Congressman Scott Calls for U.S. Veterans Affairs Secretary to Step Down
Georgia Congressman David Scott wants the U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs to step down in connection with four recent veterans’ deaths at the Atlanta VA Medical Center. An internal audit linked three of the deaths to mismanagement in the Center’s mental health programs.
Congressman Scott says Secretary Eric Shinseki needs to resign because so far no one has been held accountable for the deaths.
“Not one person has been fired for it, and the secretary himself has yet to set foot into that hospital.”
Scott says that’s unacceptable.
“Our soldiers deserve more than that.”
In May, the VA appointed Leslie Wiggins as director of the Atlanta VA Medical Center.
Scott says she’s well-qualified but wasn’t given the proper tools to handle the situation.
“She doesn’t even the authority to fire. What authority does she have?”
In a statement a VA spokesman says “Under the leadership of Secretary Shinseki, VA has increased Veterans’ access to earned care and benefits, reduced the number of homeless Veterans by 17%, and implemented an aggressive plan that eliminates the decades old compensation claims backlog in 2015.”
Last week, Wiggins said since the audit reports, The Atlanta VA Medical Center has added more mental health providers, placed VA licensed social workers at contracted facilities and reduced appointment wait times.
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