The reporting blunder was caused by the whole "We're cutting your budget, but service levels MUST be kept current" thing that goes on at ANY level of gov't and has been going on at the VA all through the Bush (2) years and continued by (mostly) the Repubs during the Obama years blocking spending bills that increased VA spending was attached to. Please note that I'm NOT saying that's the reason they were blocked.
I know you're not saying that's the reason they were blocked. Because the original assertion isn't even true.
VA funding has more than kept up with medical inflation and increased patient loads.