Lawmakers Question VA Secretary Over Wait Times, Possible Deaths
Amid growing calls for his resignation, VA Secretary Eric Shinseki answered a Senate panel's questions Thursday over allegations that a VA hospital in Phoenix kept secret lists to make wait times seem shorter.
The Wall Street Journal: Allegations Over VA Wait Times Spur Rising Unease Among Democrats
Democrats showed increasing nervousness over the political peril raised by allegations of extended wait times at a Department of Veterans Affairs health facility, while the agency's acting inspector general said he had so far found no evidence patients had died because of long waits for care (McCain Nelson and Kesling, 5/15).
Politico: Eric Shineseki 'Mad As Hell' Over VA Scandal
Fighting for his political life, Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki declared on Thursday he’s “mad as hell” over allegations at the center of an unfolding scandal related to treatment delays at veterans hospitals. “If these allegations are true, they‘re completely unacceptable to me, to veterans,” Shinseki told the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee amid an effort to oust him over the issue (Herb and Wright, 5/15).
PBS NewsHour: VA Secretary Shinseki Grilled By Senate Panel Over Failures To Provide Care
Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki appeared in front of a Senate panel to defend his agency against accusations that a V.A. hospital in Phoenix, Arizona, falsified scheduling reports, and that up to 40 veterans died awaiting treatment. Senators on both sides of the aisle pressed Shinseki -- under mounting calls to resign -- to do more. Gwen Ifill reports (Ifill, 5/15).
The Fiscal Times: Vets Blow the Whistle on Negligent VA Management
Veterans groups aren’t wasting any time waiting for federal investigators to uncover more negligence at VA hospitals across the country. They’re taking matters into their own hands. On Thursday, the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) and the Project on Government Oversight (POGO), launched a whistleblower website to provide VA employees and veterans with the ability to expose wrongdoings within the department (Ehley, 5/16).