Secret Lists, Deaths: Claims Roil Veterans Affairs
PHOENIX (AP) -- A team of federal investigators swept into Phoenix last month amid allegations of a disturbing cover-up at the veterans hospital.
Their goal: to unravel the truth behind a secret waiting list supposedly maintained to hide lengthy delays for sick veterans, making it appear as if they were seeing doctors sooner when some may have waited months and died in the meantime.
The claims, which so far have not been proved, have thrown the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs into turmoil. Politicians have called for resignations, congressional inquiries are underway, and VA Secretary Eric Shinseki is appearing before a Senate committee in Washington this week.
And it's only the beginning. Shinseki has ordered an audit of every VA facility nationwide and similar claims of waiting-list manipulations have cropped up in other states. As the election-year talk surrounding the debate rages, here is a look at some key facts about the issue:
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HOW DID THE ALLEGATIONS COME TO LIGHT?
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