THIS FOR YOU...
TONIGHT- NEWS FIVE INVESTIGATES THE V-A'S DECISION TO DENY DEATH BENEFITS FOR A VETERAN'S SURVIVING FAMILY.
JIMMY MAURICE WILLIAMS DIED 6 YEARS AGO FROM LUNG CANCER....A KNOWN HEALTH ISSUE CONNECTED TO
"AGENT ORANGE" DURING THE VIETNAM WAR.
BUT AS CHIEF INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER ERIC ROSS LEARNED...THE FAMILY IS STRUGGLING TO OBTAIN THE INFORMATION THEY NEED TO FILE AN APPEAL.
ERIC-- AND I WANT TO BE CLEAR--- THE V-A SAYS IT WOULD NEVER PURPOSELY DELAY OR DENY BENEFI
TO VETERANS AND THEIR FAMILIES.
THE ISSUE ULTIMATELY COMES DOWN TO THE V-A REQUESTING VERY SPECIFIC SERVICE RECORDS THE FAMILY HAS SPENT MONTHS TRYING TO TRACK DOWN....WITH NO LUCK.
"JIMMY WAS MY STEP FATHER BUT HE'S THE ONLY FATHER I KNEW.
ROSA MACHADO AND JOSEFA WILLIAMS DESCRIBE THE FATHER AND HUSBAND AS A HARD WORKING MAN WHO DID EVERYTHING HE COULD FOR
HIS FAMILY.
"HE WAS THE ONLY ONE WORKING, SUPPORTING THE FAMILY." WILLIAMS SERVED IN THE NAVY
DURING THE VIETNAM WAR.
HE PASSED AWAY IN 2012 AFTER BATTLING LUNG CANCER.
"IT'S DIFFICULT.
WE KIND OF LIVE IN POVERTY."
IN THE YEARS FOLLOWING WILLIAMS' DEATH...THE FAMILY STRUGGLED BOTH MENTALLY...AND FINANCIALLY.
"MY FATHER WAS RECEIVING SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS AT THE TIME OF HIS DEATH.
WE NOTIFIED THEM OF HIS PASSING
AND THEY STRIPPED MY
MOTHER OF HIS BENEFITS FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS BECAUSE SHE WAS NOT AT THAT AGE WHERE SHE COULD CLAIM HIS BENEFITS." IN AUGUST 2017-- THE FAMILY FILED FOR DIC BENEFITS, OR
DEPENDENCY AND INDEMNITY COMPENSATION THROUGH
THE V-A.
THIS BENEFIT IS A TAX FREE PAYMENT GIVEN TO ELIGIBLE
SURVIVORS OF MILITARY SERVICE MEMBERS WHO DIED IN THE LINE OF DUTY OR...TO ELIGIBLE SURVIVORS OF VETERANS WHOSE
DEATH RESULTED FROM A SERVICE- RELATED INJURY OR DISEASE.
THE FAMILY BELIEVES WILLIAMS' LUNG CANCER WAS LINKED TO EXPOSURE TO AGENT ORANGE DURING THE VIETNAM WAR.
THE VA ACKNOWLEDGES CERTAIN CANCERS AND OTHER HEALTH PROBLEMS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH
AGENT ORANGE OR OTHER HERBICIDES....AND SAYS VETERANS AND THEIR SURIVORS MAY BE ELIGIBLE FOR BENEFITS FOR THE DISEASES.
"MAY" BEING THE KEY WORD HERE...
BECAUSE THE FAMILY SAYS GETTING THE REQUIRED PROOF THE V-A IS ASKING FOR HAS BEEN CHALLENGING.
ROSA SAYS SHE'S HAD TO FILE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT REQUESTS JUST TO OBTAIN DOCUMENTS.
"MY MOTHER REALLY FEELS THAT SHE IS JUST BEING SHUFFLED TO DIFFERENT SERVICES IN THE AREA BUT NO ONE REALLY HAS ANY
INFORMATION ON HOW TO PROCEED WITH GATHERING EVIDENCE.
ACCORDING TO THIS LETTER DATED SEPTEMBER 18, 2017...
THE V-A TOLD THE FAMILY IT NEEDS
EVIDENCE THAT THE VETERAN'S SHIP ENTERED VIETNAM'S INLAND WATERWAYS WHILE ABOARD OR THAT WILLIAMS WENT ASHORE WHILE THE SHIP WAS DOCKED.
BUT THEN THE V-A REQUESTS THE SPECIFIC NAME OF THE SHIP AND THE APPROXIMATE DATES WHEN THE SHIP ENTERED THE INLAND WATERS.
KEEP IN MIND---THE VIETNAM WAR
ENDED MORE THAN 40 YEARS AGO.
THE FAMILY HAS GROWN SO DESPERATE FOR ANSWERS...THEY'VE EVEN BOUGHT VIETNAM WAR AND NAVY SHIP BOOKS TO SEARCH FOR INFORMATION.
"MY MOM DOESN'T FEEL LIKE SHE HAS THE SUPPORT SYSTEM SHE NEEDS TO PROVIDE THE EVIDENCE
ROSA SAYS SHE'S SPOKEN WITH NUMEROUS V-A ORGANIZATIONS AND FAMILY MEMBERS....BUT FINDING
THE DETAILED INFORMATION THE V-A IS REQUESTING HAS BEEN IMPOSSIBLE.
SHE EVEN REACHED OUT TO CONGRESSMAN DOUG LAMBORN'S OFFICE...WHICH CONFIRMS THEY ARE TRYING TO HELP THE FAMILY LOCATE RECORDS....
BUT THEY ONLY HAVE A LITTLE MORE THAN 3 MONTHS TO FILE AN APPEAL.
"THE OBSTICLES AT THIS POINT IS FINDING THE NECESSARY INFORMATION TO PROVE THAT HE SET
FOOT IN VIETNAM."
====== AND THE V-A IS NOT SAYING WILLIAMS' NEVER SET FOOT IN VIETNAM...THEY SIMPLY SAY THEY
HAVEN'T BEEN PROVIDED ANY INFORMATION SHOWING THAT HE DID AND THEREFORE..THEY ARE UNABLE TO POSITIVELY LINK THE CANCER TO
HIS SERVICE IN THE NAVY.
ROB AND ELIZABETH....
I'M TOLD A LOT OF WILLIAMS' RECORDS WERE DESTROYED AFTER HIS HOUSE COLLAPSED IN CALIFORNIA BACK IN 1982.
UNFORTUNATELY, SOME VETERANS DON'T ALWAYS LIKE TO SHARE
SPECIFIC DETAILS ABOUT THEIR TIME IN THE SERVICE...
AND A LOT OF THAT INFORMATION...
WENT TO THE GRAVE WHEN WILLIAMS PASSED AWAY.
SO WHAT'S NEXT FOR THIS FAMILY?
WELL THE V-A ASSURED ME THEY WOULD REACH BACK OUT TO THE FAMILY SO THEY HAVE A CLEAR
UNDERSTANDING OF THE APPEALS PROCESS.
THERE IS SOME HOPE....YESTERDAY
AFTERNOON---A SPOKESPERSON FOR CONGRESSMAN LAMBORNS OFFICE TOLD ME THEY JUST LOCATED 400 PAGES OF SHIP RECORDS WHICH MAY SHINE
SOME LIGHT ON THIS CASE...
AS ALWAYS--WE'LL LET OUR VIEWERS KNOW THE OUTCOME.
NOW IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM OR ISSUE YOU'D LIKE ME TO LOOK INTO....GIVE ME A CALL OR SEND AN EMAIL TO NEWS FIVE
INVESTIGATES AT KOAA DOT C