Posted inBenefits, Returning Home to Battle

Use our data, share your story: CIR launches VA backlog API

When we published our interactive map of the Department of Veterans Affairs’ backlog of disability benefits claims in August, our goal was to highlight the delays’ impact on veterans across the country. Updated with new data from the VA each week, the map also serves as an ongoing accountability tracker for the agency’s progress on […]

Posted inBenefits, Health Care for Veterans, Returning Home to Battle

Despite VA pledge to improve, more veterans face long wait for benefits

Army veteran Michael Grabski and his wife, Sandra, search real estate websites in their Napa apartment. The Department of Veterans Affairs expedited Grabski’s 2-year-old claim for post-traumatic stress disorder and a knee injury after his case received media attention.Michael Short/Center for Investigative Reporting Under fire for its growing backlog of disability benefits claims, the U.S. […]

Posted inU.S. Education

Controversial school bonds create ‘debt for the next generation’

Video: Sharon Pieczenik   Decade of Debt: Capital Appreciation Bonds        Uncover how much high-interest debt school districts, community colleges and government agencies have issued. Each circle represents a public entity. The larger the circle, the greater the debt. The redder the circle, the higher the interest that entity will pay. The Napa Valley Unified […]