and healthcare.

He explained that there are some state efforts to help veterans with other needs such as housing. For example, the "Tunnel to Towers Foundation" builds homes for veterans in a number of states such as Florida and Texas.

"The VA really needs to get aligned with what states are doing to support their veterans and make sure they're taken care of, and I think that can be a very powerful partnership," he said. 

He said in a previous Just the News interview that economic opportunity is a great way to go about healthcare for veterans.

"Veterans are highly motivated," he said. "We've got a generation of folks that 25 years ago, just like on December 7, back when Pearl Harbor was bombed, they saw something happen to their country. They stepped up and they defended their country."