Feature Story
Foreign Interpreters Hurt in Battle Find U.S. Insurance Benefits Wanting
by T. Christian Miller, ProPublica - December 18, 2009 4:42 am EST
An insurance program funded by American taxpayers was supposed to provide a safety net for Iraqi interpreters and their families in the event of injury or death. Yet for many, the benefits have fallen painfully short of what was promised. Read More »
Major Stories
Our Articles on Wounded Iraq and Afghan Interpreters—Now in Arabic
by T. Christian Miller, ProPublica - January 19, 2010 5:30 pm EST
Injured Abroad, Neglected at Home: Labor Dept. Slow to Help War Zone Contractors
by T. Christian Miller, ProPublica - December 17, 2009 2:30 pm EST
The government's lack of action has allowed abuse of the system set up to ensure medical care for injured civilians.
Contractors in Iraq Are Hidden Casualties of War
by T. Christian Miller, ProPublica - October 6, 2009 2:23 am EST
Reggie Lane, a struggling truck driver, hired on for a good salary with a defense contractor, but a rocket-propelled grenade shattered his life.
Injured War Zone Contractors Fight to Get Care From AIG and Other Insurers
by T. Christian Miller, ProPublica and Doug Smith, the Los Angeles Times - April 16, 2009 10:25 pm EST
Civilian contractors play an ever-greater role in Iraq and Afghanistan. But once they come home, their insurers often deny them their benefits, while the Labor Department fails to act.
Foreign Workers for U.S. Are Casualties Twice Over
by T. Christian Miller, ProPublica - June 19, 2009 7:00 pm EST
Contract employees injured in the conflict zones of Iraq and Afghanistan and families of those killed there are covered by American taxpayer-funded insurance, but it often fails to deliver.
Dobleng Dusa ang Nakuha sa Pagtatrabaho para sa Amerika
by T. Christian Miller, ProPublica - July 28, 2009 1:24 pm EST
Read a translation in Filipino of the June 19, 2009, story, "Foreign Workers for U.S. Are Casualties Twice Over."
Sometimes It’s Not Your War, But You Sacrifice Anyway
by T. Christian Miller, ProPublica - August 17, 2009 9:19 am EST
Although low-paid foreign contract workers face many of the same risks soldiers do in Iraq and Afghanistan, they rarely are informed of their rights or even receive the care that has already been purchased by U.S. taxpayers.
Ongoing Coverage
Lost in Limbo: Injured Afghan Translators Struggle to Survive
by Pratap Chatterjee, Special to ProPublica - December 17, 2009 10:11 pm EST
Afghan translators working for the U.S. often find that when they are injured, even the promised help is sometimes hard to get.
Blinded From a Sniper Bullet and Shortchanged by the System
by T. Christian Miller, ProPublica - December 17, 2009 8:20 pm EST
An Iraqi who was injured while helping in the U.S. war effort says AIG's settlement treated him unfairly.
For AIG’s Man in Jordan, War Becomes a Business Opportunity
by T. Christian Miller, ProPublica - December 17, 2009 8:41 pm EST
Emad Hatabah coordinated the care for hundreds of Iraqis working for U.S. troops, a role that benefited his own medical network.
Labor Dept., Congress Plan Improvements to System to Care for Injured War Contractors
by T. Christian Miller, ProPublica - October 13, 2009 10:15 am EST
Officials are making changes to track the performance of insurers and to speed up the handling of their disputes with injured contractors.
Civilian Contractor Toll in Iraq and Afghanistan Ignored by Defense Dept.
by T. Christian Miller, ProPublica - October 9, 2009 10:13 am EST
More than 1,600 civilian workers have died in the war zones, but the Pentagon isn't tracking the casualties.
Pentagon Study Proposes Overhaul of Defense Base Act to Cover Care for Injured Contractors
by T. Christian Miller, ProPublica - September 15, 2009 6:52 pm EST
Congress could save as much as $250 million a year through a sweeping overhaul of the controversial U.S. system to care for civilian contractors injured in war zones, according to a new Pentagon study.
Congressman Announces Plan to Reform U.S. System to Care for Injured Civilian Contractors
by T. Christian Miller, ProPublica - September 9, 2009 5:19 pm EST
Rep. Elijah Cummings said he hoped his proposal would reduce the $300 million a year paid by defense contractors to insurance companies.
Company That Probes War Contractor Injuries for AIG Is Itself Under Scrutiny
by T. Christian Miller, ProPublica - July 31, 2009 4:06 pm EST
The Labor Department is looking into whether a Maltese company misrepresented its employees as agents of the U.S. government.
Report Finds Advantages in Gov’t Takeover of Care for Injured Contractors
by T. Christian Miller, ProPublica - July 28, 2009 12:04 pm EST
Citing high insurance premiums paid by the Pentagon, the Congressional Research Service suggests cutting out the middleman.
Contractor Care May Figure in Obama’s Meeting With Filipino President
by T. Christian Miller, ProPublica - July 28, 2009 10:00 am EST
A senator in Manila presses for proper compensation of those injured or killed while working for the U.S. in war zones.
News Analysis: Broad Agreement That Workers’ Comp Program for War-Zone Workers Needs Fixing
by T. Christian Miller, ProPublica - June 23, 2009 4:10 pm EST
Lawmakers, Obama administration officials, private insurance companies and contractors found common ground in acknowledging there are serious flaws in the government's system for taking care of civilian workers injured or killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.
In One Filipino Town, Workers Injured in Iraq Depend on the Kindness of AIG
by T. Christian Miller, ProPublica - June 19, 2009 7:00 pm EST
Three men from the Filipino town of Lutopan served as part of the invisible army that daily cares for and feeds U.S. soldiers in Iraq. But when one died and the other two were injured, their treatment was far from uniform.
Congressional Hearing: Officials Admit Major Flaws in Program to Aid Wounded War-Zone Workers
by T. Christian Miller, ProPublica - June 19, 2009 7:56 am EST
Lawmakers criticized a federal program that relies on private insurance companies to provide medical care and benefits to civilians injured while working in Iraq and Afghanistan as injured war contractors confronted the executives of the companies they have been fighting for care.
AIG, KBR and CNA Face New Questions About Insurance for Injured Civilian Contractors
by T. Christian Miller, ProPublica - June 18, 2009 9:26 am EST
Despite his company spending more than $300,000 this year on lobbying, a Chicago-based carrier CNA executive will testify alongside AIG executives at a hearing on insurance for civilian contractors injured in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Pentagon’s IG to Examine AIG Insurance Provided to Private Contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan
by T. Christian Miller, ProPublica - May 21, 2009 10:14 am EST
The Defense Department is considering an audit into unpaid medical benefits, after an investigation by LA Times, ABC News and ProPublica led to calls for action from Congress.
Senate Hearing on AIG Care for Contractors Injured in Iraq Postponed Until June
by T. Christian Miller, ProPublica - May 12, 2009 7:42 am EST
A Senate hearing into the Pentagon's failure to collect billions of dollars from AIG and other insurers has been pushed back, Sen. Bernard Sanders, I-Vt., announces.
Kucinich Asks AIG Why It’s Denying Claims From Injured Contractors in Iraq
by T. Christian Miller, ProPublica - May 7, 2009 3:58 pm EST
In a letter to the insurer, Rep. Kucinich, D-Ohio, says he was "alarmed" by a recent investigation by ProPublica, ABC News and the LA Times. Hearings are expected this summer.
‘Forgotten Warriors’: Tim Newman’s Story
by T. Christian Miller, ProPublica - April 16, 2009 10:25 pm EST
After losing his leg to an IED in Baghdad, a DynCorp employee became an advocate for wounded contractors fighting to get benefits from their insurers. Then he wound up in a fight of his own.
Iraqi Army Headcount Still Unclear Despite Millions Paid to Private Contractor
by T. Christian Miller, ProPublica - October 24, 2008 8:45 am EST
‘Forgotten Warriors’: Russell Skoug’s Story
by T. Christian Miller, ProPublica - April 16, 2009 10:25 pm EST
As a contractor in Iraq, Skoug nearly lost his life when his vehicle hit an anti-tank mine. But the real shock hit when his employer’s insurance company refused to pay his medical bills.
AIG Faces Inquiry Over Medical Care for U.S. Contractors
by T. Christian Miller, ProPublica - April 22, 2009 8:09 am EST
Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., has called for an investigation following a report by ProPublica, the LA Times and ABC News that found AIG and other insurers often denied medical treatment for contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Military Fails to Collect From AIG for Care to Injured Contractors
by T. Christian Miller, ProPublica - May 7, 2009 9:59 am EST
The Pentagon is unable to meet its own regulations on obtaining reimbursements from insurers, a federal report finds, costing the military millions for the treatment of wounded contractors.
‘Forgotten Warriors’: Explanation of Analysis
by T. Christian Miller, ProPublica - April 16, 2009 10:25 pm EST
The Los Angeles Times and ProPublica spent more than 18 months examining the hidden world of civilian contractor injuries.
At the Kindness of AIG
Injuries and Deaths to Civilian Contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan by State
Injuries and Deaths to Civilian Contractors by Country
Profitable Policies for Insurers, Costly Coverage for Contractors
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