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| Obama to name Bob McDonald as new VA chief | Obama to name Bob McDonald as new VA chief |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| President Barack Obama is to nominate the former head of consumer products giant Procter and Gamble to lead the Department of Veterans' Affairs. | |
| Bob McDonald, an Army veteran, would replace Eric Shinseki, who resigned. | Bob McDonald, an Army veteran, would replace Eric Shinseki, who resigned. |
| The agency has been mired in scandal, with managers alleged to have falsified records to conceal long hospital waits. | The agency has been mired in scandal, with managers alleged to have falsified records to conceal long hospital waits. |
| It is also dealing with a huge influx of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans and struggling to provide care to an aging generation of Vietnam veterans. | It is also dealing with a huge influx of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans and struggling to provide care to an aging generation of Vietnam veterans. |
| Mr Obama is scheduled to make the announcement on Monday afternoon at the Veterans' Affairs (VA) headquarters in Washington. | |
| White House officials say Mr McDonald's corporate background at the head of one of the largest consumer products companies in the world has prepared him well to lead an agency that serves more than eight million veterans a year. | White House officials say Mr McDonald's corporate background at the head of one of the largest consumer products companies in the world has prepared him well to lead an agency that serves more than eight million veterans a year. |
| Mr McDonald - who has donated to Republican politicians, including Ohio Senator Rob Portman and House Speaker John Boehner - would need to be confirmed by the Senate. | Mr McDonald - who has donated to Republican politicians, including Ohio Senator Rob Portman and House Speaker John Boehner - would need to be confirmed by the Senate. |
| Mr Shinseki resigned in May after an internal investigation found veterans at an Arizona VA hospital had waited an average of 115 days for an initial appointment, even as hospital administrators reported to the agency an average wait time of only 24 days. | Mr Shinseki resigned in May after an internal investigation found veterans at an Arizona VA hospital had waited an average of 115 days for an initial appointment, even as hospital administrators reported to the agency an average wait time of only 24 days. |
| This month, another internal audit reported that more than 57,000 veterans had been waiting up to three months for medical appointments at VA hospitals. | This month, another internal audit reported that more than 57,000 veterans had been waiting up to three months for medical appointments at VA hospitals. |
| Congress is considering legislation that would enable former soldiers to seek medical care from private hospitals and from other government healthcare programmes while authorising funds to hire more doctors and nurses. | Congress is considering legislation that would enable former soldiers to seek medical care from private hospitals and from other government healthcare programmes while authorising funds to hire more doctors and nurses. |