aaron glantz has written extensively about the vas problems and uncovered the story. >> the most consistent thing that i hear is that i came home and the country doesn't care and the government is making me wait far too long for my benefits. and then if you have a traumatic brain injury or p.t.s.d. or one of these other conditions, you're dealing with it on your own. >> sreenivasan: in 2009, eleven thousand veterans were waiting more than a year for benefits. last year, that figure was 245,000, a more than twenty-fold increase, numbers the v.a. confirms. glantz's report also showed that in urban areas, like new york city, the average time to have a claim processed is 642 days. we sat down with three veterans of the iraq and afghanistan wars who are frustrated with the delays. >> my name is rachel mcneill, i was a sergeant in the army and i was medically retired in 2010, the most recent notice of disagreement that the v.a. acknowledged was over 800 days ago. >> sreenivasan: sergeant mcneill had respiratory ailments from a tour in iraq. >> my name is aaron thorson. i was a captain in the army