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Tue, Jul 31, 2012 -- 9:00 AM
Troubles at the Oakland V.A.
Alex Wong/Getty Images
U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta (L) and Secretary of Veteran Affairs Eric Shinseki (R) testify on Capitol Hill on July 25, 2012 regarding servicemen returning to civilian life.
The Oakland Veterans Affairs office -- responsible for all claims from Bakersfield to the Oregon border -- is under fire after a recent inspector general report revealed alarming statistics: a nearly 40 percent error rate in claims inspected and a 33 percent higher wait time than average, making it the second slowest VA office in the country. We'll discuss what's causing the backlog and what this means for Bay Area vets.
Host: Scott Shafer
Guests:
- Aaron Glantz, staff reporter, The Bay Citizen, author of "The War Comes Home: Washington's Battle Against America's Veterans"
- Barbara Lee, U.S. representative, California's 9th District
- Lee Gutierrez, deputy secretary for veteran services, California Department of Veteran Affairs
- Peter Plante, Vietnam veteran who filed two claims with the Oakland VA
- Willie Clark, Veterans Affairs western region director, US Department of Veterans Affairs
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Also, please note that your comments could be read on air. We may edit them for clarity or brevity, and we will use only your first name to identify you on the air.
