Boozman: Leadership Change at VA Necessary, But That Alone Will Not Fix Problem

Statement

U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR), a member of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, today called for a leadership change at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) while stressing that President Obama needs to do more to fix the failures that have cost our veterans timely medical care they need and earned.

"The failures within our VA medical system pose a problem in need of an immediate solution and the President's ability to manage this crisis to this point has been nothing short of disappointing. The public, a large portion of the veterans' community, and much of Congress have lost faith in Secretary Shinseki's ability to make the necessary changes to fix the shortcomings that have cost our veterans timely medical care they need and earned. The administration must take quick action to regain that confidence, and up to now, a sense of urgency in the White House has been lacking to say the least.

While a leadership change at VA is in order, a new secretary alone will not absolve the President of his responsibility to ensure our veterans receive quality care in a timely manner. If there is a sense of complacency that has set in within VA, it is the President's responsibility to reverse that course which will require much more effort on his part than merely nominating a new secretary."

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