Editorials Discuss Nomination of Former Army General Shinseki as Next Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary

Several newspapers on Tuesday published editorials on the recent nomination of retired Army Gen. Eric Shinseki as the next secretary for the Department of Veterans Affairs. Summaries appear below.

• Baltimore Sun: "Throughout the course of the wars" in Iraq and Afghanistan, "inadequate care of returning soldiers and airmen has been the object of sharp criticism," a Sun editorial states. "As these disabled men and women leave the service, many rely on the VA for care, and their needs cannot be overlooked," and they "need an advocate who is unafraid to fight for them," the editorial states, adding, "They may have their man in" Shinseki. According to the editorial, Shinseki "will arrive at a time when the VA has been taxed to provide nursing home beds, injury rehabilitation services and mental health care, and he will have to persuade Congress to provide the money needed to reshape the department into a 21st century caregiver" (Baltimore Sun, 12/9).
  
  
• Boston Globe: The nomination of Shinseki "is a stinging rebuke" of the Bush "administration's weak effort to solve the medical, educational, emotional and employment problems that veterans are having in returning to civilian life," a Globe editorial states. According to the editorial, Shinseki "will face the challenge first of reducing the unconscionable six months to a year that it now takes many veterans to qualify for disability coverage, or to transition from military medical care to the veterans' system." In addition, "veterans health facilities often lack the psychiatrists and psychologists needed to treat and counsel veterans suffering from traumatic brain injuries or post-traumatic stress disorder," the editorial states (Boston Globe, 12/9).
  
  
• Denver Rocky Mountain News: Shinseki "is not inheriting a sinecure" at VA, a Rocky Mountain News editorial states. According to the editorial, the "huge bureaucracy" at VA has "strained to efficiently and effectively provide benefits and medical care to veterans and their families," but "Shinseki's hard-headed good sense is likely to serve him well as VA secretary" (Denver Rocky Mountain News, 12/9).
  
  
• New York Times: The position of VA secretary is "daunting" because the "number of wounded veterans [is] growing" and the "type of suffering they endure -- post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury, the two signature afflictions of Iraq and Afghanistan -- is often difficult to diagnose and treat," a Times editorial states. The editorial states, "Shifting soldiers from active duty to the VA system is supposed to be rapid and seamless, but it has been marred by incompetence, inattention, inadequate funding and bureaucratic sloth," adding, "Far too many returning soldiers have gotten lost, with tragic results" (New York Times, 12/9).
  
  
• USA Today: Shinseki has "rightly zeroed in on the need to shake up a VA bureaucracy where soldiers too often meet delays, a cold shoulder, a mountain of paperwork and failure in getting benefits," a USA Today editorial states. "Of particular concern are the approximately 20% of veterans from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars suffering from the signature illness of these conflicts, PTSD," the editorial states, adding, "Unlike in the Vietnam War, when PTSD was also prevalent, it is better understood and treatable." According to the editorial, barriers to treatment of PTSD include a "continuing stigma," and "those who do seek help often face obstacles" (USA Today, 12/9).