Hot on Facebook

Guy Buys $123 Safe on eBay, Finds $26,000 Inside Seller tries to get half the cash back, fails »

Head of Veterans Affairs Quits

Secretary's short tenure long on scandals and other woes

By Dustin Lushing, Newser Staff

Posted Jul 17, 2007 3:47 PM CDT

(Newser) – The secretary of Veterans Affairs, the head of the second-biggest federal department, is stepping down and will be replaced by October 1, reports the Washington Post. For 2½ turbulent years, Jim Nicholson, a decorated Vietnam vet and former RNC chair, presided over a department beset by criticism and overwhelmed by the flood of service members returning from Afghanistan and Iraq.

Under Nicholson, the VA's problems have ranged from lost paperwork to the Walter Reed hospital scandal, the New York Times reports. He had been in the job just 5 months when he was forced to ask Congress for an emergency appropriation of $2 billion because budget estimates that predated his tenure underestimated demand for the department's services.

[Images (3)]

[Videos (2)]

Veteran Affairs Secretary Jim Nicholson gestures while testifying on Capitol Hill in Washington in this June 8, 2006 file photo before the House Committee on Government Reform. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez... (Associated Press)

President Bush, right, looks on as Jim Nicholson, his new choice to become Veterans Affairs Secretary, speaks in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington in this Dec. 9, 2004 file photo. Nicholson,... (Associated Press)

Secretary of Veterans Affairs Jim Nicholson speaks during a luncheon at the National Press Club, Tuesday, April 24, 2007, in Washington. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari) (Associated Press)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

Jim Nicholson Dental Video (lscott7224 (YouTube))

Jim Nicholson "HUH?" Video (lscott7224 (YouTube))

View larger videos >>

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next »

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

More Newser Stories

Injured Veterans Sue US

Class action suit targets VA for 'shameful failures' in treatment

(NEWSER) - Two veterans groups representing troops who have fought in Iraq and Afghanistan are suing the US government for "shameful failures" in medical treatment, Reuters reports. The Department of Veterans Affairs is swamped with a backlog of 600,000 health claims and is "abandoning" soldiers returning home, the class-action suit contends. More»

25% of US Homeless Are Vets

Many rocked by 'mental health toll' of service in Iraq, Afghanistan

(NEWSER) - Though they constitute only 11% of the population, veterans make up 25% of homeless people in the US, according to a new study by The Alliance to End Homelessness. The problem is not limited to older vets—former soldiers from the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts are increasingly showing up at shelters. More»

US Troops Mark Memorial Day in Iraq, Afghanistan

Soldiers honor fallen comrades

(NEWSER) - US soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan remembered their fallen comrades in Memorial Day services nearly a decade after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks that sparked the Afghanistan war. In that country, dawn flag-raising ceremonies honored the more than 1,400 who have been killed, the AP reports. "We reflect on those who have gone before us. We reflect on their service and their sacrifice on behalf of our great nation," said a Marine commander. "We should also remember those serving today who embody that same commitment of service and sacrifice." More»

Breathing Trouble Dogs Middle East Vets

New study increases concern over respiratory issues

(NEWSER) - Why do so many young, previously healthy soldiers come back from the Middle East with respiratory problems, some so bad they can no longer pass a physical required for active duty? The question was made more urgent with the results of a new study showing that Iraq and Afghanistan veterans do indeed have a higher rate of respiratory illness than soldiers deployed in other areas. The study, thought to be the largest of its kind, shows that 14.5% of Iraq or Afghanistan veterans had respiratory illness, compared to just 1.8% of veterans deployed elsewhere, the Wall Street Journal reports. More»

US Troop Count in Afghanistan Overtakes Iraq

100K US troops to be in Afghanistan by this summer

(NEWSER) - The number of US troops in Afghanistan has hit 94,000, for the first time surpassing the 92,000 currently deployed in Iraq. The milestone comes as the US prepares to reduce its number of personnel in Iraq to 50,000 by the end of August, the BBC reports. But the US plans to have nearly 100,000 troops in Afghanistan by the end of the year—more than triple the number there early last year. More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

Head of Veterans Affairs Quits