Gomers: What's going wrong

DISASTER AUDIT: A recent audit by the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development charged that $10.3 million worth of disaster payments from HUD to Cedar Rapids small businesses were made without following all required procedures and that the state didn't provide adequate monitoring. While there appears to be no evidence so far of substantial fraud, the probe could shake public confidence. Just as important, state and city officials should work to ensure that no eligible, deserving business has to return money because of process mistakes or misunderstandings.

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VETERANS AFFAIRS: A recent case argued before the U.S. Supreme Court included data indicating that up to 70 percent of recent veterans' benefit appeals have been wrongly denied by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The backlog of cases has actually grown even after Congress provided more funds to hire more personnel to help process applications and appeals. Some of these involve Iowans. If this situation is as bad as Sen. Chuck Grassley described it last week, many veterans are not getting the service they have earned in return for what they've given to their country.