Posted inEducation, U.S. Education

State’s community colleges spend millions on duplicative administrators

Richard Raasueld studies at Copper Mountain College in Joshua Tree. The district broke from the Desert Community College District in 1999. The region’s two districts, with one college each, are among the state’s smallest.Carlos Puma/California Watch The state’s 72 community college districts spend tens of millions of dollars on administrative positions that could be consolidated […]

Posted inBenefits, Returning Home to Battle

VA’s ability to quickly provide benefits plummets under Obama

The Department of Veterans Affairs has failed to provide key information to Congress and the public that shows the agency’s ability to quickly provide service-related benefits has virtually collapsed under President Barack Obama. Internal VA documents, obtained by the Center for Investigative Reporting and authenticated by the agency, reveal that delays newly returning veterans face […]

Posted inReturning Home to Battle

Beyond ‘The Shooter’: The long look at life after active duty

The soldier known as the Shooter describes the intense operation leading up to Osama bin Laden’s final moments, but also shares another, darker side of the veteran experience: the challenges combat veterans face, even ones with millions of dollars in training and top security clearance, as they re-enter civilian life after returning home from war.

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. […]