ARUN RATH, HOST:
Coming up next week, President Obama looks set to sign legislation to overhaul the Department of Veterans Affairs. VA Secretary Eric Shinseki was forced to resign in May after it was revealed that the agency had manipulated data on it's wait times, hiding delays in patient care. The bill came in response to the deaths of several veterans amid a backlog in service at a VA facility in Phoenix. The nearly $17 billion compromise measure will expand health care options for veterans who face long wait times and commutes and hire more nurses and doctors. Both the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars credited the chairmen of Congressional Veterans Affairs committees for putting aside their political differences and approving the overhaul legislation. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.