As the VA deals with accusations of having secret waiting lists at a Phoenix VA hospital, another VA facility is facing similar allegations. CBS’ Wyatt Andrews spoke with a whistleblower that says wait times are routinely falsified, in order to receive bonuses.
CBS reports:
Germaine Clarno is a VA social worker and employee representative in Chicago. She alleges there are multiple secret waiting lists of veterans kept at the Hines VA Medical Center.
Clarno says veterans were put on secret waiting lists when they called for appointments, but they wouldn't formally get an appointment booked in the computer until one came up within the VA's goal of 14 days. The purpose of the lists, she says, was to hide how often veterans were not being seen on time.
Clarno says the purpose of the lists was "to make numbers look better for their own recognition and for bonuses."
Clarno says it is easier for bosses to claim short wait times -- and collect the reward -- than it is to explain why the target can't be met. She says she believes that throughout the VA, people are faking the wait time data in order to receive bonuses.