VETERAN PROFILES
Following are the real stories of veterans who have applied for disability benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). They have all experienced extraordinary difficulty in obtaining the benefits they have earned. Some of these individuals have agreed to share their stories only under the condition of anonymity for fear that there will be retribution from the VA, which could further delay the decisions on their outstanding claims. When an individual's name has been changed an * has been placed next to their name.
Bobby
Marine Corps Veteran, Desert Storm
Bobby has been waiting for full benefits from the VA for almost 13 years. Having served in Desert Storm and upon his retirement from the military, he has had problems with his kidneys, his immune response system, bone aches, bone loss, a deteriorating cornea and PTSD. Due to his service-connected physical problems, he is disabled and unable to work. Despite his numerous claims, he is unable to get the full veteran benefits he has earned. He currently receives a 10 percent disability compensation which equates to $117 each month Ð hardly enough money to support his family.
Bobby was frustrated with the lack of assistance from the VA and sought help on his own. He estimates he has spent nearly $100,000 of his own money on private healthcare while waiting on the VA to process his claims. He currently has several outstanding claims in appeals. He has had countless claims denied, and each time the VA requires more and more information. He does not want a handout, just the money he is due for his service to our country.
Steve*
Army Veteran, Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom
Steve* has been working since 2003 to secure the benefits he deserves from the VA for his military service related injuries. His physical ailments include shoulder pain, knee pain, neck pain, severe migraines and PTSD. Due to his physical and mental state, he is disabled and unable to work. While he receives 70 percent disability benefit from the VA and full Social Security, he is missing out on nearly $1,600 in benefits each month because the VA has not processed his claims for 100 percent disability in a timely manner. Steve is in so much pain, he has resorted to seeking private healthcare, which he cannot afford. As a result, he has several healthcare bills in collections and mounting expenses. As a result of these growing medical bills, he is unable to properly support his three children.
James
Army Veteran, Desert Storm
James suffers with severe Multiple Sclerosis (MS). His symptoms include chronic leg and back pain, short-term memory loss, slurred speech, trouble swallowing, word loss, optic neuritis, muscle spasms, muscle weakness, chronic fatigue, bladder and bowel difficulties, and cognitive impairment. James spent more than 10 years fighting for the benefits he deserves. He submitted his first claim to the VA in 1992 and it was denied a year later because of "lack of evidence." He appealed and was denied again in 1996 and his claim went back into the appeals process. He later discovered that his VA doctors had repeatedly recorded incorrect and incomplete information on his medical records. After spending more than a decade trying to obtain a diagnosis from the VA for his debilitating conditions, he finally sought care at a private hospital. James was diagnosed with MS in only 12 hours. Armed with this private healthcare diagnosis he was granted the disability benefits he deserved for his service-related conditions, after 14 years of battling the VA.
Chase
Navy Veteran, Iraq War
Chase first applied for disability in December 2007, because of pain in his ankles and shoulders and his quickly deteriorating eyesight. Nearly six months later, he received a letter from the VA denying his claim for lack of evidence. He soon discovered that during his VA exam, the doctor had made a major error in documenting his physical condition as a problem with his arm, when in fact the doctor had examined his shoulder. Due to this technical mishap the VA did not believe his claim and he was denied coverage. Chase immediately appealed and in October 2008 found out that his request for disability benefits had been denied once again. However, the more serious issue, his eyesight, is clearly documented. Private doctors have told him that his eye disease is incurable and he will soon be completely blind. Even still, the VA refuses to grant him full disability benefits.
Kelly Doyle
Air Force Veteran, Desert Storm
In January 2003 Kelly applied for disability benefits and was denied because according to the VA her medical records were "incomplete." The VA failed to pull her dental records and realize that she had been thoroughly examined and diagnosed with TMJ by the Air Force in 1994. She continued to apply for benefits and was repeatedly denied. The most recent denial letter came in October 2008, when she was once again denied benefits for TMJ and fibromyalgia.
Until just recently, Kelly received 60 percent disability income from the VA $928.00 per month. She now receives 100 percent coverage for Chronic Adjustment Disorder, but only temporarily until 2011, with no retroactive payment from the date she originally filed for disability in 2003. The VA's constant disregard for Kelly's mounting illnesses forced her to seek civilian medical care, which she could not afford. Today, she has unpaid civilian medical bills and is in severe debt because the VA continues to deny her claims. She recently had to sell her home and move in with her parents to avoid becoming homeless.
Mark
Air Force Veteran, Desert Shield and Desert Storm
Mark first sought VA assistance in 1993 because he was experiencing memory loss, depression, and sleeping difficulties, as well as physical problems such as joint pain, muscle pain and shortness of breath. Mark is convinced his physical complications are a direct result of chemical exposure, anti-nerve agent pills, and experimental shots he received before and during the Gulf War, yet the VA has not properly addressed them.
In 1994, Mark filed his first disability claim, which was denied. He appealed his claim with the help of his congressman and received 50 percent disability in 1997. In 2001, Mark applied for 100 percent unemployability from the VA, as he was unable to hold down a steady job. At this point, Mark found out that the VA had lost his military records. He traveled to the VA's central office and demanded that they find his records. Later that year, Mark's records were located, and he received a 100 percent disability rating from the VA. After 7 long years, the VA finally awarded him the benefits he deserved.
Bob
Army Veteran, Vietnam
Bob filed his first VA claim shortly after visiting his local VA in 1995. When he tried to obtain 8 years worth of his Army medical records he discovered that the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) had sent the originals to the VA Regional Office in his home state to process his disability claims. They had also failed to keep copies on hand. Bob's 8 years of military records have never been seen again after disappearing into his state's VA regional office.
While under treatment for Agent Orange-related cancer in 2005 Bob, and 21,000 additional 100 percent disabled Vietnam veterans, received a letter from the VA saying that their PTSD claims were under review. The letter stated that Bob's claim file contained insufficient proof of his PTSD stressor. Unless he could provide better proof of his condition within 30 days, his compensation would end. A VA investigator told Bob there was neither any record of his PTSD trigger event nor any record of Bob or his unit serving in the Vietnam War. The burden of proving the facts of the claim lay on Bob's shoulders.
The stress of the PTSD fraud review landed Bob in a mental hospital overwhelmed with PTSD, anxiety, fear, and the side effects of cancer treatment. On his last day in the hospital Bob's hard work in finding his records paid off. He received a packet from NARA containing the extensive official military records which the VA said did not exist and which were needed to prove Bob's case. Bob has been restored to his status as a 100 percent service-connected disabled veteran drawing full compensation and medical benefits. However, at 60 years old, Bob is left living with PTSD and cancer as well as an overwhelming fear that the VA will again "review" his 100 percent PTSD disability compensation and take away his benefits. This worry has drained the quality of life for Bob and his wife and has provided a continual, threatening shadow over their lives.
