Veteran Affairs Secretary Doug Collins didn’t always want to be a politician, but he had a long desire to serve others.
The 58-year-old native of Gainesville, Georgia, chose the idyllic ministry as his first career. Thirty years later, he found himself heading a vast government agency serving more than 17 million veterans in the US military.
On February 5th, Collins became the 12th Secretary of the Veterans Affairs Bureau. This is a cabinet-level position that will become one of President Donald Trump’s 15 key advisors.
The path between these two positions included more than 25 years as a military pastor, graduating from tours and law schools in Iraq, and multiple conditions as a state and federal lawmaker.
The thread that connects these diverse experiences is faith, says Collins.
The road to Washington
Collins married Lisa Jordan in 1988. In the same year he graduated from North Georgia University and State University.
With an early indication of his interest in politics, Collins interned for the time. Ed Jenkins (D-Ga.) is still a student.
However, the appeal to the ministry was stronger, with Collins graduating in 1996 and continuing to attend Baptist Seminary in New Orleans. His wife became a career educator at Georgia Public Schools.
Collins was pastor at Chicopee Baptist Church in Gainesville from 1994 to 2005, leading the way in building larger facilities for the congregation that would grow in the late 1990s.
Along the way, he joined the US Air Force Reserve as a pastor and eventually rose to Colonel. From 2008 to 2009, Collins launched a battle at Varad Air Force Base near Baghdad.
After more than a decade in idyllic ministry, Collins believes he retired his father, state trooper Leonard Collins, to stimulate the transition to public service.
Collins was appointed to the Georgia House of Representatives in 2006 and graduated from John Marshall Law School in Atlanta the following year.
“I always felt that God would lead me to public service at some point,” Collins told the Gainesville Times shortly after his election.
After three terms at the State Capitol, Collins was elected to Congress in 2012 and served until 2021.
In January 2020, Collins announced his candidacy for the US Senate, running for a special election to fill the remainder of Senator Johnny Isaxon’s term after Isaxon retired for health reasons.
He faced incumbent Kelly Loeffler, who was supported by President Donald Trump and was temporarily appointed to his seat, and Democrat Rafael Warnock. Collins finished third in the nonpartisan primary. After his defeat, Collins supported Loffler in a spill against Warnock.
First veteran
As VA Secretary, Collins leads the nation’s largest healthcare system. The Veterans Health Department provides care to more than 9 million veterans in approximately 1,400 facilities.
Colin sums up his approach to work in two words: “Veterans are the first.”
The clarity of that focus seems to make Collins more willing to consider innovative approaches and push the results.
One example is his willingness to bypass traditional media and communicate directly with veterans.
Speaking to a veteran influencer at X, Collins spoke about the initiative connecting the support system with veterans thinking about suicide. Approximately 22 veterans commit suicide every day, according to estimates from the VA.
The secretary explained his philosophy: “What is our return on investment? Are we actually helping veterans?”
To ensure better outcomes, Collins aims to double its efforts to enable veterans to use community-based healthcare services when rapid care is not available at VA hospitals and clinics.
Collins said that it is no longer true and that expanded healthcare options will be available. “You’ve made a profit so we’re going to pay for it,” he said.
Fighting faith
Collins inherited an institution plagued by complaints of inefficiency, a reputation that he is determined to change. Under his resolve to succeed, there is the same faith and desire that influenced Collins’ pastoral work.
“Faith makes me want to help others,” he said. “It makes me considerate, but it also makes me firm… Sometimes you have to get up and fight.”
There are signs of early progress.
Collins said the number of failed applications that are not processed within 200 days has been significantly reduced. The backlog reached over 260,000 during the Covid-19 pandemic and has not changed much since. Collins instructed staff to work hard on the issue.
“We’re under 200,000 for the first time in over two years,” Collins said.
“That’s important because veterans don’t have to wait for a decision,” he added.
The agency has also reformed its services to the Goldstar family, who have lost their loved ones in their duties.
“We were way too much about what I call clinical aspects,” Collins said. That is, VA representatives often described the services offered to families in business terms.
Collins instructed the agency to support the family in a similar way as the funeral director and take a more compassionate approach.
“We make sure they are at least heard and cared for because those who are experiencing loss trials are those who need more support and they need answers too,” Collins said.
“For me, this job is taking care of people,” Collins said. “We don’t accept that we’ve always done that.”
“There’s something that’s not worth compromising.”
Doug and Lisa Collins celebrated their 37-year marriage in June. Collins has three adult children and will be attending Lakewood Baptist Church in Gainesville.
