Amid scandal, embattled VA chief visits Capitol

Embattled Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on Tuesday visited the leaders of the House Appropriations Committee.

The meeting with House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers (R-Ky.) and ranking member Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.) was on the compatibility of Pentagon and Veterans Affairs medical records, and not the controversy over waiting lists at VA hospitals and clinics, according to Jennifer Hing, communications director for the panel.

{mosads}The visit comes as Shinseki faces a growing number of calls to resign. The VA inspector general is investigating allegations that hospitals kept secret wait lists to cover up how long veterans were waiting to receive treatment.

It was not clear if Shinseki or Hagel met with members of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee. The head of that panel, Rep. Jeff Miller (R-Fla.), has been a harsh critic of Shinseki.

The secretaries did not visit with members of the House Armed Services Committee.

“They didn’t come to visit” Chairman Buck McKeon (R-Calif.), panel spokesman Claude Chafin told The Hill in an email.