Titus to VA chief: Move regional office to Las Vegas

WASHINGTON — Rep. Dina Titus on Thursday made a personal pitch to the new secretary of Veterans Affairs to move the VA’s regional office in Reno to Las Vegas.

The response from Robert McDonald was short of a yes, Titus said. Rather, she said, he agreed to look at the idea as part of an agencywide reorganization he wants to pursue.

“I didn’t take it as a promise, but I took it as a serious consideration,” Titus said.

The Las Vegas Democrat has prodded VA officials to place more resources in Southern Nevada, home to more than half of the roughly 300,000 veterans in the state. Titus also has lobbied for the VA to build a national cemetery in or nearer to Las Vegas than the state-run Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Boulder City.

McDonald, a former president of Procter &Gamble, is five weeks into his post as VA secretary. On an initial swing through VA facilities this summer, he toured the VA Medical Center in North Las Vegas and the agency’s regional office in Reno. McDonald met with Titus, who sits on the House Committee on Veterans Affairs, for about 45 minutes at her request.

VA spokesman Dave Bayard said he was unable to confirm the contents of McDonald’s discussion with Titus. He noted the VA earlier this year added 20 benefit claims processors to the agency’s staff in Las Vegas, a move that more than doubled its size from 15 to 35.

The Reno office processes most of the benefit claims for veterans in Nevada and parts of California. When he visited the site last month, McDonald announced Kathy Malin as acting office director. Former Director Ed Russell, whose removal had been sought by Titus and Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., amid criticism of the office’s performance, was said to be on leave.

“There’s a great opportunity now that they’ve gotten rid of Ed Russell and they’re bringing in a new person to move the headquarters to the south,” Titus said. McDonald “understood my arguments. They could keep an office in Reno, but it would be easier to recruit and most of the veterans are in Southern Nevada.”

Titus said she also urged McDonald to keep Nevada in mind as the agency implements a new law that authorized at least 1,500 medical residencies at VA hospitals in communities facing doctor shortages.

The state has lagged in medical services, ranking 46th for general practitioners and 51st for specialty surgeons, Nevada lawmakers have complained.

Contact Stephens Washington Bureau Chief Steve Tetreault at stetreault@stephensmedia.com or 202-783-1760. Find him on Twitter: @STetreaultDC.