WASHINGTON – Another major event has marked the Department of Veterans Affairs scandal, which arose over delayed care for veterans.
On Friday, May 30, Eric Shinseki handed in his formal resignation from his post as secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs. This followed an internal audit of the department and a discussion with President Barack Obama.
In a speech which followed the acceptance of the resignation, Obama explained the decision was made by Shinseki because “he (Shinseki) doesn’t want to be a distraction.”
Said Shinseki in his farewell message, “My personal and professional commitment and my loyalty to Veterans, their families, and our survivors was the driving force behind that decision. That loyalty has never wavered, and it will never wane.”
Obama explained that Shinseki had already begun to address the issues at the VA facility in Phoenix – the place where the scandal started. Shinseki has fired the people responsible for the mismanagement, canceled all performance bonuses for executives and management, and placed an order for every veteran waiting for appointments to be contacted to ensure that they receive care.
While Obama explained that misconduct is not to be tolerated, he did remind the audience of Shinseki’s great history of service to the country.
“Eric Shinseki has served his country with honor for over 50 years,” said Obama and listed Shinseki’s two tours of combat in Vietnam, as well as other histories of service.
“Eric’s commitment to our veterans is unquestioned … I am grateful for this,” Obama said and applauded Shinseki’s ownership of the crisis. He then explained that Sloan Gibson will fill in for Shinseki as acting secretary until a long-term successor is found. Gibson has a decorated history of service to the U.S. and was previously the president and CEO of USO.
Obama concluded his speech by addressing the veterans directly.
“We will never stop working to do right by you and your families,” he said.
While Shinseki’s resignation is a step in addressing the VA care crisis, it is more symbolic than anything else. According to various reports, the real work will begin with the new successor and it may take years to fix the inefficient management system.
According to a New York Times’ article, “The Booz Allen report found ‘chronic delays in care’ at veterans hospitals and clinics, resulting in part from ‘the current shortage of nurses, nurse practitioners, primary care providers and specialty physicians.”
Thousands of veterans have reported experiencing long delays in care all across the country – with the hospital in Phoenix one of the most egregious offenders. A report was created by the VA Office of Inspector General following allegations and complaints about the VA medical facility.
“Allegations at the Phoenix HCS include gross mismanagement of VA resources and criminal misconduct by VA senior hospital leadership, creating systemic patient safety issues and possible wrongful deaths. While our work is not complete, we have substantiated that significant delays in access to care negatively impacted the quality of care at this medical facility,” states the report.
These allegations led to the scrutiny of the Department of Veterans Affairs as a whole and to Shinseki’s resignation.
In an opening message Gibson said, “I will use all available authority to swiftly and decisively address issues of willful misconduct or mismanagement. VA’s first priority is to get all Veterans off waiting lists and into clinics while we address the underlying issues that have been impeding Veterans’ access to healthcare. The President has made clear that this is his expectation.”
He continued, “Even as we implement these immediate actions, we will work with Veterans Service Organizations, members of Congress, academia, public and private organizations, and with all other agencies and institutions that can help us move forward.”