Rob O'Dell and Dan Nowicki, The Arizona Republic 6:17 p.m. EDT May 16, 2014
The second in command at the Department of Veterans Affairs left Friday amid growing controversy over patient wait times and allegations of falsification of records.
However, the departure of Dr. Robert Petzel, the VA's undersecretary for health, almost immediately created a new controversy: VA Secretary Eric Shinseki said Petzel resigned, but congressional critics said he had announced his 2014 retirement in September.
Petzel left just a day after he had joined Shinseki in a contentious hearing before the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee.
"Today's announcement from the VA regarding Undersecretary for Health Robert Petzel's 'resignation' is the pinnacle of disingenuous political doublespeak," Chairman Jeff Miller of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs, said in a statement. "Petzel was already scheduled to retire in 2014 and President Obama has already announced his intention to nominate Petzel's replacement, so characterizing this as a 'resignation' just doesn't pass the smell test."
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