DemocracyNow

On Veterans Day, we look at a major new investigation by journalist Aaron Glantz that questions the government’s commitment to soldiers struggling to re-enter civilian life. Called "Accuracy isn’t priority as VA battles disability claims backlog," the report reveals how thousands of veterans have been denied disability benefits as a result of errors by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Glantz tells the story of Navy veteran Hosea Roundtree, whose claim for disability compensation was denied by the VA despite Roundtree suffering flashbacks of a shelling he witnessed in Beirut while aboard a U.S. Navy ship in 1983. The VA has a duty to assist veterans in developing their facts and evidence to support their claims, but the department reprimanded one of its own employees for attempting to do just that for Roundtree. Jamie Fox lost her job in 2008 after she wrote a memo to her boss arguing that Roundtree’s disability benefits were being denied wrongfully. An internal VA document later showed the agency failed to perform its duty to assist in nearly 11,000 cases at the time, despite the VA acknowledging it makes mistakes on 14 percent of disability claims. We speak with Fox and Glantz, who is a reporter for the Bay Citizen, a part of the nonprofit Center for Investigative Reporting. He is also the author of three books, most recently, "The War Comes Home: Washington’s Battle Against America’s Veterans."