Rep. Laurel Lee Hosts VA Secretary Doug Collins to Highlight Historic Investments and Reforms for America's Veterans

Zephyrhills, FL - Yesterday, Congresswoman Laurel Lee welcomed Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins to Florida's 15th Congressional District for a discussion with veterans and community leaders at the Zephyrhills Museum of Military History.

The visit highlighted the Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) ongoing efforts to improve access to healthcare, modernize facilities, streamline benefits, and ensure American veterans receive the care and services they have earned through their service.

"As a community that is home to thousands of Veterans and military families, Florida's 15th Congressional District understands the importance of ensuring those who served our nation receive the highest quality care and support," said Rep. Laurel Lee. "I was honored to welcome Secretary Collins to our district to discuss the tremendous progress being made to strengthen the Department of Veterans Affairs. Under President Trump and Secretary Collins' leadership, the Department is cutting bureaucracy, improving access to care, modernizing facilities, and delivering results for the men and women who wore our nation's uniform. I look forward to continuing our work together to ensure every Veteran receives the care, benefits, and respect they have earned."

"Under President Trump and with the support of strong leaders like Rep. Laurel Lee, we are making VA benefits better, faster and easier to use than ever before," said VA Secretary Doug Collins. "Since the start of the second Trump Administration, the department has cut the backlog of Veterans waiting for VA benefits by more than 70%, provided more direct health care and community care than ever before, and housed historic numbers of homeless Veterans. More than 200,000 new Veterans have enrolled in VA healthcare in 2026 alone - proof our reforms are working."

During the visit, Rep. Lee and Secretary Collins discussed the significant progress the Department has made over the past year, including:

• Enrolling more than 200,000 new veterans in VA health care in 2026.
• Opening 38 new VA health care facilities nationwide since January 2025 to expand access to care.
• Reducing the VA disability claims backlog by 74 percent, bringing it below 70,000 claims for the first time since 2020.
• Investing a record $4.8 billion this fiscal year to modernize VA hospitals, clinics, and medical infrastructure, including $1.2 billion in newly approved third-quarter infrastructure improvements.
• Expanding access to appointments by offering more than 3 million appointments outside normal business hours.
• Permanently housing more than 51,000 homeless Veterans in FY2025, the highest total in seven years.
• Improving disability claims processing accuracy to more than 94 percent while processing record numbers of claims.

The discussion also focused on the importance of continued investment in VA facilities across Florida. This year, the Department announced record infrastructure funding nationwide to improve medical centers and clinics, upgrade aging facilities, strengthen electronic health record systems, and expand access to high-quality care for Veterans throughout the state, including those served by the James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital and the rapidly growing veteran population across the Tampa Bay region.