Career banker assumes helm of embattled VA

WASHINGTON – After less than four months at the Veterans Affairs Department, Sloan Gibson suddenly finds himself in charge of fixing the problems that led to the resignation of VA Secretary Eric Shinseki.

“Sloan, I think, would be the first to acknowledge that he’s going to have a learning curve that he’s got to deal with,” President Barack Obama told reporters Friday after announcing Gibson would replace Shinseki temporarily.

A career banker, Gibson was confirmed by the Senate as deputy VA secretary on Feb. 11, just weeks before allegations of long waits for doctor’s appointments at VA hospitals nationwide led to mounting bipartisan calls for Shinseki to resign.

Gibson, 61, came to the department after serving as president and chief executive officer of the USO, the nonprofit organization that provides programs, services and entertainment to U.S. troops and their families.

“I’m grateful that he is willing to take on this task,” Obama said. “He, too, has devoted his life to serving our country and our veterans.”

Obama said he had made it clear to Gibson “that reforms should not wait. They need to proceed immediately.”

Gibson is a 1975 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, where he earned airborne and ranger qualifications and served as an Army infantry officer.

He will run the department until a permanent VA secretary is confirmed.