pauline dewinter has never spoken publicly about it until now. she and drew griffin tonight has the exclusive interview. >> reporter: pauline dewinter, a scheduling clerk at phoenix va is coming forward. because she believes she knows something that is frankly unthinkable. that is sig somethiaying someth considering the shameful facts of what we know happened at this va. she says some one now is trying to hide the number of u.s. veterans who died here waiting for care. in seven cases so far, where sunny has determined a veteran on a waiting list was in fact deceased, she says, some one above her has changed the record back, the veteran sudden leap listed as alive. ? >> somebody is going on that electronic wait list and where people are -- identified as being dead, somebody is changing that and saying "no they're not dead." >> correct. >> reporter: to hide the fact that people died on that list? >> that's my belief. >> what would be the other, any other purpose? >> there wouldn't be any other purpose. >> why? dewinter says the numbers of dead in t

pauline dewinters says that she was forced to keep those names secret, but she decided to go public after a particularly disturbing case. >> i felt horrible for what i've done, and i cannot erase my role. >> reporter: pauline dewinters says a manager forced her to keep a secreting waiting list with more than 1,000 veterans. >> she came out and she did say, if you do not do it my way, i personally will buy you a bus pass to the seventh street bus. >> reporter: dewinter alleges it's still happening that her notes about seven patients who died waiting to see doctors were recently altered or erased. sally eliano believes her father-in-law's case forced dewinter to come forward. thomas breen died after waiting two months for an appointment. >> i cursed at her, screaming, crying that he was dead already. >> reporter: in a statement, the v.a. says the allegations are, quote, completely unacceptable and must be investigated. the office of special counsel is reviewing 50 cases where patients claim waiting made them sicker. >> we think it probably is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the numb

pauline dewinter, a scheduling clerk at the phoenix va, is coming forward, because she believes she knows something that is frankly unthinkable. that is saying something, considering the shameful facts of what we already know happened at this va. she says someone now is trying to hide the number of u.s. veterans who died here waiting for care. in seven cases so far, where she has determined a veteran on a waiting list was, in fact, deceased, she says someone above her has changed the record back. the veteran suddenly listed as alive. somebody is going on that electronic wait list, and people are identified as being dead. somebody is changing that and saying, no, they're not dead. >> correct. >> to hide the fact people died on that list? >> that's my belief. >> what would be any other purpose? >> there wouldn't be any other purpose. >> reporter: why? dewinter says the numbers of dead in this va wait list scandal may be even bigger than first reported, and someone, she says, is trying to cover up the record. and that has been happening fairly recently. >> yes. >> reporter: that is a cover-u

scandal in phoenix, pauline dewinter was one of the first to go to federal investigators. now she's going public talking to the arizona republic. >> i feel horrible for what i've done. i cannot erase my role in this evil scheme. >> reporter: she claims she was ordered by v.a. managers to keep a secret list of veterans who often waited for months for medical care, way beyond the v.a.'s own 14-day rule. >> i put them in my desk drawer. i didn't know what else to do with them. >> reporter: if a patient died, she noted it on their appointment request, but in a disturbing revelation, at least seven times someone at the v.a. removed or altered her note that a vet had died while waiting for care. and she says it's happened within the last few weeks. >> and another employee had gone in and erased my death disposition to entered in error. >> reporter: she decided to act after one particular case involving a vet. sally eliano believes that vet was her father-in-law, thomas breen, who in september complained of blood in his urine. he died on november 30th, having never seen a doctor.

her name is pauline dewinter. the v.a.ployee says a manager forced her to keep a secret waiting list of more than 1,000 veterans. she says it's still happening and her notes about seven patients who died while waiting to see doctors were recently altered or erased. >> i feel horrible for what i've done. i cannot erase my role. >> the v.a. says the allegations are, quote, completely unacceptable and must be investigated. the office of special counsel are reviewing 50 cases. >>> the iraqi program says he'll use his best troops to defend baghdad from sunni militants. the iraqi government is coming up with ways to fight off the insurgents. isis is using whole con invoices of u.s.-made humvees. american military advisers are in baghdad assessing the iraqi forces to see if air strikes will be needed. >>> a new nbc/"wall street journal"/annenberg poll says they don't feel the iraq war was worth fighting. the u.s. invaded iraq in 2003 and withdrew troops in 2011. >> dozens of my grants have been deported to honduras. a wave of fam

the actual keeper of that secret list, pauline dewinter is coming forward now because she believes a continuing there. dewinter, a scheduling clerk at the phoenix va, is coming forward, because she believes she knows something that is, frankly, unthinkable. she says someone now is trying to hide the number of u.s. veterans who died here waiting for care. in seven cases so far where she has determined a veteran on a witting list was, in fact, deceased, she says someone above her has changed the record back. the veteran suddenly listed as alive. somebody is going on that electronic wait list and where people are identified as being dead, somebody is changing that and saying, no, they're not dead. >> correct. >> to hide the fact people died on that list? >> that's my belief. >> what would be the -- any other purpose? >> there wouldn't be any other purpose. >> why? dewinters says the numbers of dead in this va wait list scandal may be even bigger than first reported. and someone, she says, is trying to cover up the record. >> and that has been happening fairly recently? >> yes. >> that i