It Starts at the Bottom

Eric K. Shinseki has stepped down from his position as secretary of veterans affairs “taking responsibility for a scandal in the VA health-care system over excessive waiting times and coverups of what he called systemic problems.” But will a change at the top make much of a difference when it comes to the care delivered to military veterans? It’s unlikely. From WaPo: How the VA developed its culture of coverups: “When you actually get in the room with a doctor, it’s okay. But it’s what it takes to get to that point that I think is the problem. You’re sick today. Three weeks from now, you’re either cured or you’re dead.”

+ Payouts for wrongful deaths, a doctor forced out after shedding light on the wild over-prescribing of opiates, a chief of psychiatry removed after complaining that staff members “were counseling veterans for as few as three hours a day.” The Center for Investigative Reporting has been doing a great job uncovering the challenges soldiers face when they come home. Here’s a look at what they found: Returning Home to Battle

+ In other DC news, Jay Carney has stepped down as White House press secretary.