were able to see it. this was not something that we were hearing. when i was traveling around the country, the particular issue of scheduling, and what we're going to do with the rue is make sure that we get information about systems that aren't working. i was just talking to rob neighbors, and he described to me, for example, in very specific detail, how in some of thighs facilities, you have computer systems for scheduling that date back to the 90s. situations in which one scheduler where there's a slot and a doctor available. in many cases, systems, broken

down systems, and this is stuff that's imminently fixable. but we have to know about it. to fix it. one last point i want to make on this, when veterans have gotten access to the system, the healthcare itself that they are receiving has gotten high marks from veterans service organizations and the veterans themselves. so it's important to keep in mind that what the review indicates, so far at least, is that there have been great strides made in the actual care provided to veterans, and the

challenge is getting veterans in the door, particularly for the first appointment in some cabses, where they don't have an established relationship with the doctor, and they're not in the system. part of that is technology, and part of that is management. but as rick shinseki himself indicated, there's a need for culture in the vha. and perhaps the va as a whole, to make sure that bad news gets surfaced quickly so things can be fixed. and i know that was the attitude of secretary shinseki and what he communicated to folks under him that they didn't execute. and that's the problem. christie parsons, last question. >> reporter: you said it was a judgment that made the decision to you here. and if i remember correctly, secretary sebelius offered you

her resignation for healthcare.gov, and you didn't take it. so i wonder if it's very widespread. so is lopping off the head of it really the best step to take going forward? what i'm asking, is there a political reason for removing him, other than going straight to the problem? >> well, at this stage, i want someone at the va who is not spending time outside of solving problems for the veterans. i want somebody figuring out every minute of every day, have we called every single veteran has waiting, and have they gotten a schedule? are we fixing the system?

what kind of new technology do we need? have we made a realistic assessment of the wait times right now, and how are we going to bring them down? if we need more money, how much more money do we need to ask from congress? and how am i going to make sure congress delivers on that additional funding? >> that's what i want somebody at the va focused on. not how are they getting second guessed, and speculation about their futures and so forth and so on. and that's what rick agreed to as well. [ audio difficulties ]

with icepackion in the hospital with a really bad headache. >> it was more than a month before she felt normal again. >> whether we don't know is for some individuals there is a more lasting effect of these injuries. >> the president announced more than $80 million in budget witness much to support that

critical research, including $30 million for the most comprehensive clinical city by the ncaa and defense department into concussion and head impact exposure. another $16 million project by the national institutes of health studying the chronic impacts of repetitive concussion and supporting youth sport safety projects. the nfl agreed to pay more than $760 million to settle concussion claims brought against it by former players. that settlement still awaits a judge's approval. is it enough to change the pattern and behavior of athletes, parents, and coaches? what's needed, the president says, is a shift in attitude towards concussions. >> we have to change a culture that says you suck it up. identifying a concussion, and >> a realistic time for how they're going to get an appointment. those are things that don't

require rocket science. it requires execution and discipline and focus. there have been broader issues that we're going to have to tackle. and the information systems inside of the vha. those are going to have to be changed. and that will cost money and time. and it will have to be implemented. they are providing service and medical treatment to our veterans when they get in the system. but they don't have, apparently, the state-of-the-art operations that you would want to see, for example, in a major medical center or hospital. now, keep in mind, those of us who are outside of the va system, and try to get an appointment with the doctor in the private sector, and try to get an appointment for a

scheduled hospital visit, there are probably wait times as well. so what we have to do is figure out what are realistic benchmarks for the system. and my suspicion is that with, not only with the veterans from iraq and afghanistan coming back, but also, the aging of our vietnam vets, may have more doctors visits, and it may be reflected in the budget, which i have consistently increased, even during fiscally tight times. there has been no more area that i put priority in making tur sure that we're delivering the kind of budget to make sure that the veterans are being served, and it may be enough. but before we start spending

more money, let's take care of basic management issues where it can be fixed. all right? thank you. >> you've been listening to the president of the united states, the president coming into the briefing room this morning, telling reporters that eric shinseki offered his resignation this morning, the secretary of veterans affairs, and shinseki being the 7th secretary. he was a four star general serving in vietnam, and the president saying that those who cooked the books will be fired. and those who received bonuses after cooking the books will be forced to give them back. shinseki said that he believed he would be a distraction, and the president agreed. sloan gibson now the acting secretary. the president throw shinseki indithe bus, but he wanted to

keep from distraction. >> that's open to interpretation, and there are people who will see it that way. the writing was on the wall for eric shinseki over the last 24 hours. it was clear that the president did not want to have to accept that resignation, whether eric shinseki jumped or was pushed off of the cliff. the post that he has held for the last 5 and a half years, the duration, and in the last two days, the interim secretary general, the veteran's administration, and the va dealing with the issue at hand, getting the veterans the care that they need in a timely manner, and that would cause a fire storm. 1700 people in the phoenix va alone have been left off of the list, and as the president said, the issue is widespread. on thursday, as of yesterday,

the spokesman, jay carney, said that the president had full confidence in shinseki. if that's not the proverbial kiss of death in terms of the washington vernacular, nothing is. and this morning, you heard the president time and time again, say distraction, and members of his own party jumping ship, calling for eric shinseki to go. in illinois, here's an individual who lost both of her legs in iraq, and has a lot of experience with the va. and she was under a deputy under eric shinseki. she had been defeated in wong, and she called for shinseki to go. so the fire storm had been mounting, culminating this morning in the speech that eric

shinseki himself gave on the issue of veteran's homelessness, one that he has been lauded for tackling head on, and he received a standing ovation today. but he said there were people that he gave his trust? in va facilities around the country that were not giving information, and deceiving va headquarters, and he told that story, when he was in combat of a young corporal needing an airstrike, and he said that trust was not reciprocated. hearing about this, a lot of people are going to dispute that. all you have to do is go to the american legion website, here in washington, just across the street on k street. and see the litany of reports over the course of the last five years, outlining problems just like this one.

the american legion, so put it all together on friday, when you have this bad news, it comes under consideration as well. with the death watch, by all accounts you heard the president say that it's very difficult for him. a stellar career, a west point graduate, previously wounded in vietnam, chief of staff of the army. and donald rumsfeld said the u.s. army was going to need far more than rumsfeld and others said they needed in a post-invasion of iraq. he was cast gated by the

republican administration, and president obama applauded when he appointed shinseki to take over the va. for that and all of the other reasons that we enumerated. but after five and a half years, his tenure has come to a close, and the president talked about traumatic brain injury, and agent orange, and the veterans who had been afflicted with those things, reducing the backlog, and it was too much. too much of a fire storm, and too much of a distraction as the president said repeatedly. >> and before i let you go, the president of course be saying that eric shinseki had to go. but in washington, because of the service record and the vietnam record and the fact that the president spoke to authority, it appeared that he

was threading the needle and more than falling on the sword. >> his speech this morning before the veterans homeless, he did take responsibility, and if there was any doubt in anybody's mind, after the white house said that the unscheduled meeting was going to take place, the writing was on the wall. i think that you heard the question from reporter, christie parsons, look, kathleen sebelius offered her resignation and you didn't take it, and there's a double standard. and i think you're going to they're that over the next several days. but in any event, the head of the va, sloan gibson, and we're already seeing comments and tweets from a republican senators saying that we need someone from completely outside of the organization to straighten it out. and outside of the culture.

del, the problems have been going on for decades at the va. he was on the veterans affairs committee when he was a senator, and the va was part of the platform when he ran for president. so calling for someone from outside of the va, fearing that it's endemic to those who have grown up at the va, if you will, and somebody who needed to come in from the outside and clean house. >> mike viqueira at the white house, and one of the names that i hear tossed around, nebraska senator, bob carey, himself wounded. still ahead. we'll have a lot more on the resignation of eric shinseki. we'll be talking to the head of a leading veteran's group. you're watching aljazeera america.

>> welcome back to aljazeera america. i'm del walters in new york, and the top story at this hour,

veterans affairs secretary, eric shinseki has resigned. and the president said that shinseki focused on solving the problems at the va and not him, so he stepped down. >> this morning, i think some of you also heard rick take a truly remarkable action, and he took responsibility for the conduct of these facilities, and he apologized to his fellow veterans and to the american people. and a few minutes ago, he offered me his own resignation. with considerable regret, i accepted it. >> the president also announcing to the reporters who gathered that the the employees at the va center in phoenix who cooked the books will be fired. and also any bonuses handed out improperly will be given back. joining me by phone in maryland, stewart picky, he's an executive and a retired marine.

and your reaction? >> well, i'm not surprised. but i am however saddened that general shinseki is no longer the head of the va. he was making reforms in the system and trying to update it to the 21st century, digitizing claims and doing all of those things. but it was too much political pressure. and he did the honorable thing. >> and that seems to be the irony in this, which is that your organization supported him staying on, and also the american legion, your counterpart, which had been calling for him to resign, thought that he should say at least until things were fixed. >> yes. well, that's the thing, the person who is leaving is the wrong person. and we would -- i know i pled with the secretary to fire some people down below him that i

didn't think were serving him very well, or the american veterans very well. and he seemed to be reluctant to do it, for whatever reason. >> i want you to listen to the secretary, at least the former secretary this morning, speaking to a group of homeless veterans in washington and apologizing for everything that went wrong, take a listen. >> i can't explain the lack of integrity among some of the leaders of our healthcare facilities. this is something ira rarely encounter from those in uniform. so i will not defend it, because it is indifferencible. but i can take responsibility for it. >> as a retired marine, and a veteran yourself, you heard the secretary trying lady the needle

saying that things need to change right away, and this was an honorable marine. >> h he was a piñata for politicians. he's responsible for everything that happens on his watch, but he was working to reform the va for the better, and for some reason, he was reluctant to fire people below him. >> stewart hickey, executive director of vets, and a former u.s. marine. we're going to continue our conversation about the resignation of eric shinseki, the former secretary of veterans affairs. we're going to take a break, and we'll be right back.

>> we're following breaking news, and eric shinseki, the embattled secretary of veterans affairs offering his resignation this morning, and that resignation being escaped by the president. he was the secretary of veterans affair, a -- you see him apologizing to disabled veterans who he met with this morning, homeless vets. and the president said that those who received the bonuses who were a thorn of contention will be forced to give them back. and eric shinseki told the president that he thought his continued presence on the job would be a distraction, and sloan gibson, the acting va secretary, taking shinseki's place. mike viqueira at the white house, will this satisfy the critics or just stoke the fires? >> reporter: well, i think for the timing, the critics will be

mollified. and shinseki, it's not often that the white house will allow an outgoing cabinet secretary to make a parting speech. and that for sometime by secretary shinseki, the white house had to sign-off on that. they knew the choreography, and they knew that they were going to be calling shinseki here to the white house immediately after that speech and the course that the events would take. and they offered shinseki the opportunity. and i think it's a very significant sign of respect from the president to shinseki, and the president saying several times that he has great respect enter him and he considered him a friend and good man. he said i can't explain the lack of integrity among some of our leaders in the healthcare facility. it's a breach of trust. and i will not defend it because

it's indifferencable and we know what happened in the hours following those comments. >> mike viqueira at the white house. and we continue to follow the breaking news out of washington. that being the fact that just a short a while ago, the president came into the white house briefing room, telling reporters that he had accepted the resignation of eric shinseki. there were reports coming out of the phoenix va that the books had been cooked and patients were waiting too long for care and some of them not receiving that care as well. we'll be right back. until then, we'll see you.

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