Barry Cotes News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

Adverse events, according to the v.a., because of delayed care. >> i just try to live every day like it's my last day. >> reporter: barry cotes, a 44-year-old gulf war vet, waited a year to get a kol on os ka pi, while his v.a. doctors were telling him he had hemorrhoids. when he underwent the procedure, he was diagnosed with stage four cancer, spreading to his lungs and liver. and he's hardly alone. as cnn has previously reported, as many as 7,000 veterans were on a backlog list waiting too long for colonoscopies. at just two v.a. facilities in columbia, south carolina and augusta, georgia. a...

Dying because of delays in diagnosis and treatment at v.a. hospitals. this internal v.a. document obtained exclusively by cnn says that at least 19 veterans have died because of delays in simple medical screenings, like colonoscopies. and the document also shows the number of vets adversely affected could be much larger. it shows at least 82 vets suffered serious injuries as a result of delays in medical care. it's not clear how many are still alive. in the south carolina and georgia region alone, ten veterans are dead and 29 families have been notified their loved ones had serious adverse eve...

Administration. our repeated requests denied or ignored. >> no veteran should have to fill out a 23-page claim to get care or wait months, even years to get an appointment at the v.a. >> reporter: in august 2007, candidate barack obama gave this campaign speech to veterans. specifically addressing wait lists, denied care and poor treatment of vets. he promised his administration would be different. >> when we fail to keep faith with our veterans, the bond between our nation and our nation's heroes becomes frayed. when a veteran is denied care, we're all dishonored. >> reporter: for barry cotes...

Exactly who was disciplined and now. >> reporter: cnn has made repeated requests for interviews with top officials at the v.a., including the president's appointed head of the veterans administration. a repeated requests denied or ignored. >> no veteran should have to fill out a 23-page claim to get care or wait months, even years to get an appointment at the virginia. >> reporter: in august 2007, candidate barack obama gave this campaign speech to veterans. specifically addressing weight lists, denied care and poor treatment of vets. he promised his administration would be different. >> when ...