The official watchdog for the Department of Veterans Affairs claimed in a scathing report that the department has a “systemic” problem with clinics lying about treatment records, as a top Republican joined calls for Secretary Eric Shinseki to resign.

The VA Office of Inspector General released its interim report on Wednesday, as part of its ongoing probe into whether veterans died as a result of under-reported delays. While not reaching any conclusion on what led to those deaths, the office released troubling statistics regarding the embattled Phoenix VA facility suggesting workers under-stated wait-times in order to make their internal figures look good.

The office, in its preliminary findings, determined that veterans in Phoenix waited an average of 115 days for a primary care appointment — far longer than the VA’s official statistics showed. Such inappropriate scheduling tactics, according to the report, may be the basis for claims of “secret” waiting lists.

On the heels of the report, House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., called for Shinseki to “resign immediately,” joining other top lawmakers who have demanded the same. So far, President Obama has stood by his VA secretary.

The report released Wednesday focused on the Phoenix VA facility, while noting that reviews at a “growing number” of facilities have exposed inappropriate scheduling practices throughout the VA system. According to the office, the investigation has now expanded to 42 VA medical facilities nationwide.

The IG’s office released figures showing the Phoenix office “significantly understated” the amount of time patients waited for appointments.

“To date, our work has substantiated serious conditions at the Phoenix” center, the report said.

According to the IG’s office, about 1,400 veterans awaiting a primary care appointment were appropriately included on the electronic wait-list – but an additional 1,700 veterans waiting for an appointment were left off that list. The omission, the report warned, raises the risk that these veterans will be “forgotten or lost” in the “convoluted” Phoenix system.

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