The failures
Veterans Come Home to Unprepared Nation
Many of the combat veterans, returning from war with what will be lifelong illnesses and disabilities, are struggling to get the help they were promised by the government.
VA Workers Rewarded for Avoiding Difficult Disability Claims
Claims processors for the Department of Veteran Affairs received millions of dollars in bonuses as part of a system that effectively encouraged them to avoid complex disability cases – cases that now make up much of the VA’s backlog.
Tracking Disability Claims
An interactive graphic illustrates how long veterans in various states must wait for their injury claims to be processed.
Disability Claims Mount Despite Billions Spent
A News21 investigation shows that the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense spent billions over the past three decades to improve electronic health-records systems with little to show for it.
Veteran Suicides Twice as High as Civilian Rates
A News21 analysis shows that veterans are killing themselves at more than double the rate of the civilian population and the numbers keep rising, despite efforts to improve mental health care.
Calculating Veteran Suicides: A News21 Analysis
News21 based its analysis of veteran suicides on data gathered from public records requests to health departments in all 50 states.
Tracking Veteran Suicides
An interactive graphic gives a state-by-state view of the number of veterans who have committed suicide.
A Dream Come True Ends in Suicide for Soldier
After a deployment in Iraq, Texas native Army Pfc. Kimberly Agar re-enlisted and made the U.S. Army Europe Band and Chorus, only to become one of 301 military suicides in 2011.
