Returning Home to Battle

For many veterans, the end of active duty means the beginning of a new fight – for benefits, housing and a chance to rebuild their lives.

VA pays out $200 million for nearly 1,000 veterans’ wrongful deaths

Payments by the Department of Veterans Affairs in the decade after 9/11 went to grieving families, ranging from Iraq War veterans who committed suicide after being turned away from mental health treatment to botched surgeries and fatal neglect of elderly veterans.
Ex-VA doctor says she was forced out after limiting opiate prescriptions

On the eve of a congressional hearing about the Department of Veterans Affairs’ skyrocketing use of narcotic painkillers, a former VA doctor has stepped forward with new allegations about the agency’s prescription practices.
Overtime, new computer system put sizable dent in VA benefits backlog

Far fewer veterans are facing long waits for disability compensation after the Department of Veterans Affairs spent the past six months focusing on the backlog.

Latest Reports

Jan 14, 2015
Alarm over Wisconsin VA’s troubles follows years of complaints
Politicians from both parties and government bureaucrats are rushing to look into allegations of overmedication, retaliatory management practices and preventable overdose deaths at a Wisconsin VA hospital, revealed by CIR.
Aaron Glantz
Investigation(s):
- Returning Home to Battle
- Health and Welfare
Jan 08, 2015
Opiates handed out like candy to ‘doped-up’ veterans at Wisconsin VA
The exponential growth in the use of narcotics transformed a rural Wisconsin VA hospital from a conservative prescriber of painkillers to one typical of runaway opiate prescription practices throughout the VA health care system.
Aaron Glantz
Investigation(s):
- Returning Home to Battle
- Health and Welfare
Nov 19, 2014
VA lags in addressing complaints against colleges using GI Bill funds
Since January, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has received thousands of complaints against various schools but has completed a review of only 324 of them, according to an internal agency document.
Aaron Glantz
Investigation(s):
- Returning Home to Battle
- Health and Welfare
Nov 11, 2014
CIR’s VA backlog investigation got the president to change his tone
Our media impact case study analyzes the changes following the CIR investigation into the VA claims backlog, the coverage’s position and role in the broader media context and congressional and presidential responses to the series.
Lindsay Green-Barber
Investigation(s):
- Impact
- Returning Home to Battle
- Health and Welfare
Nov 11, 2014
If you want to help veterans, get attention by shaming the VA
On this Veterans Day, let’s stop to take stock: Have past and present efforts after VA scandals delivered real help to Americans who have worn the uniform?
Aaron Glantz
Investigation(s):
- Returning Home to Battle
- Health and Welfare
Nov 07, 2014
Navy SEAL who claims he killed bin Laden finally reveals his name
The previously anonymous Navy SEAL who claims he fired the shot that killed al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden has come forward and is scheduled to appear on Veterans Day in an interview with Fox News.
Aaron Glantz
Investigation(s):
- Returning Home to Battle
- Global Conflict
- National Security
Aug 29, 2014
California lawmakers approve stripped-down reform for GI Bill funding
California lawmakers unanimously approved legislation designed to prevent for-profit schools from preying on veterans at taxpayer expense – but not before the bill’s author removed most of its significant provisions.
Aaron Glantz
Investigation(s):
- Returning Home to Battle
- Education
Aug 05, 2014
VA overturns veteran enrollment ban on University of Phoenix programs
Citing new information, the federal agency lifted restrictions put in place after California regulators audited the for-profit school’s San Diego campus.
Aaron Glantz
Investigation(s):
- Returning Home to Battle
- Education
Aug 04, 2014
What you need to know about America’s homeless veteran problem
On any given night, nearly 58,000 veterans across the U.S. experience homelessness. Here’s a look at what government officials are doing to try to combat the problem.
Kelly Chen
Investigation(s):
- Returning Home to Battle
- Health and Welfare
- Money and Politics
Jul 30, 2014
GI Bill loophole keeps 4 major for-profit educators from violating law
The parent companies of the University of Phoenix and Art Institutes chains, as well as ITT Tech and Strayer University would be at risk of losing all federal funding if not for the exemption, according to a Senate report.
Aaron Glantz
Investigation(s):
- Returning Home to Battle
- Education