As head of the VA, McDonough inherits the formidable task of overseeing the administration of COVID-19 vaccines to approximately 18 million veterans across the nation.
The comedian and activist is helping to launch a new campaign to fight for war veterans who say they are sick because of exposure to burn pits and other toxins in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Seven Veterans Affairs staffers have died from the virus, and unions for VA workers have been sounding the alarm about shortages of protective gear and insufficient staffing.
In an interview with NPR, Secretary for Veterans Affairs Robert Wilkie said the department was ready to deploy if called on to help with the coronavirus pandemic response.
The lawmakers have been using the offices to meet with veterans. At least one believes the eviction is payback for his tough questioning of VA Secretary Robert Wilkie in April.
Robert Wilkie is President Trump's second VA secretary; his first was fired after clashing with political appointees. Wilkie insists he's put an end to infighting at the department.
The Department of Veterans Affairs has spent millions providing round-the-clock protection to guard graves and memorials dedicated to Confederate soldiers.
Former Army Sgt. John Toombs was thrown out of the residential drug treatment program at the Murfreesboro, Tenn., VA - and died by his own hand. The center's new building may be named in his memory.
President Trump fired his first VA secretary, and his first nominee withdrew. His next pick, Robert Wilkie, is a veteran and a seasoned Washington official.
VA employees in one Southeast district say a toxic culture of retaliation has undermined veterans' care and worker morale. There is growing skepticism among whistleblowers the VA can police itself.
An NPR investigation last year revealed that a number of VA centers were ejecting hundreds of caregivers from the program. The VA promised reform, but a year later few have returned to the program.
Dr. Ronny Jackson, who abandoned his nomination to be VA secretary amid numerous allegations, will stay with the White House medical unit but won't be the president's physician, Politico reports.
The VA Office of Accountability and Whistleblower Protection has taken on dozens of new cases of alleged retaliation. But some VA employees are skeptical the office will be able to protect them.
Rear Adm. Ronny Jackson was tapped by President Trump to replace David Shulkin, who was fired in March. Now, the Veterans Affairs Department awaits its fourth secretary in four years.
Jackson decried "baseless and anonymous attacks on my character and integrity," following detailed accusations including improper prescribing of drugs and wrecking a government vehicle while drunk.
David Shulkin, the ousted Veterans Affairs chief, tells NPR that political forces in the Trump administration want to privatize the VA and that he was not allowed to respond to an ethics controversy.
An investigation detailed an 11-day trip to Europe at taxpayer expense in which Secretary David Shulkin was accompanied by his wife and spent much of the time on sightseeing and at leisure.
The rate of uninsurance among veterans dropped dramatically after the Affordable Care Act rolled out. Those who rely on Medicaid say they are particularly concerned about losing that care.
The bipartisan legislation aims to transform the culture at the Department of Veterans Affairs. It shortens the process for removing negligent staffers and adds protections for whistleblowers.
The U.S. military's burn center in San Antonio is responsible for treating service members who are badly burned. But, to stay sharp, the medical teams there also treat civilians.
Secretary of Veterans Affairs David Shulkin says preventing suicide among military veterans is his "number one clinical priority," and that he is working to fill some 45,000 open jobs in the agency.
A former Marine who served in Afghanistan took his own life recently. But there was no diagnosis linking his service to his suicide, making it hard for his family to receive full death benefits.