Shinseki faces bipartisan criticism during Hill hearing on vet health care scandal

Lawmakers accused Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki of failing to act on repeated warnings about problems with the veterans health care system, as the embattled secretary vowed to take "all actions necessary" to fix the problems during a contentious hearing on Capitol Hill. 
"Any allegation, any adverse incident like this makes me mad as hell," Shinseki said Thursday. 
He addressed lawmakers in his first testimony on Capitol Hill since allegations that delayed health care led to patient deaths were made public. Early in the hearing, he faced heated bipartisan criticism that his department is falling down on its vital obligation to care for America's veterans. 
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. -- who represents the state where the scandal broke -- said the problems have created a "crisis of confidence." 
"We should all be ashamed," said McCain, a Vietnam veteran. 
Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., who has called for the secretary's resignation, accused Shinseki of being in "damage control" and not taking the action that is necessary to correct the system. 
The scandal at the Phoenix division involved an off-the-books list allegedly kept to conceal long wait times as up to 40 veterans died waiting to get an appointment. Officials were accused of cooking the books to hide the fact that veterans were waiting more than 14 days, the target window. 
VA facilities in South Carolina, Florida, Pennsylvania, Georgia and Washington state have also been linked to delays in patient care or poor oversight. An internal probe of a Colorado clinic found that staff had been instructed to falsify records to cover up delayed care at a Fort Collins facility. 
Shinseki has urged officials to wait until an inspector general report is completed, as he orders a separate review, but lawmakers voiced concern that this would only lead to further delays. 
Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., called the allegations "deeply disturbing." "We need more than good intentions," she said, calling for "decisive action." 
A top Republican also questioned when senior leaders at the Department of Veterans Affairs learned that lower-level workers were "manipulating wait times" for veterans' health care. Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., ranking Republican on the panel, said that the allegations have been surfacing for a while, and information on the problems was available to the secretary a year and a half ago. 
"Why were the national audits and statements of concern from the VA only made this month?" he asked, adding that the delayed health care has resulted in "patient harm and patient death." 
Shinseki's testimony is the first since the burgeoning scandal broke on allegedly deadly health care delays in the VA system. He is facing calls for his resignation as well as demands that the VA immediately improve the way it treats America's vets. 
Shinseki said the controversy "saddens" him. In his written statement, he said the department "must do better." 
Under questioning from senators, Shinseki still defended the overall management of the VA, calling it a "good system" and claiming that cases where workers were manipulating wait times "isolated." 
Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., in his opening statement, urged Shinseki's critics to wait until more details are known, acknowledging the VA health care system has "serious problems" but questioning whether it even has enough resources. 
"There has been a little bit of a rush to judgment," he said. 
Meanwhile, the chief watchdog for the VA will testify Thursday that it must immediately focus on delivering quality health care in order to save lives.
In prepared remarks obtained by Fox News from a congressional source, VA’s acting Inspector General Richard J. Griffin said: “The unexpected deaths that the OIG continues to report on at VA facilities could be avoided if VA would focus first on its core mission to deliver quality health care.” 
The two officials, along with representatives from a host of veteran advocacy groups -- including The American Legion, which has called for Shinseki's resignation -- were testifying before the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs. The scandal started with allegations of patient deaths due to long wait times at a Phoenix VA medical center, but new reports are emerging almost daily of problems elsewhere. 
Shinseki stresses that he has already placed three employees at the Phoenix VA center on leave over the allegations that as many as 40 veterans may have died because of delayed treatment at that hospital. Further, he ordered an inspector general investigation into the matter and a nationwide review into scheduling policy.
Griffin is expected to cite deep flaws in the organizational structure of the VA that need to be fixed. In his prepared remarks, Griffin cites seven recent reports that demonstrate problems hindering the VA’s ability to provide quality health care coverage.
Examples include a September 2013 report on a VA hospital in Columbia, S.C., which found thousands of patients had their appointments for colon cancer screenings delayed. He says it found that more than 50 patients had a delayed diagnosis of colon cancer, and some later died. Another report from October 2013 discusses a facility in Memphis, Tenn., where three patients died due to improper emergency room care.
Griffin will say a review of these and other examples concluded that the VA needs to improve its system for implementing standards nationwide, saying the VA has become a network of hospitals that differ greatly from each other while attempting to accomplish the same goal.
“It is difficult to implement national directives when there are no standard position descriptions or areas of responsibility across the system,” Griffin plans to say.
Griffin says it is time for the VA to conduct a review of its systems to determine if there are changes that can be made to improve.
In discussing the current state of VA health care, Shinseki cites numerous examples of ways he says the VA has improved care over the past five years, including improving and expanding care access, working to end veteran homelessness and improving access to mental health services. He says the VA is actively working to improve patient wait times. 
The White House has stood behind Shinseki amid calls for him to resign. President Obama announced Wednesday he is assigning his close adviser Rob Nabors to the VA to work on a review focused on policies for patient safety rules and the scheduling of patient appointments.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Eleanor Clift stands by claim US ambassador not ‘murdered’ in Benghazi

A longtime political pundit under fire for claiming the American ambassador to Libya was not "murdered" in Benghazi is standing by her claim he died of smoke inhalation.
"I'd like to point out that Ambassador (Chris) Stevens was not 'murdered;' he died of smoke inhalation in that safe room in that CIA installation," Eleanor Clift, a columnist at The Daily Beast, said Sunday on "The McLaughlin Group."
While Clift may be technically correct in light of reports that Stevens died from smoke inhalation, she was criticized because the ambassador died as a result of a fire ignited during a terrorist raid on the Benghazi consulate on Sep. 11, 2012.
She stood by her comment Tuesday during a radio interview.
"I was taking issue with the sort of glib use of the word 'murdered,'" Clift told radio host Steve Malzberg. "My point is that it was a very chaotic event. The CIA was involved, which is why there was a lot of confusion initially, and that all the questions that this special committee is raising have been asked and answered in previous investigations."
Malzberg asked if she would feel the same way if it was her relative. She replied, "I would say he died of smoke inhalation."
Author and columnist Pat Buchanan, who was on the Sunday show's panel, reportedly said he was "stunned cold" by her remarks.
The attack on the consulate in the Mediterranean port city has been a political rallying cry since just weeks before President Obama’s re-election. With the launch of a new House investigation, Benghazi is shaping up as a byword of this fall's midterm election and the presidential race in 2016, especially if former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is on the ballot.
"I was just trying to add a little bit of complexity, and I'm going to stick with what I said," Clift said. "I realize this causes a lot of emotion."

VA watchdog to tell Senate committee unexpected deaths 'could be avoided'

The chief watchdog for the VA will testify Thursday that it must immediately focus on delivering quality health care to avoid unexpected deaths, as VA Secretary Eric Shinseki prepared to testify he would take “timely action” if warranted. 
In prepared remarks obtained by Fox News from a congressional source, VA’s acting Inspector General Richard J. Griffin will say, “The unexpected deaths that the OIG continues to report on at VA facilities could be avoided if VA would focus first on its core mission to deliver quality health care.”
For his part, Shinseki will tell the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs he will take “timely action” if allegations of patient deaths due to long wait times at a Phoenix VA medical center are proven true.
The hearing before the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs Thursday is being held discuss the state of health care coverage at the VA.
According to the prepared remarks, Shinseki will note he has already placed three employees at the Phoenix VA center on leave over the allegations that as many as 40 veterans may have died because of delayed treatment at that hospital. He will state he ordered an inspector general investigation into the matter and a nationwide review into scheduling policy.
Shinseki will say that the allegations are unacceptable, and if proven true by the investigation the agency will take “responsible and timely action” to remedy the situation.
“I am personally angered and saddened by any adverse consequence that a veteran might experience while in, or as a result of, our care,” the remarks say.
Griffin will follow Shinseki’s testimony with an assertion that there are flaws in the organizational structure of the VA that need to be fixed. In his prepared remarks, Griffin cites seven recent reports that demonstrate problems hindering the VA’s ability to provide quality health care coverage.
Examples cited include a September 2013 report on a VA hospital in Columbia, South Carolina, which found thousands of patients had their consults for colon cancer screenings delayed. He says it found over 50 patients had delayed diagnosis of colon cancer, and some later died. Another report from October 2013 discusses a facility in Memphis Tennessee, where three patients died due to improper emergency room care.
Griffin will say a review of these and other examples concluded that the VA needs to improve its system for implementing standards nationwide, saying the VA has become a network of hospitals that differ greatly from each other while attempting to accomplish the same goal.
“It is difficult to implement national directives when there are no standard position descriptions or areas of responsibility across the system,” Griffin will say.
Griffin will say that it is time for the VA to conduct a review of its systems to determine if there are changes that can be made to improve.
In discussing the current state of VA health care, Shinseki will cite numerous examples of ways he says the VA has improved care over the past five years, including improving and expanding care access, working to end veteran homelessness and improving access to mental health services.
He will say the VA is actively working to improve patient wait times through a number of ongoing and future actions.
“There is always more work to do, and VA is focused on continuous improvement to the care we provide to our nation’s veterans,” the remarks say.
The hearing is the first time Shinseki will appear before Congress after a series of scandals rocked the agency. In addition to Phoenix, VA employees in Wyoming and North Carolina have been suspended over allegations of misconduct.
The White House has stood behind Shinseki amid calls for him to resign. President Obama announced Wednesday he is assigning his close adviser Rob Nabors to the VA to work on a review focused on policies for patient safety rules and the scheduling of patient appointments.