Amid a mushrooming scandal over appointment delays, falsified-record keeping and other problems plaguing the strained healthcare system for former members of the US military, US President Barack Obama announced the resignation of US Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Eric Shinseki.
Obama said on Friday that he accepted Shinseki’s resignation with “considerable regret” during a White House meeting, just two days after a scathing internal report found broad, deep-seated problems in the sprawling healthcare system, which is struggling to keep up with the number of US veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.
Shinseki, a retired Japanese-American four-star general who had overseen Veterans Affairs since the start of Obama’s presidency, had faced mounting calls to step down as the controversy ballooned into a major issue in Washington. In the 36 hours that followed the findings on Wednesday, Democrats in tough congressional re-election races this November joined Republicans in clamoring for Shinseki’s resignation.
Obama said Shinseki, a Vietnam War veteran and the highest-ranking Asian-American in US military history, had served with honor, but the Veterans Affairs secretary told the president the agency needs new leadership and he did not want to be a distraction.
“I agree. We don’t have time for distractions. We need to fix the problem,” Obama said.
Republicans in Congress said Shinseki’s resignation alone was not enough to solve problems at an agency that has been struggling to keep up with a huge increase in demand for its services.
About 9 million veterans are now enrolled in the healthcare system, about 1 million more than just six years ago. The influx comes from returning Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, aging Vietnam War vets who now have more health problems, a move by Congress to expand the number of those eligible for care, and the migration of veterans to the VA during the last recession after they lost their jobs.
Lawmakers on both sides have moved cautiously, sensitive about being seen as exploiting the plight of veterans for political gain. Still, Shinseki’s departure seemed unlikely to end an election-year political struggle between the parties.
The controversy now swirling around the VA stems from allegations that employees were keeping a secret waiting list at the Phoenix hospital — and suggestions that up to 40 patients may have died while awaiting care. A preliminary VA inspector general probe into the allegations found systemic falsification of appointment records in Arizona and other locations, but has not made a determination on whether any deaths are related to the delays.
In a speech earlier Friday, Shinseki said that the findings of the report were “totally unacceptable” and a “breach of trust” that he found irresponsible and indefensible. He announced a series of steps, including the ouster of senior officials at the Phoenix facility.
Obama named Sloan Gibson, the deputy VA secretary, to run the department on an interim basis while he searches for another secretary.
He said Shinseki had begun the process of firing people and had canceled performance bonuses. The president said it would be up to the Justice Department to determine whether there was any criminal wrongdoing at the VA.
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