Things are an even bigger mess at the Department of Veterans Affairs than we thought.
An internal investigation released Monday into the secret waiting lists and other chicanery that kept veterans from receiving timely care is like a Chinese firecracker that keeps exploding with every turn of its 54 pages:
— More than 100,000 vets have experienced waits longer than 90 days for medical care. That includes 57,000 who are waiting 90 days or more for their initial appointment, and 64,000 who requested appointments over the past decade and never got them.
— More than three of every four VA health-care sites—76%— entered different appointment dates than those sought by veterans, usually under orders from a superior.
—13% of VA personnel scheduling appointments had been instructed to log appointment dates that differed (i.e., were later) from the one sought by the vet. That made wait times appear shorter.
