Just like spring flowers, problems with the veterans’ care across the nation are popping up. Now that the spotlight is on the problem (at least for a little while), look for more problems to be exposed.

Last night CBS News reported that the Obama transition team had been warned about the problem:

According to a 2008 memo obtained by CBS News, VA officials briefed the Obama-Biden transition team that its facilities might be concealing the true amount of time veterans had to wait for care.

In typical fashion from people who know little about veterans issues, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney responded that the Veterans Affairs budget had seen “significant increases” under the Obama Administration. Nobody pointed out to Carney that every year since 1985-86 the funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs has increased.

I also read, “The Department of Veterans Affairs paid a combined $36.4 million to settle at least 167 cases related to delays in medical treatment, a new report alleges.”

About the only thing that has happened since these issues were exposed was that V.A. Secretary Eric Shinseki appeared before Congress, and Robert Petzel, the department’s undersecretary for health care, resigned. Petzel was going to retire this year anyway.

Shinseki told the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs last week that he was “mad as hell” over the problem, and the White House chief of staff said that President Barack Obama is “madder than hell” about the VA problems.

At least it looks like they are sharing talking points.

What Congress and the White House need to do is make significant changes to the way VA care is delivered. We can’t build or lease space for a VA clinic in every town because it’s “remote.” What we can do is give veterans access to civilian healthcare in their hometown – and it would be free for service-connected veterans.

Last year I said that Shinseki should resign because of the backlog of claims. There are more and more reasons to clean house today, and Shinseki should take many of the top officials in the VA with him.

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