Stars and Stripes reports that “it’s not every day that a Cabinet secretary gives out his cell phone number to a room full of reporters, but that’s what Department of Veterans Affairs chief Bob McDonald did Monday as part of a bid to show the VA is changing a hierarchical culture that stifled criticism and contributed to a scandal that cost McDonald’s predecessor his job.”  

“While McDonald — who opened the press conference by addressing reporters with “Hi, I’m Bob” — may be a little easier to reach now, the effectiveness of a 90-day plan he unveiled to fix a broken VA health care system is likely to be how veterans and observers will assess the beginning of his tenure.”  

“At a press conference in Washington, D.C., McDonald announced “Road to Veterans Day,” a three-pronged plan to make quick improvements to a healthcare system that has allowed veterans to languish for years while awaiting care and seen administrators falsify records in order to cover up the delays.”