Watchdog Team
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Watchdog: VA knows it will live long after Marine Bruce Furtado dies
Mark Flatten
Updated: Thu, Apr 11, 2013
Part two of a three-part series There wasn't much reason for hope when doctors told Bruce Furtado he had terminal cancer in July 2010. At 48, the ex-Marine knew the leukemia would eventually kill him. He feared that as the disease took its toll, he would lose his job, then his insurance,...
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Watchdog: VA bureaucrats fiddle while Camp Lejeune veterans die
Mark Flatten
Published: Wed, Apr 10, 2013
Jim Watters was among the fewest of the few when he testified in Congress that poisoned water at Camp Lejeune was killing Marines, and that they were victims of "friendly fire" by federal agencies that refused to admit it. After years of denials, the Department of Veterans Affairs finally...
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Watchdog: Uh-oh, VA, Jon Stewart is watching you
Mark Flatten
Published: Wed, Apr 3, 2013
Some people say it's not news until it makes it onto Jon Stewart's radar screen. If that's the case, then it's really time to worry at the Department of Veterans Affairs. Congress has blasted top administrators of the agency for their failure to reduce the backlog of disability claims filed...
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VA Secretary Eric Shinseki renews vow of claims backlog fix by 2015
Mark Flatten
Published: Sun, Mar 24, 2013
Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki said today during his first national TV news interview in four years that it is "unacceptable" for former U.S. military service members to wait as long as they do for their disability benefits claims to be resolved. Despite an ever-growing...
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Watchdog: Vets Affairs chairman Miller calls for top VA official's ouster
Mark Flatten
Updated: Fri, Mar 22, 2013
Failure to fix the long waits veterans face when seeking disability benefits earned through military service warrants the removal of the top Department of Veterans Affairs executive directly responsible, according to the chairman of the House committee overseeing the agency. The call from Rep....
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Lawmakers scoff as VA exec claims progress on vets benefit claims
Mark Flatten
Published: Wed, Mar 20, 2013
A top Department of Veterans Affairs official said today that recent reforms have led to dramatic increases in speed and accuracy in processing disability claims, an assertion that was quickly challenged by skeptical congressional overseers and the agency's own numbers. Allison Hickey, VA's...
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Second VA executive leaves abruptly as claims backlog grows
Mark Flatten
Published: Tue, Mar 19, 2013
Another top official responsible for breaking the backlog of disability and pension claims has left the Department of Veterans Affairs, The Washington Examiner has learned. Michael Cardarelli, the principle deputy undersecretary for benefits at VA, no longer works for the agency, the...
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Skeptical senators press evasive VA official on benefits claims backlog
Mark Flatten
Published: Wed, Mar 13, 2013
A top Department of Veterans Affairs executive touted the agency's openness and accountability at a Senate hearing Wednesday, but then refused to respond directly to a senator's request for performance measures and later hurried away from the committee room while ignoring reporters' questions....
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