VA's Shinseki says he has no plans to resign

U.S. Veterans Affairs Department Secretary Eric Shinseki told a Senate committee last week that he has no plans to resign unless asked to by the president, even as the VA got battered almost daily with new allegations of long wait times and cover-ups at several of its hospitals.

A day after the hearing, Shinseki accepted the resignation of Dr. Robert Petzel, his undersecretary for healthcare, an apparent casualty of the ongoing issues at the VA.

During a four-hour hearing Thursday before the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, Shinseki appeared emotional as he explained that the allegations and adverse incidents linked to the VA sadden him and made him “mad as hell.”

“I could use stronger language, Mr. Chairman, but in deference to the committee, I won't,” Shinseki said. He also committed himself to “taking all actions necessary to identify exactly what the issues are, to fix them and to strengthen veterans' trust in VA healthcare.”

One of Shinseki's first moves was to order a national face-to-face audit of scheduling practices at all VA medical centers and community-based clinics. The reviews, which began last week and for which findings are expected in about three weeks, came in the wake of accusations from employees at VA facilities across the country alleging mismanagement, inappropriate scheduling practices and preventable patient deaths.

The wave of allegations arose last month in the Phoenix VA Health Care System as whistle-blowers claimed that as many as 40 patients may have died while waiting for care at the hospital and that a separate waiting list was maintained to conceal delays in treatment. Since then, similar accusations of scheduling manipulation have been made at hospitals in Fort Collins, Colo.; Chicago; Durham, N.C.; Austin and San Antonio, Texas; and Cheyenne, Wyo.

But even as Shinseki placed some employees on administrative leave, several lawmakers continued to express disappointment in his handling of the situation.

On Wednesday, President Barack Obama announced that White House Deputy Chief of Staff Rob Nabors, one of Obama's closest advisers, is being temporarily assigned to the VA to conduct a review of the department.

If the VA can't right its ship soon, the department could become another midyear election attack issue for Republicans as they seek control of the Senate.