He served more than 17 years in the U.S. Army, but says that after he left the service he was denied access to the health care he needed. Now the decorated veteran says he is dying of cancer.
In court documents, the vet days he was honorably discharged from the Army a decade ago, but began to develop health problems. When he tried to make appointments at the VA, he was only allowed to schedule them months in advance. And then the VA would often call before the appointment to cancel, forcing him to restart the process.
He was finally able to see a nurse practitioner in late 2011, who discovered a prostate abnormality. But she did not order more tests or a follow-up exam or send him to a specialist. Instead, the nurse simply told “that there was nothing he could or should do about his abnormal prostate exam results.”
His condition continued to deteriorate, however, and a year later the diagnosis was quite different: incurable, terminal prostate cancer. The physician urged him to go to a hospice.
Instead, the veteran went to see a private doctor who performed a “radical surgical procedure.” Unfortunately, the result was permanent injuries and “debilitating problems,” according to a TV station report.
He and his medical malpractice attorney argue that if the VA had “properly seen, evaluated, diagnosed, and treated” him from the beginning, the cancer “would have been curable.”
Further complicating this tragedy: it took place at the VA in Phoenix. As you recall, the hospital there was the epicenter of the VA scandal that engulfed the system in 2014.
We do not know what will happen to the veteran or to his lawsuit, but we do know that this type of thing has happened far too often to our nation’s bravest. Contact a San Antonio attorney experienced in VA hospital negligence claims to discuss your situation.
