Iraq and Afghanistan veterans on Veterans Day 2014. Photo: IAVA on Flickr.

Today Knight grantee Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) launched a new version of its The Wait We Carry website. The tool takes government data about veteran disability claims, wait times in U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals, and more,  and presents the information in a way that’s easy to see and use. Related Link 

“The Wait We Carry 2.0 Launched by IAVA” — IAVA press release, 3/17/2015

“Digital initiative to expand help for military veterans” by Fernando Gonzalez on Knight Blog, 7/16/2014

The first version of the site debuted in 2013. Since then, the VA’s backlog for disability claims has fallen by more than 60 percent, according to IAVA. The new iteration of The Wait We Carry delves even deeper into the veteran experience with details on the health care challenges they face here at home.

Support for IAVA is part of Knight’s strategy to support people and institutions that use new ways to ensure Americans receive quality information that’s vital to how people live their lives. In that way, it’s similar to the support  we announced earlier this month to Democracy Works.

That concern for ensuring that Americans  can access the information they need is one of the reasons that we’re offering $3 million through the Knight News Challenge on Elections, the deadline for which is this Thursday at 5 p.m. ET. Apply or join the conversation at newschallenge.org.

John Bracken is vice president for media innovation at Knight Foundation.

Knight Foundation is partnering with the Democracy Fund, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and the Rita Allen Foundation on Knight News Challenge: Elections, which asks the question, How might we better inform voters and increase civic participation before, during and after elections? The best nonpartisan ideas will share in more than $3 million. Apply at newschallenge.org by 5 p.m. ET March 19. Winners will be announced in June.