The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:
Search results for "Disability Benefits" ...
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Disabled System
The series examined the Social Security disability program, which faces major financial pressures and could exhaust resources as soon as 2017. The series revealed an uneven process for awarding benefits that has become more focused on expediting cases than the quality of decisions.
Tags: Social Security; Disability; financial pressures; benefits
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Social Security Disability Claims
Social Security Disability benefits can take years, leave families in financial ruin, even when doctors say they are eligible for benefits.
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"Disposable Soldiers"
Reporter Joshua Kors exposes the story of Sergeant Chuck Luther who was severely injured by "mortar fire while serving in Iraq." His injury took the form of intense headaches that caused his vision to black out. He was asked to sign documents that claimed he had a "pre-existing condition," and when he refused, he was locked in a closet for more than "a month, with armed guards enforcing sleep deprivation." Finally, Luther signed the documents, which stripped him of disability benefits and long-term medical care.
Tags: Iraq; disability; fraud; Camp Taji; U.S. Army; Fort Hood; medical care; pre-existing condition
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State of Neglect
The state of Texas, which is one of the nation’s wealthiest states, is faced with low rankings in social benefits. These benefits include “assistance to poor children and the malnourished, treatment of the mentally ill, care of the disabled and many other social indicators”. This series reveals special interests are being heard and are shaping laws and decisions in the state of Texas.
Tags: lawmakers; state government; health care; state health; human services; privatizing; Evercare; hospitals; companies; businesses; lobbyists
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How the VA Abandons Our Vets
Sgt. Juan Jimenez was struck by a roadside bomb in Baghdad, and in need of immediate care, he sought disability benefits from the VA. He then learned of a bizarre regulation: before he could receive benefits he would have to prove his wounds came from war.
Tags: veteran suicide; Veterans for Common Sense; Veterans Affairs; Purple Heart; armed forces;
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Craftmatic
The Craftmatic Adjustable Bed has been sold for decades and marketed mostly to elderly consumers in their homes. The bed is expensive, sometimes sold for as much as $9,000, and those who buy it are told it could virtually save their lives. Elderly customers see the commercials which run nearly non-stop on daytime television and call an 800-number, where they are prompted to set up an in-home demonstration with a Craftmatic salesperson. They are told there is no obligation to buy, but what Inside Edition found is the salespeople rarely leave without closing the deal, and it is rarely to the benefit of the consumer.
Tags: salespeople; complaints; consumer agencies; disability; questionable sales practices; scare tactics; miracle cures; fraud;
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How The VA Abandons Our Vets: Denying care, delaying benefits, deceiving the public
The investigation uncovered unethical and criminal behavior by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' top brass. It tells the story of Sgt. Juan Jimenez, who was struck by a roadside bomb in Iraq. In seeking disability benefits from the VA, Jimenez was told he had to prove his injuries came from war. Desperate after a three and a half year battle, he joined with other Iraq veterans who had been denied benefits and sued the VA.
Tags: veterans; Iraq; benefits; disability; war; medical care; lawsuit
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The Social Security backlog
A four-part, multi-article series examined the backlog of social security cases, particularly in the Portland, Ore. area. When presented with the findings, Social Security top official Commissioner Michael J. Astrue acknowledged the backlog of disability claims has gone "seriously in the wrong direction." The reporters found that most people who fight for Social Security benefits after being initially denied with their cases, but the average wait for a disability hearing was 512 days -- 669 days in the Portland office. The series highlighted that the system was particularly hard on veterans as well. Also, using internal Social Security figures, the reporters determined that the agency would pay about $9 billion in benefits to people who no longer deserved them. They later found that the real cost for the failure to review disability cases was between $10 and $11 billion.
Tags: social security; veterans' care; Department of Veteran's Affairs; disability hearings; medical benefits; Freedom of Information Act
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Battling for Benefits
WTAE-TV found that veterans were waiting over a year for "their disability claims to be processed." In particular Western Pennsylvania "had the third-longest waiting period nationally."
Tags: veterans; Iraq; health; disability; benefits; Pennsylvania; Afghanistan;
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Booted
Thousands of people from the disability benefit and retirement roll are no longer receiving that aid because the Social Security Administration has labeled them as fugitive felons because of outstanding warrants.This fugitive felon program has saved about $83 million for the SSA between 1996 and 2003.
Tags: Marlo Donald; waterbury; finance; financial aid