Close Menu

The Overwatch

#VAFail: Colorado veteran tells his story about the VA blocking his needed surgery

What happens when the Department of Veterans Affairs tried to keep control of a veteran’s health care delivery instead of letting him find better care in the community? In CVA Strategic Director Nate Banks’ case, his mental and physical health suffer.  United States Navy veteran Nate Banks sat down with Jeff Crank for another episode… Read more »

By Emilye Bell
Thursday, May 18th 2023

#VAFail: The VA can fire its poorly performing staff. So why isn’t it?

You might think behavior like “creating a hostile work environment” or “treating staff as personal assistants” or forcing “subordinates to buy lunches and handle transportation to and from work” would be enough to get an employee fired from his or her job.  But when it comes to the Department of Veterans Affairs, you’d be wrong. … Read more »

By Emilye Bell
Friday, May 5th 2023

#VAFail: Veteran takes his own life after being denied treatment for chronic pain. Rep. Greg Steube and CVA speak out.

Last year, Vietnam veteran Rayford Hill was denied clinically proven treatment for his chronic pain from his local Department of Veterans Affairs facility. The pain for too much for Rayford to bear, so a few weeks after he was denied the treatment he sought, he planned his own funeral and took his own life. Rep…. Read more »

By Emilye Bell
Friday, April 14th 2023

#VAFail: The only reason I don’t have problems with the VA is because I stopped using it for care

In 2012 I moved to the Phoenix area. I had served in the Marine Corps for four years and spent the next 12 in the Army National Guard. Multiple deployments took a toll on my mind and body, so I began the years-long journey of re-registering for my benefits through the Department of Veterans Affairs. … Read more »

By Josh Stanwitz
Thursday, April 6th 2023

#VAFail: What is the VA hiding that it won’t release under the Freedom of Information Act?

The Department of Veterans Affairs continues to drag its feet on producing records requested under the Freedom of Information Act and now the subject of an ongoing lawsuit.  The suit, filed by Americans for Prosperity Foundation in July 2021, seeks to know how the VA is calculating veterans’ appointment wait times and how the department… Read more »

By Emilye Bell
Friday, March 31st 2023

My VA Story: Wheelchair-bound Montana veteran wants to fix the VA so younger vets don’t face the same fate

Ed Moeglein chose to make the military his life out of a sense of duty to country. “We were in that kind of a community,” Ed says of why he chose to enlist. “Both my father and father-in-law were World War II veterans. Growing up all my friends’ dads were World War II or Korean… Read more »

By Emilye Bell
Thursday, March 16th 2023

#VAFail: Veteran dies after VA hospital couldn’t confirm he was a veteran

Last year, veterans in Gainesville, Florida, read a disturbing report of mismanaged care at the Malcolm Randall VA Medical Center. A veteran was brought to the emergency room in a coma by an ambulance crew. Despite the emergency responders calling the VA on their way there, VA staff couldn’t confirm whether the patient was an… Read more »

By Emilye Bell
Thursday, March 2nd 2023