MINNEAPOLIS — Ex-employees of a Veterans Affairs clinic in Hibbing said they were ordered to backdate records of medical appointments to make it appear the clinic was seeing veterans promptly when waits were as long as six to eight weeks, according to a report published Sunday.

Six former employees said they were told to falsify the records by Sterling Medical Associates, which runs the community clinic. They said backdating orders stopped only in late April after investigators found that the VA medical system was keeping secret waiting lists across the country. VA Secretary Eric Shinseki was forced to resign over the revelations.

A former clerk at the Hibbing clinic, Bobbi Jo VonAlman, said she was ordered to change the schedule despite her protests.

“You went back and remade the appointment to make it look like it was within 14 days,” she said. “They said there was nothing wrong with it. They just wanted to make their numbers look good.”

A VA inspector general investigation in June was unable to substantiate any allegations of past scheduling irregularities at the Hibbing clinic.

Both Sterling and VA officials said there’s no evidence of current tampering, and Sterling denies ever ordering any schedule falsifications.

Senior leaders from the Minneapolis VA Medical Center have made monthly visits to the clinic.

“We have not identified issues with scheduling practices at the Hibbing Clinic during these visits,” the VA said in a statement.

But VonAlman said she repeatedly raised concerns to VA officials in Minneapolis, yet never heard back. She quit the clinic in April, calling the work environment “absolutely hostile. Horrible.”

U.S. Rep. Rick Nolan, who represents the area, held a veterans forum in Hibbing that was dominated by complaints about service at the clinic. Nolan said at the time that he thought Sterling’s performance was improving. Asked about the most recent allegations, Nolan, through his staff, said he was aware of the new concerns and would continue to monitor the situation.

The VA’s inspector general continues to investigate whistleblower claims by two former Minneapolis VA employees who say they were instructed to falsify records to hide long appointment delays by making it look like veterans were canceling or delaying appointments. A separate audit found that staff at the VA outpatient clinic in Rochester felt pressured to manipulate appointment data to hide delays in care.