Malliotakis Welcomed VA Secretary Doug Collins to Staten Island Community Clinic

December 8, 2025

(STATEN ISLAND, NY) – Last week, Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis (NY-11) welcomed Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins to the Staten Island Community-Based Outpatient Clinic for a roundtable and site visit at the clinic on Friday, December 5. They were also joined by Timothy Graham, Executive Medical Center Director; Rosemary Cancel-Santiago, Deputy Executive Center Director of the VA New York Harbor Healthcare System; Joan McInerney, VISN 2 Network Director; and other NY-11 veteran leaders. At the clinic, Secretary Collins also met with leaders from local veteran organizations.

At their roundtable, Secretary Collins and Rep. Malliotakis discussed several key issues impacting local veterans in NY-11. Under the leadership of President Trump and Secretary Collins, the backlog of veterans waiting for VA compensation and pension benefits has decreased by more than 57% since January 20, 2025. In Fiscal Year 2025, the VA permanently housed 51,936 homeless Veterans across the country, the highest total in seven years. They also discussed current initiatives aimed at increasing nursing staffing and recruitment, expanding the Substance Use Disorder (SUD) program to full capacity at the Brooklyn VA, and expanding access at Brooklyn’s Ear Nose and Throat (ENT) Clinic.

They also addressed the lack of access to specialty doctors at the Brooklyn VA Hospital and the Staten Island Outpatient Clinic, which has forced many veterans to travel to Manhattan or the Bronx for specialized care. The group discussed with the Secretary the possibility of bringing in certain specialty providers on a monthly basis so veterans can schedule appointments locally and reduce the burden of long-distance travel.

Last month, the 2026 Veterans Affairs Appropriations bill was signed into law by President Trump, which increased funding to over $115 billion specifically for veterans’ medical care, which includes:

$59.2 billion for direct care at VA facilities
$34 billion for care provided through community providers
$18.9 billion for mental health services
$3.5 billion for veterans’ homelessness programs
$709.6 million for opioid misuse prevention and treatment

In July, the VA announced an additional $800 million to be invested in infrastructure improvements to ensure its facilities provide safe, effective patient care.

“It was an honor to welcome Secretary Collins to Staten Island. Throughout my time in Congress, I’ve consistently supported legislation that prioritizes and improves care for our veterans — including our recent Veterans Affairs Appropriations bill, which increased total funding for veterans’ medical care and benefits, and the PACT Act, which expanded VA health care and benefits for those exposed to burn pits and other toxic substances from the Vietnam and Gulf War eras to Post-9/11 veterans,” said Rep. Nicole Malliotakis. “I look forward to continuing to work with the Secretary to strengthen our veterans’ access to the high-quality care they deserve after serving our nation. Under President Trump, a Republican Congress and Secretary Collins’ leadership, backlogs and wait times have been significantly reduced and the most homeless veterans have been housed in seven years.”

“Under the leadership of President Trump, we are transforming VA from a bureaucratic organization to a service organization, cutting red tape and placing Veterans at the center of everything we do along the way,” said VA Secretary Doug Collins. “The concerns of local Veterans and employees – like those at the Staten Island Community VA Clinic – are guiding our efforts to make the department work better for the Veterans, families, caregivers and survivors we are charged with serving.”

Recent Veterans Legislation Passed Out of the House

S.2392 - Veterans’ Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2025(Passed House 11/17/25)
On November 25, 2025, President Trump signed into law the Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act, which increased rates of compensation for veterans with service-connected disabilities and the rates of dependency and indemnity compensation for the survivors of certain disabled veterans.
H.R. 1107 - Protecting Veterans Access to Telemedicine Services Act (Passed House 9/15/25)
Permanently authorizes VA providers to write prescriptions via telemedicine for veterans.
H.R. 3767 - Health Professionals Scholarship Program Improvement Act (Passed House 9/15/25)
Will address VA staffing shortages by accelerating the hiring of new doctors and nurses.
H.R. 1860 - Women Veterans Cancer Care Coordination Act (Passed House on 9/15/25)
Establishes Regional Care Coordinators for women veterans with breast cancer and gynecologic cancers.
H.R. 1228 – Prioritizing Veteran Survivors Act (Passed House 4/9/25)
Amends law to place the Office of Survivors Assistance directly under the VA Secretary to better support survivors.

This July, Rep. Malliotakis hosted a telephone town hall with Secretary Collins to hear directly from NY-11 veterans about the issues that matter most and share experiences with VA care.