UPDATED: VA chief resigns in midst of health-care scandal

[DonViejo]

Source: Washington Post

Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric K. Shinseki offered his resignation to President Obama in a meeting at the White House on Friday, and Obama said he had accepted. Earlier in the day, Shinseki apologized publicly for what he called an “indefensible” lack of integrity among some senior leaders of the VA health-care system, and he announced a process to remove top officials at the troubled VA medical center in Phoenix.



Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/shinseki-apologizes-for-va-health-care-scandal/2014/05/30/e605885a-e7f0-11e3-8f90-73e071f3d637_story.html?hpid=z1

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Update:

Obama Announces Eric Shinseki's Resignation

President Barack Obama announced Friday that he has accepted Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki's resignation.

"This morning I think some of you also heard Rick take a truly remarkable action. In public remarks he took responsibility for the conduct of those facilities and apologized to his fellow veterans and to the American people," Obama said in a statement from the White House briefing room. "And a few minutes ago he offered me his own resignation. With considerable regret, I accepted."

Obama said he was grateful for Shinseki's service and explained that the VA secretary told him that new leadership needed to address the agency's systemic problems with access to care. "He does not want to be a distraction, because his priority is to fix the problem and make sure our vets are getting the care they need. That was Rick's judgment on behalf of his fellow veterans. And I agree," he said. "We don't have time for distractions. We need to fix the problem."

Sloan Gibson, the deputy VA secretary, will take over as acting secretary of the agency, Obama said.

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http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/obama-announces-va-eric-shinseki-resignation

[derby378]

1. Thanks for the heads-up

I had a feeling it wasn't gonna be pretty.

[leftyohiolib]

2. that isnt going to solve the va's trouble

[Throd]

8. No, it will not.

[bpj62]

3. So what happens now

Ok so now the Dems and the Repubs have the head on the platter that they wanted. It does not fix the problem that has existed well before General Shinseki accepted the Cabinet position. My fear is that will simply become a political football until the November elections and then it will be forgotten in the news cycle.

[dixiegrrrrl]

4. A neccessary process in this mid-term year.

When Former VA official and injured Iraq veteran Rep. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., calls for Secretary Eric Shinseki's resignation, that is not easily ignored.
Shinseki did take the right step in removing senior officials at VA Medical Center in Phoenix.
We saw so many many partisan hacks in Shrub's Administration, and there was a lot of concern how many were still there, screwing up the gov't.

Anybody know who Sloan Gibson, Shinseki's replacement, is?????

[DonViejo]

7. Hope this helps...

Sloan D. Gibson IV is the current acting head of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs and the United States Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs. He was confirmed to this position by the United States Senate on February 11, 2014.[1] He replaced former Deputy Secretary W. Scott Gould, who resigned on May 17, 2013.[2]

Before his appointment as Deputy Secretary, Gibson was the 22nd President and CEO of the USO. He assumed that role on September 1, 2008.[3] In 2004, he retired as Chairman and Chief Financial Officer of AmSouth Bancorporation. During his tenure, AmSouth became part of the S&P 500. In 2002, Mr. Gibson chaired the United Way campaign in Central Alabama

Gibson earned both Airborne and Ranger qualifications and served as an infantry officer in the U.S. Army.[4]

A 1975 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, he also earned a Masters in Economics from the University of Missouri in Kansas City and a Masters in Public Administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.[4]

-snip-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sloan_D._Gibson

[yallerdawg]

5. Shinseki had earlier said today...

in 38 years of service to our country he had never encountered bald-faced liars like in the VA hospital admin.

I hope Obama considers a Republican politician...Romney, for one.

[mikeysnot]

11. I hope Obama considers a Republican politician...Romney, for one.

What for the post of clown car chauffeur?

[yallerdawg]

15. Lots of good reasons...

Romney has been involved with liars all his life. It takes one to know one.

The VA is a Republican problem, let them be held accountable.

Romney likes to fire people.

Obama has a history of Republican cabinet people for war issues -- I expect many Democrats would love to dodge this bullet.

Romney has bureaucratic business experience. He might be able to fix the VA, so not just a scapegoat.

[TwilightGardener]

19. Romney is a numbnutz with no veterans' issues experience. His "turnaround

expert" shtick is mostly self-promoting fiction. He knows how to buy struggling companies, gut them, and leave them for dead. Yeah, what a great VA replacement.

[mikeysnot]

21. You give him too much credit.

Don't you know. IOKIYAR.

Besides, Romney is only good at destroying companies by leveraged buyouts. looting pensions, liquidating assets, laying people off and putting the cash into his back pocket.

The wrong-wing would look at this as an accomplishment and good capitalism.

[TwilightGardener]

6. I feel bad about that. Gen. Shinseki is a good man, and the VA must

be a very frustating, tough bureaucratic tangle to manage. My husband remembers going to a local VA office to ask a question during their VERY LIMITED office hours (they work a short day), only to find the door locked and a lone VA official sitting in her truck in the parking lot, getting ready to drive away, because she decided to close up and go home 20 minutes early. There must be a lot of such "dedicated" employees infesting that department, and changing that culture is probably more than one person could achieve.

[Nye Bevan]

16. Cutting through a bureaucratic tangle is tough, and Shineski was clearly not up to the job.

Hopefully his replacement will be.

[Victor_c3]

18. I'm going to say that it varies from hospital to hospital

I've never encountered anything like that in the nearly 6.5 years I've been going to the VA. I've spent a decent amount of time at the Wilmington, DE VAMC and the Castle Point, NY VAMC. The VAMC at Philadelphia I've heard is a complete disaster (but that was also 6 years ago).

The mental health people I stumble across when I bug out and show up at the local VA in one of my PTSD induced stupors demonstrate absolute compassion and dedication to me. I get the feeling that they genuinely care about helping people like me.

I'm sorry to see Shinseki leave. I really got the impression that this guy gave a damn about veterans and their problems. I hope he sleeps easy knowing that he did a good job and made a difference to some of us.

[RobinA]

23. I Was Surprised

Shinseki even took that VA position. At this point in his life and career it was no win.

[msanthrope]

9. Damn. nt

[Throd]

10. Whoever takes the job next had better be prepared to wrestle with a 1000 pound tar baby.

Trying to tackle the systemic dysfunction at the VA will be a thankless task.

[YvonneCa]

13. And what happened to Gen. Shinseki...

...is 'exhibit A.' I thank him for his service and his selflessness.

[Nye Bevan]

20. OT, but brave of you to use "tar baby" here. Many DUers (wrongly) consider that phrase to be racist.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=433x732081

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=594059

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=594077

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=2783498&mesg_id=2783835

and many, many more.....

[Throd]

24. I know, but it is the prefect metaphor for this situation.

If anybody wants to interpret a racist subtext into my comment then they are simply looking for an excuse to be upset.

[mikeysnot]

12. How did this shit become a scandal now?

We all new this in 2005.... when the Iraq war victims of Bush's failed foreign policy for global multinational profits started coming home...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2760479

[YvonneCa]

14. IMHO, GOP needed a new issue because people

...grew tired of their complaints about Obamacare. That election issue stopped working for them.

[mikeysnot]

17. Of course it is...

that was what I was getting at.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

22. What?

Has BENGHAZI already gone out of fashion?

Even Shep Smith over at Fox yesterday was calling out his fellow pundits about their demands for Shinseki to resign and Republicana for demanding immediate solutions for the VA without having investigations done. BTW what is that guy still doing over at Fox? He's much too "fair and balanced" for that station.

[YvonneCa]

28. IMHO...no. Benghazi is an effort to paint Dems as inept...

...on foreign policy. That way, they can keep funding for the MIC. But, also IMO, they want to first discredit...then privatize public institutions. Obamacare, Medicare, the VA, SS, USPS, public schools all fall into that category. "If it's not working to discredit Obamacare, let's go after the VA" so to speak.

All these government institutions face modernization and sustainability problems. For me, the difference is Dems(Obama) generally want to preserve them as a needed safety net. Republicans, generally, want to get rid of them through privatization.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

29. I agree, unfortunately

Hopefully, we can keep the Republican's dystopian "vision" from becoming a reality

[YvonneCa]

30. Yes. Hopefully. GOTV... :)

[RobinA]

25. Really...

I've worked in a public sector health care setting (not the VA) for 6 years. The system I am in is pretty messed up. People leave here all the time for the greener pastures of the VA. Soon they are back. Sometimes they don't even make it out the door, the hiring process and shenanigans at the VA scare them off. The people at the VA have been working under adverse conditions for so long it has become truly warped.

[Puppyjive]

27. I can concur

Having worked for the VA for two years, I had seen many fine professionals leave because they did not receive any support and were left to drown in a system where they were not adequately trained. It was sad, and I have seen many veterans waiting for appointments because of short staffing, and never once did the VA ever question the turnover problem. The problem is internal, runs deep, and I do not blame Shinseki for all of the issues, I place blame on the Inspector General Team, they do nothing to solve the problems.

[Hugin]

26. Can we say the VA is going down according to GOP political design? Just like the USPS.

The situation at the VA became critically worse during the Government Shutdown and Furloughs last year.

Then the crippling sequestration and budget cuts for some time now.

I recall reading several articles about caregivers leaving the VA in droves. Particularly, the MDs.

IMHO, the GOP is trying to use this as a two-fer:

1) As an Obama bashing talking point for the 2014 mid-terms.
2) Ultimately using the resulting lack of service and personnel as a stick to beat the Federal Government with (read: DAMN WURTHLESS GUBBMENT SCREWS UP!i!!11!!(spittle)!!i!) in a justification for privatizing the VA. Something they've long dreamed of and since they can't get Obamacare, a nice plan B.

Mark my words, this is what is happening.

[Major Hogwash]

31. Eggs-actly! The Republiscums want to privatize the VA.

If they succeed, healthcare costs in this country will go up, because the VA is very effective at what they do.
They offer specialized medical treatment that most local hospitals don't have any expertise in dealing with.

[Hugin]

32. The VA offers "specialized medical treatment that most local hospitals don't have any expertise in."

That bit of your post needed some extra emphasis.