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VA deputy chief: More employees face punishment

U.S. Veterans Administration Deputy Secretary Sloan Gibson says more employees will be disciplined as the department sorts out a scandal over long waits for health care and falsified data.
WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 24: Acting Veteran Affairs Secretary Sloan Gibson testifies during a hearing before the House Veterans' Affairs Committee July 24, 2014 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. The committee held the hearing on on "Restoring Trust: The View of the Acting Secretary and the Veterans Community." (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

DENVER (AP) - U.S. Veterans Administration Deputy Secretary Sloan Gibson says more employees will be disciplined as the department sorts out a scandal over long waits for health care and falsified data.

Addressing a veterans group in Denver on Tuesday, Gibson praised Congress for approving $16.3 billion to help shorten the waits, including $10 billion for veterans to get care from private doctors.

But he cautioned that outside care can't replace a strong VA system.

The VA announced last week it planned two fire two supervisors and discipline four other employees accused of falsifying health-care data in Wyoming and Colorado.

Gibson said more was coming.

Gibson said a leadership failure was a major cause of the VA's crisis, along with an antiquated system for scheduling appointments and a shortage of space and medical personnel.

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