THEY ARE THE BEST AND THE
BRAVEST OF US.
MEN AND WOMEN WHO SACRIFICED
EVERYTHING TO SERVE OUR COUNTRY.
NOW OUR COUNTRY IS TURNING ITS
BACK ON THEM.
THEY HOPE I DIE.
THOUSANDS OF AGING HEROES
STRUGGLING TO LIVE WITHOUT THE
BENEFITS THEY DESPERATELY NEED.
HOPING THE SYSTEM CATCHES UP TO
THEM BEFORE DEATH DOES.
NO ONE WOULD LISTEN TO THEIR
PLEAS FOR HELP, EXCEPT FOR
SENIOR INVESTIGATOR STEVE
ANDREWS.
I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO GET
SOMEBODY TO TALK TO US ABOUT
THAT.
TONIGHT A TARGET 8 SPECIAL
"DELAY DENY UNTIL THEY DIE.
HERE ARE KEITH CATE AND JENNIFER
LEIGH.
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.
8 ON YOUR SIDE IS DIGGING
DEEPER INTO A NATIONAL CRISIS
THAT AFFECTS ALL OF US.
OUR VETERANS NEED HELP AND OUR
GOVERNMENT IS EITHER UNABLE OR
UNWILLING TO KEEP THE PROMISES
THEY MADE TO THEM.
WHAT'S EVEN MORE
HEARTBREAKING, NO ONE SEEMS TO
WANT TO LISTEN TO THESE SERVICE
MEMBERS WHO PUT THEIR LIVES ON
THE LINE FOR ALL OF US.
OUR SENIOR INVESTIGATIVE
REPORTER STEVE ANDREWS HAS BEEN
FIGHTING HARD FOR OUR VETERANS.
AND, STEVE, SO MANY PEOPLE WANT
TO IGNORE THIS BUT IT'S NOT
GOING AWAY.
NO, NOT WHEN THERE ARE HALF A
MILLION VETERANS FIGHTING WITH
THE V.A.
THESE ARE VETERANS WHO BELIEVE
THE V.A. WRONGLY DENIED THEM
DISABILITY BENEFITS.
THEY FACE AN APPEALS PROCESS
THAT IS JUST PLAIN BROKEN.
LOCKED IN A WAITING GAME.
AND FOR MANY, TIME IS OF THE
ESSENCE.
BEFORE HE BECAME ILL, ROD
McELVEEN RUBBED ELBOWS WITH
SOME VERY INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE.
BUT IN 2011 SOMETHING STARTED
HAPPENING.
MY FEET STARTED GETTING VERY
HOT.
MY HANDS STARTED SHAKING.
ROD SOON NEEDED ASSISTANCE
WALKING, EVEN HOLDING A PEN.
LIKE I SAY, I GET THE SHAKES
REAL BAD.
TURNS OUT ROD WAS IN THE NAVY
ABOARD THE HOSPITAL SHIP U.S.S.
SANCTUARY DURING THE VIETNAM
WAR.
HE WENT TO SHORE FREQUENTLY.
AND PLANES WOULD FLY RIGHT
OVER JUST POURING THE STUFF.
THAT STUFF WAS AGENT ORANGE.
ONCE AFTER 86 HOURS OF SURGERY,
HE WAS REWARDED WITH AN
EXCURSION TO CHINA BEACH.
IT WAS JUST SPRING.
HERE WE WERE HAVING A PICNIC
EATING FOOD WITH OUR HANDS FULL
OF AGENT ORANGE.
ROD HAS DEVELOPED DIABETES
AND PERIPHERAL NEUROPATHY.
HIS HANDS AND FEET FEEL LIKE
THEY ARE ON FIRE.
THE V.A. REJECTED HIS AGENT
ORANGE DISABILITY CLAIM.
IN AUGUST HE WAS 12,717 ON AN
APPEALS LIST.
HE WAS TOLD HE MIGHT HEAR FROM
THE V.A. IN A YEAR AND A HALF.
I SAID, WELL, I COULD BE DEAD
BY THEN.
THEY HOPE I DIE OR GIVE UP.
I'M NOT GOING TO GIVE UP.
I HOPE THE HELL I DON'T DIE.
TOM JENKINS SPEND TIME AT
UBON ROYAL AIR FORCE BASE IN
THAILAND DURING THE VIETNAM WAR.
THE MILITARY SPRAYED AGENT
ORANGE ON VEGETATION AROUND THE
PERIMETER.
TOM STOOD GUARD THERE.
IN FACT, THEY TALKED ABOUT
YOU'RE STANDING IN AGENT ORANGE,
BUT DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT.
IT'S NOT TOXIC.
IT WON'T HURT YOU.
THE V.A. REJECTED A CLAIM
THAT HIS HEART DISEASE AND
PAINFUL NEUROPATHY ARE TIED TO
AGENT ORANGE EXPOSURE.
TOM ASKED FOR AN APPEAL HEARING
IN WASHINGTON.
IN JULY HE GOT WORD 12,395
APPEALS STOOD IN FRONT OF HIS.
ACCORDING TO A REPORT BY THE
V.A., ITS APPEALS PROCESS IS
BROKEN.
THE PRESENT LEGAL FRAMEWORK IS
COMPLEX, INEFFICIENT,
INEFFECTIVE AND CONFUSING.
HERE'S AN EXAMPLE.
AN APPEALS BOARD MAY HAVE TO
CONSULT OVER 921 LINEAR FEET OF
REFERENCE MATERIALS IN ANY GIVEN
CASE.
THAT'S TALLER THAN THE
WASHINGTON MONUMENT AND STATUE
OF LIBERTY COMBINED.
LAW PROFESSOR AND V.A. ADVOCATE
STACEY-RAE SIMCOX.
IT SHOULDN'T TAKE THIS MUCH
PAPERWORK FOR ONE VETERAN TO BE
ABLE TO GET AN AGENT ORANGE
BENEFIT.
CONGRESS DOLLED OUT
$182 BILLION TO THE V.A. IN
HOPES OF MAKING IT MORE VETERAN
FRIENDLY.
THAT V.A. APPEALS PROCESS IS
BROKEN.
8 ON YOUR SIDE AIRED TWO
REPORTS IN AUGUST PROFILING HOW
DOCTORS TIED ROD'S PHYSICAL
PROBLEMS TO AGENT ORANGE
EXPOSURE.
ONLY THEN DID THE V.A. RESPOND
RAPIDLY.
SO THANKS TO YOU AND
CHANNEL 8 FOR THIS TO SHOW UP ON
THE NEWS, AND TWO DAYS LATER GO
FROM 12,000 TO, HEY, WE'VE GOT
YOU COVERED.
FOLLOWING OUR REPORTS, TOM'S
CASE WAS MOVED TO THE TOP OF THE
WAITING LIST, ALSO.
A V.A. PROGRAM SET UP TO RESOLVE
ANOTHER CRISIS STUMBLED OUT OF
THE GATE.
CONGRESS WAS SHOCKED WHEN IT
LEARNED VETERANS DIED WHILE
WAITING FOR MEDICAL
APPOINTMENTS.
V.A. ADMINISTRATORS ALSO
FALSIFIED RECORDS TO SHOW THE
SYSTEM SAW PATIENTS WHEN IT
ACTUALLY DIDN'T.
THE VETERANS CHOICE PROGRAM WAS
SUPPOSED TO GET VETERANS IN
QUICKLY FOR CARE.
LOUIS SALVATO SERVED HIS COUNTRY
AS A MARINE FROM 1969 TO 1971.
AT 66 YEARS OLD, HE WAS LIVING
IN SPRING HILL SUFFERING FROM
LIVER DESTROYING HEPATITIS C.
IT'S ONLY GOING TO BE HARDER
AND HARDER TO TREAT.
AND THE LONGER WE WAIT, HOW MUCH
LIVER AM I GOING TO HAVE LEFT?
LOUIS ENROLLED IN THE V.A.'S
CHOICE PROGRAM.
RATHER THAN TREK ALL THE WAY TO
TAMPA'S JAMES A. HALEY V.A.
HOSPITAL, HE SOUGHT TREATMENT
FROM PRIVATE DOCTORS CLOSER TO
HOME.
THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO GIVE YOU
AN APPOINTMENT AND GET YOU
WITHIN 30 DAYS.
THE GOVERNMENT POURED
10 BILLION OF YOUR TAX DOLLARS
INTO THE VETERANS CHOICE
PROGRAM.
HEALTH NET ADMINISTERS THE
PROGRAM IN THIS HALF OF THE
COUNTRY.
THEY ARE ACTUALLY TAKING
LONGER THAN IF YOU WENT RIGHT
THROUGH THE V.A.
LOUIS WAITED FOR MONTHS FOR
THE V.A. AND HEALTH NET TO
APPROVE APPOINTMENTS.
OUR INVESTIGATION SHOWED THAT
DOCTORS WERE ALSO WAITING FOR
MONTHS -- TO BE PAID.
AFTER PERFORMING ROUTINE
CATARACT SURGERY IN JULY 2015 ON
A VETERAN PARTICIPATING IN THE
VETERANS CHOICE PROGRAM,
DR. LAWRENCE GOLDBERG OF
ST. PETERSBURG WAS STILL WAITING
FOR THE V.A. TO PAY HIM SIX
MONTHS LATER.
A COUPLE OF MONTHS WOULD BE
FINE, BUT THIS IS GETTING A
LITTLE KIND OF RIDICULOUS.
MONEY ISN'T THE ONLY PROBLEM
ACCORDING TO DR. GOLDBERG.
HEALTH NET REQUIRED VOLUMINOUS
DOCUMENTATION.
IF WE HAD TO DO THIS FOR
EVERY PATIENT, I REALLY COULDN'T
PRACTICE AND SEE VERY MANY
PARENTS IN A DAY.
FOR ONE PATIENT, HIS OFFICE
HAS SPENT MULTIPLE HOURS ON THE
PHONE WITH HEALTH NET.
IT SHOULDN'T BE THIS
DIFFICULT.
DR. GOLDBERG HAS TOLD ME HE'S
ABOUT DONE WITH THE V.A. CHOICE
PROGRAM.
HIS RECEPTIONIST WAITED TWO
HOURS ON THE PHONE WITH HEALTH
NET THE OTHER DAY BEFORE
SPEAKING WITH A HUMAN.
HE IS WAITING TO BE PAID FOR
PROCEDURES THAT HE PERFORMED IN
JUNE AND JULY.
WELL, STEVE, WHATEVER
HAPPENED WITH LOUIS SALVATO?
WELL, IT'S INTERESTING
BECAUSE THE DAY AFTER WE AIRED
OUR REPORT, HE GOT A PHONE CALL.
AND THEY SAID, HEY, WE SAW YOU
ON THE NEWS.
IT MIGHT BE A GOOD IDEA TO COME
ON IN FOR AN APPOINTMENT.
HE GOT THAT APPOINTMENT AFTER
MONTHS OF WAITING.
HE WAS SEEN, PUT ON NEW
MEDICATION.
AND HE CALLED ME AND TOLD ME
WELL, THAT'S GOOD.
WHICH IS AMAZING NEWS.
BUT AS WE SAW WITH DR. GOLDBERG,
PROBLEMS CLEARLY CONTINUE.
YEAH.
THIS IS A $10 BILLION PROGRAM
THAT WAS THROWN TOGETHER IN
90 DAYS.
ONE OF THE PERSISTENT PROBLEMS
IS PAYING THE PROVIDERS.
THAT FALLS ON THE V.A. AND
CONGRESS TO MAKE CHANGES TO THE
CURRENT LAW AND TO MAKE THIS
PROGRAM MORE EFFICIENT.
ALL RIGHT.
THANK YOU, STEVE.
SURE.
COMING UP, IS THE V.A.
IGNORING SCIENCE TO AVOID PAYING
OUT BENEFITS?
WE'LL EXPLAIN WHY NAVY VETERANS
WHO DRANK AND BATHED IN WATER
TAINTED WITH AGENT ORANGE ARE
BEING DENIED.
I EXPECTED MY COUNTRY TO TAKE
CARE OF ME.
♪