On the heels of a government investigation that found widespread problems with the health care given to America’s veterans, the head of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, General Eric Shinseki submitted his resignation to the White House after a meeting with President Obama, and it was accepted by the with “considerable regret.”

President Obama promptly tapped Shinseki’s deputy, Sloan Gibson to fill in in an interim capacity as the new leader of the VA. Gibson has only been with the Department of Veterans Affairs since February. Prior to going to the VA, Gibson led the United Services Organization, or the USO. The USO is known for its support of the troops and families with programs, services and entertainment.

Shiinseki told the president during their meeting that the “VA needs new leadership” to address the widespread problems at the VA, and also related that he “does not want to be a distraction” as the problems are addressed and fixed.

After the meeting with Shinseki, President Obama held a press conference in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room where he told the press, that Shinseki had “begun the process of firing many of the people responsible” for the the delays for appointments and treatments at VA hospitals in the country.

Obama had nothing but praise for Shinseki, saying, “Ric Shinseki has served his country with honor for nearly 50 years.  He did two tours of combat in Vietnam — he’s a veteran who left a part of himself on the battlefield.  He rose to command the First Cavalry Division, served as Army Chief of Staff, and has never been afraid to speak truth to power.”

Shinseki served during the Vietnam War, and was wounded there, losing a portion of his foot to a landmine there while he served as a forward observer for the artillery.

The president also listed many of Shinseki’s accomplishments as the head of the VA that included the enrollment of 2 million vets into health care, getting disability pay for more veterans that fell victim to “Agent Orange,” the improvement of health care for female veterans, reduction of homelessness for vets, and increased  access to education through the “GI Bill.”

It was fairly apparent that Shinseki would be stepping down after being called to a meeting with the president on the Friday following a week of calls for Shinseki’s resignation amid the growing scandal.

The problem with backlogs for appointments preceded Shinseki and can be traced back to previous administrations and VA heads. The VA system began being pressed to shorten waiting times in 1995. Little is known of the progress of the updated system until the VA system went electronic in 2002. When that happened, many managers in the VA began gaming the system as bonuses and perks were given to managers  who could slash wait times. The problems in the VA system became widely known in 2005 when federal officials learned of the widespread scheme to falsify records within the VA. The Bush administration became aware of the issue, but it went unfixed.

Alaska’s Senator Lisa Murkowski said of Shinseki’s resignation:

“No one can question General Eric Shinseki’s service to our nation or his patriotism.  However, it is fair to ask how entrenched the system-wide bureaucratic problems are that General Shinseki inherited and how best to push to the VA into a more transparent and effective era.

“From our state’s vantage point, Secretary Shinseki took a keen interest in reforming the Alaska VA healthcare system – advancing many positive improvements.  He answered my call to ensure that Alaska veterans would receive treatment in Alaska instead of flying to Seattle for care available here. He entered into groundbreaking agreements with the Alaska Native health system to treat rural veterans, bringing an effort I began in 2006 to a successful conclusion. And he supported expansion of the Tribal Veteran Representative program.”

Shinseki was tapped by Obama to head the VA when Obama was still President Elect in December of 2008. Shinseki was unanimously confirmed on January 20, 2009 and sworn in the next day.

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