VA Mistakenly Tells Hundreds of Vets They Have ALS

'Coding error' to blame for ALS mistake
By Nick McMaster,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 24, 2009 4:05 PM CDT
VA Mistakenly Tells Hundreds of Vets They Have ALS
circa 1935: American baseball player Lou Gehrig (1903 - 1941), swinging his baseball bat at a game.   (Getty Images)

Because of an error, the Department of Veterans Affairs incorrectly notified 1,200 veterans they had ALS, the fatal neurological condition also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, the AP reports. The letters alerted the veterans to disability benefits available to those who suffer from the disease. Thought the VA has not yet commented on the slip-up, the VP of the National Gulf War Resource Center said a “coding error” was to blame.
(More Department of Veterans Affairs stories.)

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