National Audit Unveils 'Integrity Issue' at VA Hospitals

A nationwide audit revealed that more than 57,000 veterans have been waiting at least 90 days for their first appointment at a VA hospital, and others who requested appointments were never given one.

Furthermore, 13 percent of appointment schedulers at more than 700 hospitals say their supervisors instructed them to falsify records to make patient wait times appear shorter.

The audit is the first nationwide review of VA hospitals since the scandal surfaced.

In a congressional hearing Tuesday night, acting VA Secretary Sloan Gibson said the audit revealed an "integrity issue" among VA lenders and apologized to veterans and their families.

"This report makes it clear that the only people benefiting from our current VA health care system are the bureaucrats who put their own bonuses over veterans' care," Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said in a statement.

"Now that we have further confirmation of the systemic nature of these problems, President Obama must direct the FBI to investigate the allegations of criminal misconduct," Cornyn said.