WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is telling the Veterans Affairs Department it needs to keep working to improve services, health care and accountability for veterans.

Obama met on Wednesday with VA Secretary Robert McDonald and his deputy, Sloan Gibson. The White House says Obama urged them to continue strengthening VA management, cutting the backlog of disability claims, speeding up access to health care and ending homelessness for veterans.

Obama nominated McDonald to head the agency in June after his former VA secretary resigned amid a nationwide scandal over long wait times for veterans seeking medical care, and falsified records covering up the delays.

The White House says McDonald updated Obama on his plans to improve how the VA functions and what choices veterans have to access services.