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Senate committee approves Peake to lead VA

The Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee unanimously approved the nomination of retired Lt. Gen. James Peake to be the next secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs on Thursday, and the full Senate could approve the appointment by the end of the day.

Sen. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii, the committee chairman, said the only serious questions about Peake, a former Army surgeon general who spent 39 years on active duty, involved his post-service employment by a company that held contracts to provide medical examinations and other services to VA.

“His answers were very good,” Akaka said. “I am completely satisfied.”

Peake promised to break all ties to QTC Management, where he had worked as chief medical officer and chief executive officer, and to also recuse himself from any VA issues that might involve the company.

At his Dec. 5 confirmation hearing, Peake said he had been with the company for less than a year. He also pledged to do whatever Congress felt was necessary to avoid a conflict of interest or the perception of one.

Peake said he would have “no ongoing financial interests” with the company, including no deferred compensation or any bonuses. And he also pledged he would not return to the company after serving as VA secretary if confirmed.

“I want no perception of any favoritism,” he said.

Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., a veterans’ committee member who had been on the fence about Peake’s nomination, said there have been many complaints involving QTC.

“We have providers with poor English skills, evaluations that don’t focus on the problems that have been identified, absence of VA medical records, QTC billing for more time than the provider spends with the veterans,” she said.

“I believe General Peake’s heart is in the right place, but this job will take more than just promises,” Murray said. “He needs to work every day to overcome the bureaucratic ineptitude, backlog of claims, wait times, and other challenges that our veterans face every day.”

In the end, Murray voted to approve Peake’s nomination but said she would be watching closely as he leads VA.

DISCUSS: What should top Peake's to-do list?