v.a. and we know that is a difficult topic and something we really need to hear about, what is the v.a. doing to help with the untold numbers of suicide. here is how we're going to do this. we're going do give each of our vso presenters roughly 12 minutes to tell us about their organization. its mission, how it helps veterans and possibly how you can innerface as nami with these vsos. and then after we hear all of our four presenters we'll open it up for questions and comments and dialogue. and please, hold your questions until we hear from all four of our speakers. okay? so starting directly -- we're going to hear from our red cross service organization -- okay. v.a., right. >> i'm actually going to stand. >> please, please. >> hello, i currently oversee all of the v.a. suicide prevention efforts. i'm hoping that everybody got this folder. if not, okay, so it is in the back. i wonder -- would one of you be able to -- thank you so much. i'm going to be referencing all of the resources in h

v.a.. is on newsmakers. and later, a preview of president obama's trip to asia. >> the veterans affairs secretary, robert mcdonald, recently spoke at the national press club where he outlined efforts in the v.a.. been withmcdonald has the department for just over three months. he replaced eric shinseki you step down after it was discovered medical facilities were misrepresenting wait times for veterans seeking care. this is one hour. >> thank you so much. thanks to kevin for initially inviting me when we were together in cincinnati, ohio at shaft -- and thanks to i think it was the first or second day of my nomination where he said i had to come to the press club. i appreciate the warm welcome i have had it it's great to see so many familiar faces in the audience. true that the v.a. is larger than procter & gamble in many ways. we have about 340,000 employees. over $155 billion. but in many ways, procter & gamble is bigger in many ways. given day, 5 billion people on the planet use at leas

v.a. and we know that is a difficult topic and something we really need to hear about, what is the v.a. doing to help with the untold numbers of suicide. here is how we're going to do this. we're going do give each of our vso presenters roughly 12 minutes to tell us about their organization. its mission, how it helps veterans and possibly how you can innerface as nami with these vsos. and then after we hear all of our four presenters we'll open it up for questions and comments and dialogue. and please, hold your questions until we hear from all four of our speakers. okay? so starting directly -- we're going to hear from our red cross service organization -- okay. v.a., right. >> i'm actually going to stand. >> please, please. >> hello, i currently oversee all of the v.a. suicide prevention efforts. i'm hoping that everybody got this folder. if not, okay, so it is in the back. i wonder -- would one of you be able to -- thank you so much. i'm going to be referencing all of the resources in h

reorganizing the v.a. is not the same thing but is that experience constructive welcome with us is congressman jim mcdermott for washington. and from son san antonio is brian turner working as a scheduling clerk at a v.a. clinic , and kenneth hill with the firm's turn around and restructuring group. congressman mcdermott, are you optimistic that the second largest government agency can be cured of what ails it? >> the fact is you said in your opening we need 28,000 new health professionals in the v.a. system. when you start with that kind of problem and have an incentive system that is built on making the numbers look right in order to get promoted and get paid increases, you've built in intensives that are simply going to lead to the problems that we have today. all of that has to be changed. the incentive system has to be changed. now, i think you can do things to --we're letting veterans go out and see people outside of the veteran system. that is one way to help some of it, but it's going to take time,

the v.a. and made up of five service organizations. they assist with coordination, plans, and policies for community participation of the programs. and it's governed by the national advisory committee comprised of many national service organizations. the volunteers support the recovery and rehabilitation of veterans as they prepare for their transation to civilian life. some of the services we provide there are patient escort, animal visitation programs. we assist in therapy programs. comfort cart distribution. administrative support for clinics, pharmacies, transportation, patient rehab, personal services, and community living. we also have licensed volunteer professionals, nurses, doctors, rehab specialists that support the v.a. medical staff for rehab services. the american red cross also offers service to veterans and their families by connecting them with local, state, and national resources through their local chapters. their partnerships we provide case coordination and referral to ment

and v.a.have collaborated to have a huge suicide data repository and we are able to cull a lot of that information from there. what we are looking at is state data, national death index data, and those datas from coroner's offices. there are states where it's not known if somebody is a veteran when they die. with that, they die by suicide and whether or not they have been deployed makes it complicated. we are certainly -- we continue to work and work and work and better understanding that data. >> ask a question, as he gets ready, i'll remind our audience that tomorrow night the military veterans -- nami council is going to have a candlelight vigil. veterans candlelight vigil where we remember the roughly 22 a day that are dying and possibly one active duty person a day dying. join us 9:15 in front of the hotel here tomorrow night to remember that which is happening still. >> daniel williams. i'm the new v.a. chair or new nami chair. two things, i work at the v.a. as a peer support specialist,

we have volunteerism in the v.a. hospitals. referral to community resources, and reintegration skill building sources in the form of workshop s. we use peer to peer support who have been trained. red cross provides assistance and case collaboration, preparing, developing, and obtaining evidence in support of applicants' claims for veterans benefits. red cross reaches out to veterans who are not engaged with the v.a. who are homeless or in the community and establishes a trust relationship. they educate veterans regarding what entitlements are available to them like compensation for disabilities, all the benefits you can think of. they work with veterans in obtaining their records and provide advocacy during the process. they offer assistance and other resources and provide referals accordingly to the community. - referals to the community. they might look to other resources for assist -- assistance like s.s.d.i. and s.s.i. there are two programs in the nation i'd like to highlight today. one in southern arizona that serves the

my v.a. entails functions, operations, improving processes, leveraging technology and enhancing efficiency, increasing productivity and effectively implementing the choice act. a 360-degree effort to provide veterans with a seamless integrated v.a. regardless of how they come us to. top priority is accelerating care to veterans. moving them off the wait list and into clinics. for example, we have reduced the number of veterans waiting the longest for care by 57%. from june through september we completed 19 million appointments, an increase of 1.2 million over the same period in 2013. over a half a million completed appointments were conducted during extended hours of operations during nights and week ends. we also have access with nonv.a. care. from june to september we approved 1.1 million operations for 7 million, more than 7 million, care appointments in the community. that's about 47% increase from the prior year. we appreciate the enhanced authorities funding and programs. the act provid

i think that the v.a. needs to take this seriously and see what can happen to make sure that they give the v.a. what they need to make sure that veterans are being seen by the professionals they need to be seen by. host: another recent story from the washington times." let's go to mares in arkansas. caller: good morning. i would just like to make a comment on the american legion. the american legion for years, i was a member for years. the only help that you could really get from the american legion was through your republican a politicians and we always had problems because we ould not be members. i got out of the american legion back when george bush and john kerry ran. people like me were saved by men like him. he american legion is just a conservative organization. host: the american legion is championed by all veterans and is nonpartisan. what we care about is veterans. the american legion has advocated for veterans since 1919. we offer so many services. we have over 2900 accredited representatives to

we're calling it my v.a. and we can talk more about that in the question and answer period since david is pushing me forward. we're also busy working on the implementation of the new veteran's access choice and the accountability act. that is underway. we are working very hard, yesterday we began sending out cards to veterans who exceed the 40 mile limit from a v.a. facility, so that those individuals can get service, if they choose to, from primary care. another big strategy in the road to veterans day was the blueprint for excellence. it's a new strategic frame work we've put together for the veterans health administration. the former undersecretary of health and the interim secretary of health have both led that effort. it lays out the strategies for regaining a preeminent position, not only as the largest health care system in the country, but the best. as i talked, i've been to universities to recruit doctors and nurses and we're moving forward with that. we've reduced the claims back log and veterans be

the road was built on the v.a.'s mission. the battle and the families and survivors. we set three goals for ourselves as we began to move forward. the first was rebuilding trust with veterans and stakeholders. second, improving service delivery. third, setting v.a. on a course for long-term excellence and reform. we want veterans to know that they do not strive alone. the vision of our president and vice president and leadership and support the congress and the efforts of our service organizations and the good people are all required to best serve veterans. we are reorganizing for success in this effort. this is the largest restructuring in the history of the department. my v.a..alled it is called my v-8 because we want veterans to know that it belongs to them. we will provide quality care. functions, entail increasing productivity, affectively implementing the veterans access choice and account ability act. [no audio] [no audio] [no audio] our goal is simple, to provide timely care and benefits to all generations of veterans

the v.a., i am caitlin thompson. i and the deputy director of the suicide prevention program for v.a., so i currently overseeing all of the suicide prevention efforts. i am hoping everybody got this, this folder? it's not -- ok. so it is in the back. -- thank you so much. i am going to be referencing all so, yes. i work for v.a., and i am really thrilled to talk with you all today. at v.a., we really value our collaboration with nami. we have had a strong collaboration over the years, just in mental health services we went to make sure that we are all aware of what is available both nationally from the v.a. as well as locally and how can you can connect with the v.a. in terms , as well as how we can collaborate with you on what , and as has been said, we need to continue to work together on this issue. one of the biggest things that we have available is we have suicide prevention coordinators at every v.a. throughout the country, and so wherever you are located, there is a v.a. suicide prevent

reform in the v.a.'s like turning an aircraft carrier, it will take a long time, you can't do it on a dime. they need more doctors and nurses and health care providers. i hope he can hire what he needs. but there's going to be a lot of work that they are going to have to do to re-organise and change the culture in the v.a. >> do you believe that robert mcdonald, the person that can do that, is bringing urgency to move the aircraft carrier, as he describe it? >> yes, i think he's been in there about 90 days, i believe, or so. i believe he is making the reforms that are necessary in the v.a. we'll have to wait and see what the outcome is of all his hard work, but we are keeping our fingers crossed, hoping that he's on the right track. >> a lot of companies have a customer service branch within the organization. the v.a. will have one. is that something that you envision could be helpful? >> yes, i think that would be extremely helpful, and i like the way he structured it so that they answer up to the v.a.

several v.a. officials testifying at the hearing which we join now live in progress. >> to process my application, i got to be working so i'm going to find a job somewhere else. so what are you doing to be competitive within the hiring environment for these medical professionals? >> a couple of things. one, we know we got extensive opportunities to streamline our iring processes with providers . bob mcdonald recently approved increased salary ranges for providers to be more competitive to retain great talent. i'm aware instances on a case-by-case basis across the country where particularly for example with nurses we've done and did market surveys to justify changing salary ranges in that market area. we're looking now at doing that same process all across the country in every market to ensure that in fact what we got are salary ranges that are competitive. we're taking a hard look at the credentialing process and in fact we'll move to the same system that department of defense uses for documenting

the v.a. after the agency's biggest fiasco. it was last spring that we learned that tens of thousands of vets were waiting months for medical care while managers cooked the books to hide the delays. the former secretary was forced out. tonight, we have the first interview with the new man in charge. 61-year-old robert mcdonald has no government or medical experience, but he does know management. he was chief executive officer of proctor and gamble, the largest consumer products company in the world. and we wanted to know how a soap salesman will go about cleaning up the v.a. how many employees do you think should be fired, based on what you know? >> robert mcdonald: the report we've passed up to the senate committee and house committee has about 35 names on it. i've got another report that has over 1,000. >> pelley: if 1,000 people need to go, give me a sense of what are some of the things that they did? >> mcdonald: we're simplistically talking about people who violated our values. >> pelley:

the v.a.now on the cusp of removing those hundreds of senior executives responsible for the culture of poor care and excessive wait times at v.a. hospitals. the reason it's taken so long? just what you said, firing people in the federal government is laborious. administrative judges must approve procedures and employees have the right to appeal. it's a us from straight for mcdonald given the hardship that incompetent care imposed on vets. >> i was incensed. i was incensed. our veterans have earned these benefits. they earn them with their lives in danger. >> reporter: in a live streaming seminar at the washington post today on veterans hiring, mcdonald said that the v.a. is making progress in other areas. >> we've cut the disability claims backlog by 60% in the last 20 months. we've completed 1.3 million claims for veterans in 2014. that's 150,000 more than last year. veterans give v.a. health care higher ratings than patients at most private hospitals. >> reporter: the hardest part of mcdonal

. >> we investigate serious wait times at the v.a. dental center. >>> vets who went to war are fighting another battle at home to get dental care. investigators have shown us a serious backlog at the v.a.'s dental clinic in palo alto. investigative reporter stephen stock has our story. >> reporter: the promise to veterans made by president abraham lincoln in 1865 is memorialized in bronze out in front of the v.a. medical center in palo alto. >> they need the best treatment that we can give them. >> reporter: but former dental lab technician george gettis says he witnessed first hand palo alto's v.a. often fall short of that promise when it came to caring for dental patients. >> it got progressively worse until i left. when i left it was the worst i'd ever seen. >> reporter: for six years he worked in the palo alto's v.a. dental laboratory, making dentures, implants, and other dental prosthesis. >> i know first hand a lot of their sacrifices for this country. >> reporter: under v.a. guidelines, dental care is reserved for special veter

the v.a. is a huge system and you can't bring change overnight. i think what bob is talking about, what the secretary is talking about is you can fire anybody. you don't want to lose on appeal. you don't want somebody running through the court and saying i was fired unjustly. they are trying. their eyes and cross 30's. cover their bases. year inr in the last the v.a. was the fact that in phoenix and other parts of this country, we have unacceptably long waiting periods. you know what? in a last couple of months, the leadership hass made some very significant progress in making sure that veterans are getting into the ..a. in a timely matter if not, getting out into the private sector in a timely manner. i think what you have seen in phoenix and elsewhere -- and i don't have the statistics in front of me -- what you have seen is a significant reduction in the waiting periods that in certain parts of the country are vegans had to experience. it -- our veterans had to experience. it is completely

my v.a.art of our road to veterans day strategy. it's called my v.a. because we want veterans to view us as an organization that belongs to them providing quality care in ways they need and want to be served. my v.a. will entail combining functions, simplifying operations, improving processes, leveraging technology, enhancing efficiency, increasing productivity, and effectively implementing the veteran's access choice and accountability act, a 360-degree effort to provide veterans with a seamless, integrated and responsive v.a., regardless of how they come to us. all this is to say that v.a. must regain and retain a laser-like focus on veterans from the 90-year-old who fought across omaha beach to the 19-year-old who faced the determined foe in afghanistan. our goal is simple. to provide quality, timely care and benefits to all generations of veterans. our special guest today fully shares president obama's commitment to america's veterans. he and his wife, a tremendous supporter of veterans a

the best part is the v.a.t if it can three matted back through the court system it is a different set of laws and rules. it has been sitting with the judge to make a decision. nothing has been done. i hope a bob fixes this. host: mary is in pompano beach. caller: good morning. host: what is on your mind? what did our parents teach us? you do not depend on man. you depend on god. you praise it god's kingdom will come on earth. how would it be thy name. we've got to bring this thing righteous. we've got to stop all this killing. we've got to put the sweet lord that in it. sins and getof our back to his statutes. onseems like every human earth eerie at host: zach is in mississippi. caller: i would just like to say that it is a shame that veterans are so important to society and so few people are veterans. infew people participate defending the country. > it is sad that only the poor are putting their lives on the line. the millionaires and billionaires don't put their lives in the line for this country. we should

host: the v.a.ecretary said there acting aggressively and consistent with the law but they have to. there i's and cross their t's. guest: we have to make sure they do everything right because those of cause veterans harm, we don't want them to be able to come back and hurt other veterans on a technicality. we want to be a to do it right but they can do it right with employee due process quicker than they are doing it now. those employees don't need to be on collecting taxpayer money. they need to use those funds for someone who can come in and take care of veterans the way they deserve to be taking care of. host: have you seen any improvement under the leadership of secretary macdonald? guest: yes, and we applaud those improvements. there is still so much more to be done. the american legion stands to help whatever the v.a. needs to make sure the system is better for veterans. guest: on this november 11, 2014 on veterans day, what has been fixed? guest: the backlog has been reduced a little bit and

today in a message to all 330,000 v.a. employees, mcdonald pledged to create a new customer service organization to services, including expanding public-private partnerships. and to give 9 million veterans enrolled in the v.a. a single point of contact for care. >> it's all about one-on-one personal touch. we've got to make it easy for our veterans to take advantage of our services and to be able to navigate what appears to be a complex system. >> reporter: to fix the problems, mcdonald wants to hire 28,000 medical professionals and is looking to fire 1,000 staffer who is he says violated v.a. policies. but will it be enough to get the v.a. back on track? >> we think bob mcdonald has the toughest job in washington, d.c. and ultimately the question is can he implement this plan fast enough to have the impact it needs to have on our customers, veterans. >> reporter: veterans whose faith in government has been shaken by scandal. peter alexander, nbc news, washington. >>> president obama joining other world leaders at the apec

v.a. secretary robert mcdonald previewed the plan last night on 60 minutes and cbs this morning aired even more of the interview that didn't make the show. >> we'll try and do everything from the veterans' perspective. every decision we make, every criteria we use is going to be about the veteran. we're calling it my v.a. the reason i like calling it my v.a. is i want the veterans to think of the v.a. as their v.a., my v.a. they own it. it's theirs. we're there for them. >> the overhaul follows the v.a. hospital scandal. administrators covered up evidence that tens of thousands of veterans had to wait months for medical care. >>> in other news, police still have not tracked down the suspects behind a shooting and robbery in aspen hill. it was just after 9:00 last night when three suspects forced their way into a home in the cinnamon run apartment complex last night off connecticut avenue. a fight broke out and gunshots were fired. two people were hurt inside the apartment. one victim and o

the v.a. health care system that could include more than 1,000 pink slips. it's a huge, huge change for the u.s. government right now. the secretary of veterans affairs joins me live this hour. it's coming up. let's talk about these major changes. >>> mystery surrounding the fate of the isis leader abu bakr al baghdadi. president obama hits the road. a meeting of world leaders right now under way in china. thank you very much for joining us. one year after cnn broke the story of long waiting lists for veterans seeking care, there is a massive shakeup at the department. robert mcdonald took over in july after congressional hearings and the resignation of retired general eric shinseki. mcdonald said that the v.a. needs to hire 28,000 doctors and nurses to clear the backlog of patients, including 2500 mental health professionals. he said the scandal could cost up to 1,000 v.a. workers losing their jobs and losing their jobs quickly. secretary mcdonald is joining us here. thank you for joining us

needs tohat the v.a. and see whatiously can happen to make sure that they give the v.a. what they need to make sure that veterans are being seen by the professionals they need to be seen by. story fromer recent "the washington times." let's go to mares in arkansas. caller: good morning. i would just like to make a comment on the american legion. the american legion for years, i was a member for years. the only help that you could really get from the american legion was through your republican a politicians and we always had problems because we could not be members. i got out of the american legion back when george bush and john kerry ran. people like me were saved by men like him. ae american legion is just conservative organization. legion isamerican championed by all veterans and is nonpartisan. what we care about is veterans. the american legion has sinceted for veterans 1919. we offer so many services. accreditedr 2900 representatives to help a veterans navigate through the v.a. system. legion doesn't care about your gender or your race. care of ourt taking nation's

the new v.a. secretary tells us how he intends to fix veterans affairs after thousands of vets were forced to wait for care. >> we don't want any harm to our veterans. >> pelley: fire in every direction. carter evans takes us inside the yarnell tragedy with newly released video of the day 19 firefighters were killed. and vladimir duthiers with the photographs of hugh mangum. he saw no difference between block and white. >> she has a simple dress on but she looks so regal. i would love to sit down and talk with her and learn about her life. captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news" with scott pelley. >> pelley: good evening. folks in the upper midwest must have thought they had slept until january this morning. they were the first to get hit by arctic air from the polar vortex. there were hundreds of crashes on snowy highways. temperatures in eight northern states are running way below normal, and over the next few days, temperatures will take a deep plunge all the way to the deep

they wanted him, i told him, you'll have to stay overnight at the v.a. the v.a. said you can't stay overnight. you have to come in and have the colonoscopy and then you can stay one night after. i said, well this doesn't -- i told my brother this doesn't make sense, i cannot drive you three hours to chicago to have a colonoscopy after you've had that medicine. and the other issue, i drive him over to maryville where his clinic is one day i'll take him over for a blood test, the next week i take him over for a urine test, the next week i take him over for another, a hearing test. and then he might have a doctor's appointment the next week or month. and so they are inconsistent and i want to know, you know, congress is working -- i understood they have tried to, that uh someone has to drive over an hour and a half to get to a clinic should be able to go to a local clinic and have their blood tests or urine test taken. host: ok, charles. verna jones? guest: thank you, charles. thank you for calling in the veterans choice will catch on with some of veterans having to

the v.a. but does it go far enough? the reporter who first exposed the deliberate and deadly hospital delays will join me live this hour. hello, everyone. i'm ashleigh banfield. no one knows when. three months after the unarmed african-american 18-year-old was shot dead by a white ferguson police officer, we expect to find out soon whether darren wilson will be cleared or whether darren wilson will be indicted. and if he's indicted, on what charge? cnn's sara sidner joins me from a community that is scared for its future. give me an update on what is happening there, sara. >> reporter: today marks the 90th day of daily protests here in ferguson because of what happened on august 9th and it has been mostly peaceful protests that have taken place since the very beginning. the grand jury decision is expected to come down perhaps as early as this weekend. ferguson is on edge. some business owners are busy fortifying their shops. >> it's hurtful. it's really, really hurtful. >> reporter: salon owne

and that the v.a.s on the cutting edge in a number of medical areas in terms of the exo skeleton development which will allow people with spinal cord injuries to actually get on their feet. so to answer your question, i worked with senator mccain, we passed a $16.5 billion piece of legislation which will fro vied significant new money for the v.a. to get the doctors and medical personnel they need. there's also the question of -- aside from funding, there also seems to be the question of accountability. are the people who are engaging in this, you know, messing with the records, have they been punished? has there been acountability? and has there been the kind of reorganization that might have been needed as shown by the reporting that we learned of, to make the v.a. run better. >> secretary mcdonald is, i think, a very serious guy. and i think he is tackling these issues. i know some republicans would fire half of the v.a. tomorrow. it can't happen. what you want to do, when you fire somebody, you wan

you take a look at the v.a. system and who is employed there, and this is prevalent through a lot of government agencies, the type of employee is the problem, not necessarily the number of employees. i think that hiring more medical personnel, getting rid of the people who not only didn't uphold the values that the secretary has been talking about of integrity and serving the veterans and doing no harm, but people who are actually doing things to help them, helping them get through their medical illnesses or through their rehab sessions after they come home for more. those kind of employees are good employees. they need to get rid of the people sitting at a deck, pulling a paycheck, and doing nothing to help the wait times get to fewer and less. >> the one thing i was so impressed with in listening to secretary mcdonald's interview is t that he wanted to get riff the people that didn't have the value. the correct values. i know so many veterans at home today as we honor them are so happy to hear that it maybe, m

just this afternoon, the v.a.ils of the reorganization, including the creation of a chief customer service officer. let's turn now to cnn's drew griffin who broke the v.a. story. drew, this reform also includes more than 1,000 people possibly getting fired. tell us more about this. >> reporter: brianna, the overhaul involves basically turning this more into a consumer friendly organization that delivers a product, medical care to veterans. sounds a lot like big business. that's where secretary bob mcdonald comes from. he's bringing that experience at procter & gamble trying to change the system to make the customers, the veterans, more accessible, easier to get into the v.a. and to improve a system that's been broken down. he's also trying to fire people, fire 35 people initially, maybe up to 1,000. but he said he's having a hard time doing that because of all the rules and regulations involved with the federal bureaucracy. and then he wants to hire people, as many as 28,000 doctors and nurses to fill the void tha

the v.a.'s 2015 budget exceeds $163 billion. critics say instead of getting rid of bad employees, some of who are still on paid leave or getting severance, the department is just throwing money at the problem. but those that will be most affected by the changes hope that whatever new rules are implemented the sacrifices and compromises they made when they went into battle will end when our veterans come home. for "nightly business report" dina g sarks sovski. >> from laundry deterrent to product safety stories from two very well known companies. that's next. >>> two disturbing reports tonight involving two well known consumer product makers. first up "the wall street journal" says that general motors ordered half a million replacement ignition switches to fix defective cars two months before alerting u.s. safety officials about the problem. shares of the automaker down about 1 1/2% today. phil lebeau has the details. >> reporter: there are new questions tonight about whether or not general motors knew it had defective ignition s

this is marked change that in the v.a. congressional relations and i hope that as a precedent for improving working relationships as we go forward. the law provided additional resources a and authorities to provide four key improvements for veterans. timely access to health care. expansion of v.a.'s internal capacity for care. improved accountability and additional educational benefits. today i hope to hear tangible ways that veterans are getting the improved outcomes intended. if there are real and reasonable roadblocks to implementation we need know what they are and how can we fix those roadblocks. with regard to timely access to health care, i'm aware that department has expressed serious concerns with the 90-day deadlines under section 101, the choice program. the program requires v.a. to determine eligibility. authorized and coordinate care, manage utilization, set up a call center and implement a new payment system. v.a. has taken a phased roll-out approach in order to balance expedience with effective programs. thi

when i left it was the worst i've ever seen. >> reporter: for six years he worked in the v.a. dental laboratory making denial urs implants and prosthesis. >> i know a lot of the sacrifices for this country. >> reporter: under guidelines it is reserved for special veterans. not every vet qualifies. in fact, he must be a p.o., with or 100% disabled or meet specific need based criteria. he witnessed those veterans waiting incredibly long periods. >> how long were some of these cases? >> the longest was three years. three years and running. a man waiting three years for dent urds. he was frustrated and retired last year. >> one gentleman in particular. he didn't have his dentures. he was telling me that he was so tired of drinking his food. >> don't believe him? then listen to this insider who still works at the v.a. >> the waiting period is just unreal. >> the insider asked to be disguised and his voice altered because he fears retaliation. >> no, sir has changed. >> we've object tained companies of these logs looking at how sentencive the backlog is. take a look at these picture

. >>> as the v.a.retary announces plans to re-organize and revamp the system, i'm talking to local veterans about what it means to them. that's next. - ( helicopter whirring ) - ( roars ) ( siren wails ) ( pop music playing ) ♪ when you're ready ♪ ready, ready, ready ♪ come and get it ♪ get it, get it ♪ when you're ready, come and get it ♪ ♪ na na na na ♪ na na na na na na na ♪ ♪ when you're ready, come and get it ♪ ♪ na na na na... female announcer: it's a great big world and it can all be yours. here and only here. ♪ come and get it. >>> i'm tim furlong live in skyforce 10 over southwest philadelphia where you see a car and trolley have collided at 47th and --. at least one vehicle and trolley there. eight minor injuries have been reported in the last couple minutes. we saw a woman with two small children get into the back of an ambulance. the people on the trolley don't appear to be seriously injured. eight minor injuries have been reported. a woman with two small children have left in an ambulance.

. >> no criminal punishment or v.a.and ♪ i thought it'd be bigger. ♪ ♪ (dad) there's nothing i can't reach in my subaru. (vo) introducing the all-new subaru outback. love. it's what makes a subaru,a subaru. >>> an investigation by the news4 i-team is raising new questions about a highly paid employee from the department of veterans affairs. >> the drove a government vehicle and a woman was killed. they agree they botched his case and he's still on the job and taxpayers still paying his salary. >> emergency. i need some help big time. >> reporter: he admitted he was the one driving a truck after a night of bar hopping. >> did you have something to drink? >> yes, sir. i don't know exactly how much. >> reporter: while on official business at a government conference in dallas. two other department of veterans affairs employees went to the bars and bought a dozen drinks. some of the drinks bought for other patrons. one of those two companions was amy wheat, who somehow fell out of the moving truck. >> i looked back there whe

at the v.a. there isn't that.s the number of veterans they're seeing. the incentive don't change that. if no one is held accountable -- >> which we have seen. >> if you didn't have good ratings, you wouldn't fight to do better. >> there would be other people on the couch. >> correct. that's the right incentive for to you do your job right. that does in the exist at the v.a. >> no transparency as well. >> that's right. >> you know why it's not going to get fixed any time soon? this is not an election year now. >> that's right. that's what we're fighting to change. at cba, we're pounding the drum. we leased a task force with bill frist and other folks to do systemic reform of the department of veterans affairs. you can nip around the margins of the failed bureaucracy. you have to give veterans real choice and empower them. the jonathan gruber, the most offensive part is he thinks we're all stupid. he would also think veterans are too stupid to choose what kind of care they want. why can't they choose their air? it's