The Veterans Affairs scandal about allegedly falsified records and delayed medical care has expanded to include San Antonio.
Scheduling clerk Brian Turner told CNN that San Antonio VA clerks were “cooking the books” at their superiors’ request in order to conceal lengthy wait times for treatment.
{mosads}VA policy is for all veterans to see a medical professional within 14 days of their preferred date, and for any failure to meet this policy to be recorded.
According to Turner, many veterans would end up waiting months for treatment, but officials were instructed to “zero out” the date to make it appear as if there were no wait at all.
The Department of Veterans Affairs told CNN that it had looked into Turner’s allegations in late April, and found them to be “not substantiated.” The Office of the Inspector General, however, has dispatched investigators to the city to follow up on the claims.
Reports of VA wrongdoing first emerged in late April when a retired doctor at the Phoenix VA claimed officials there kept a secret waiting list in order to hide delays in treatment. Up to 40 veterans are alleged to have died as a result of the delays. The Arizona Republic oiginally broke this story.
Earlier this week, additional claims emerged from the VA of Fort Collins, Colo.
The scandal has sparked calls from the American Legion and several Republicans for VA Secretary Eric Shinseki to step down.
Shinseki has vowed to stay in his post and to conduct a full investigation. He was subpoenaed Thursday by the House Veterans Affairs Committee for documents and emails related to the possible destruction of the Phoenix VA’s secret wait list.
This was updated on June 23 to correct the error that CNN had originally broke the VA scandal story. The Arizona Republic first broke the story.