Amid Wait Times Furor, Shinseki Steps Down as Head of Veterans Affairs

Amid Wait Times Furor, Shinseki Steps Down as Head of Veterans Affairs

In the wake of the wait times and secret lists scandal at VA hospitals and clinics, Gen. Eric Shinseki has resigned as secretary of the agency.

President Obama said at a May 30 press conference, “I want to reiterate: [Shinseki] is a very good man.” However, the president said the decorated retired Army general concluded “he could not carry out the next stages of reform without being a distraction…I regret that he has to resign under these circumstances.”

In addition to his resignation, Shineki provided a preliminary Inspector General report into the wait times scandal at the Phoenix VA facility, which found that 1,400 veterans were on an electronic waiting list and had appointments for care; another 1,700 veterans were waiting for an appointment but were not on the list, putting them “at risk of being forgotten or lost” in a convoluted scheduling process, according to The Associated Press.

Other resources on Shinseki’s resignation

VA Chief Resigns In Face of Furor on Delayed Care
New York Times, May 30, 2014

Heat Stays On Veterans Affairs Department After Shinseki’s Exit
Wall Street Journal, May 30, 2014

Opinion: Shinseki Resigns, Which Won’t Help
Chicago Tribune, May 30, 2014

Shineski Resigns, But Will That Improve Things at VA Hospitals
CNN, June 1, 2014