Audit Finds 13 Percent Of VA Schedulers Told To Falsify Data

A nationwide audit of hundreds of medical facilities run by the Veterans Affairs Department finds that more than 57,000 veterans have been waiting 90 days or longer for an initial medical appointment.

Perhaps more stunning, the internal audit found that 13 percent of schedulers said they received instructions from supervisors to falsify data so the centers could meet performance goals.

Specifically, the anonymous survey asked schedulers: "Do you feel you receive instruction from the facility to enter a desired date other than the date a Veteran asks to be seen?"

Thirteen percent said yes, and the report notes that while the reasons for answering yes varied, schedulers at 90 clinics said they were doing so "in order to improve performance measures."

The Associated Press reports: