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Look better because basically everybody has full care, the whole list for the day looks like everybody showed up. this is the kind of thing that the va says they're not going to put up with because it isn't really centered on caring for the veterans. it is centered on making them look good, but how deep, how widespread the problem is is still something we're looking into. the va says they think it's out there, mr. shownhart does, his memo suggests that there is a very widespread problem here. kyra? >> barbara, did you get a sense when you had a chance to talk to representatives from the va thi...

We have seen is the alarming spike in suicides as well. barbara starr, really appreciate your reporting this morning. thank you so much. and we really want to get more perspective than from someone who has served and is directly involved in the advocacy here for our vets. paul sullivan joining us via skype from austin, with veterans from common sense. paul, i think right off the bat, i want to get your -- the headlines this morning with regard to this memo is veterans affairs cooking the books. do you believe the va is cooking the books? and is this a nationwide problem? >> absolutely. the dep...

Shownhart, the top official in charge of this. he's the man who has written this eight-page memo to va medical facilities saying cut it out, no more of these inappropriate scheduling practices. let me tell you that what he tells us is he wrote the memo not because he says he had any personal knowledge of these practices, but he wanted to write it proactively. he said, "this is a proactive step to set the tone that there will be zero tolerance." but when you read the memo, he says it has come to his attention that, in fact, there are these inappropriate scheduling practices, these gaming strate...

Everything possible, but we continually see these spikes in suicide. ptsd cases not being dealt with and the latest disaster out of a va hospital about dirty dental equipment. >> -- the leadership of president obama needs to clamp down. they need to change va's culture so va puts veterans first. and to do that by making sure they have enough funding and the right training so that va can see the veterans when they need to be seen. and then when the training doesn't work and the funding doesn't work, and we find va employees cooking the books, and delaying care and denying care, those employees ...

That developing story that we have covering all week long. veterans. hundreds of them. put in the line of danger. no, not by enemy fire but by dirty accidenttal equipment. 1800 veterans may have been exposed to hiv or hepatitis. this isn't the first time this has happened. i spoke to several lawmakers as well as a navy vet who got a certified letter telling her to come in for testing. i asked -- how could this happen? >> there was a moment of alarm, i have to be honest with you. but then dash thinking about it, i'm not -- i can't really freak out right now until i get the test results back. >>...