The announcement came one day after both men underwent a congressional grilling about severe mismanagement in the VA health system including appointment waits, treatment delays and the falsification of records.
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| Robert Petzel, M.D. |
There's only one small problem: Petzel announced in September he was retiring and earlier this month his replacement was named.
In other words, this is just more dodge-and-evade behavior from an agency charged with caring for the men and women who put on the uniform for this nation.
“I am committed to strengthening veterans’ trust and confidence in their VA healthcare system,” Shinseki said in announcing Petzel's departure (or more correctly, announcing again Petzel's departure).
If this looks like damage control, it is. How the resignation of someone who was retiring anyway suggests a much-needed bureaucratic culture shift is anyone's guess.
For his part, Shinseki, a retired general, continues to urge patience and the arrival of what he promises will be an independent review of VA practices. That report is supposed to arrive in three weeks.
The Los Angeles Times reported Friday that federal prosecutors have joined the agency's investigation to determine whether criminal behavior is involved. And the White House sent Deputy Chief of Staff Rob Nabors to intervene at the beleaguered agency.
Ordinarily those moves could be considered a hopeful sign, but the same promises of change accompanied 2007 reports by the Washington Post about horrific conditions at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, arguably the crown jewel of the VA health care system.
Point in fact, little changed leading to the latest revelations about VA facilities nationwide "cooking the books" to make it appear officials were doing their jobs.
Patience? How many more reports? How many more committees? How many more promises?
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