We gave up to the point where we sat here for roughly, I want to say, a year with a $1,500 a month income. Denials are not uncommon in the VA system, but they can put a tremendous stress on the limited income of people like Fernandez and her spouse.įERNANDEZ: I gave up. WALSH: She lost her appeal to add additional disabilities to her claim. I was reading it more and more fine print, and I realized I didn't have half of my disabilities on there. All that documentation helped her prove that some of her disabilities were service-connected.įERNANDEZ: When I first got out, I immediately went ahead and put my claim in - no waiting at all. Fernandez has binders full of medical records spread out on her couch in Portsmouth, Va. She began applying for disability benefits through the VA. WALSH: At 26 years old, she was medically separated from the service. So when I didn't pass my last physical, they went ahead and discharged me. I'm also going deaf in my right ear, and I have deteriorating discs in my lower back and many other medical conditions. But a series of ailments began piling up.ĮRICA FERNANDEZ: I have melanoma in my right eye, going blind in it. She ended up on the crew of the Navy's newest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald Ford. She eventually became a parachute rigger. STEVE WALSH, BYLINE: In 2019, Erica Fernandez joined the Navy. Steve Walsh with member station WHRO in Norfolk reports. At the same time, federal officials are trying to crack down on companies that promise to help veterans with claims, then leave them with thousands of dollars in fees. That law expands benefits for veterans exposed to toxic chemicals. The VA wants veterans to know about the PACT Act.
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