U.S. VP highlights "significant changes" to veteran affairs

Xinhua

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The troubled Veterans Affairs Department of the United States is "beginning to see significant changes," U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said Tuesday at a Veterans Day event at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington.

Tuesday was the country's first Veterans Day holiday since it was revealed that veterans endured months-long waits for care at government hospitals, with staffers routinely manipulating records to cover up the waiting times.

The scandal rocked the Obama administration and led to the forced resignation of Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki.

"As a nation, we have a lot of obligations, to the young, to the old, to all the poor," Biden said Tuesday in his remarks. "But there's no obligation that is truly sacred other than the commitment to our veterans."

Months after Shinseki was let go, his successor Bob McDonald announced a dramatic reorganization of the department in response to the crisis.

The realignment of the Veterans Affairs Department is intended to improve services to patients, and McDonald has also taken disciplinary action against 5,600 employees.

Republican lawmakers and some groups representing veterans have demanded tougher actions, however, arguing that McDonald has not done enough to remove problem employees at the Veterans Affairs Department.

McDonald, who has noted that laws are in place to ensure due process to employees of Veteran Affairs Department, said he plans to hire an additional 28,000 medical professionals and fire those responsible for the mismanagement.

U.S. President Barack Obama is attending an international summit in China, leaving much of the ceremonial Veterans Day responsibilities to Biden. Enditem