“Trust in the Department of Veterans Affairs among veterans is up 24% since 2016, when the agency, still reeling from a highly publicized wait time scandal, launched a concerted effort to measure their customers’ perceptions and experiences.”
“On average, 79% of veterans said they trust VA, according to the latest report from the Veterans Experience Office.”
“The reports will be public now on VA.gov; the scores were previously only public on the federal government’s Performance.gov site.”
“’Once we briefed Secretary [Denis] McDonough on the capabilities of the office, he was very adamant to really do this in a more routine and transparent way,’ John Boerstler, VA’s chief veterans experience officer, said in an interview. ‘Not only do we want our veterans to know that we are listening, but we are a public organization. As a public trust we want to be held accountable; we want to be transparent…'”
“When the department sees discrepancies in trust among veterans, Boerstler said it gives VA an opportunity to build new initiatives and programs specifically for certain demographic populations.”
“His office, for example, recently worked with the Veterans Benefits Administration to map out the moments that matter to women veterans when applying for benefits at the department. The office is conducting a similar review and study for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender veterans, Boerstler said…” Read the full article here.
Source: VA sees trust improve by 24% in five years, thanks to veterans experience effort – By Nicole Ogrysko, June 4, 2021. Federal News Network.
