Computer Coding Error to Blame for Lou Gehrig’s Disease Scare

VA blames coding error for fatal disease scare 09/01/09. The Veterans Affairs Department on Aug. 27 blamed computer coding error for letters it wrongly sent to about 620 veterans last week informing them they had the fatal Lou Gehrig’s disease. The VA mailed letters to 1,864 veterans on Aug. 13 informing them of a diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. About a third of the letters were sent erroneously, the VA said in a statement released Aug. 27. The VA now is faulting computer coding for the problem. Federal Computer Week