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What a crock of CRAP!
These people are ruthless!




Desperately ill Marine veteran finally gets some good news
BY TRACY VEDDER
TUESDAY, JUNE 21ST 2016


SEATTLE -- The KOMO Investigators are getting results for a local veteran who is desperately ill.

Spike George developed a terminal illness after drinking contaminated water at a Marine Corps base. After being denied benefits numerous times, George is now resting easier knowing at least the bill for his current month-long hospital stay will be covered.

George is in the last stages of systemic scleroderma. It's a disease that attacks the body from the inside out; in George's case hardening his skin and his internal organs. As of June 21st, he weighs just 107 pounds. Still he feels better than when KOMO news first interviewed him more than a month ago.

"I could barely talk," said George, who added that his right lung was collapsed and he was having trouble just breathing.

George was a Marine at Camp LeJeune from 1984 to 1988, during the 30 year period when the water there was contaminated with toxins known to cause cancer and other serious illnesses -- including scleroderma. In 2012, Congress and the President approved automatic health care coverage for Camp LeJeune Marines with those diseases.

But last year, the VA denied George's health care benefits, saying he made too much money working as a King County Corrections Officer. He kept working through pain and debility in order to keep those benefits in place for himself, his wife and his children. But he was fighting a progressive disease and hasn't been able to work at all since January of 2016.

The day after our first interview, George was admitted to Swedish Medical Center and underwent two emergency surgeries. But now the insurance from his 20-plus year career has run out.

Finally last Friday, June 17th, following KOMO's calls to the VA, we learned the Veterans Administration would pay all of George's health care costs from June 14th forward.

"It was good news," George said, "until today."

Last week was good news -- this week it was bad. A social worker brought a new denial from the VA.

"She said they were not authorized for me to go into a nursing care facility. I'm like - really?" he said.

The KOMO Investigators again started making calls and sending emails. It turns out veterans need to be at least 70 percent disabled by the VA in order to get long term care. Since George has twice been denied disability by the VA for his scleroderma, he is not eligible.

So he can get health care, but not long term nursing home care, which is where he needs to go after Swedish discharges him probably sometime this week.

This afternoon the Puget Sound Veterans Health Administration told me it is working on a short term plan to move him, temporarily, to either a nursing home or the VA hospital and pay for it. And they promised they are committed to not leaving Spike George with nowhere to go.

"Aw, it's a big relief, really big relief," George said.

This is only a short term plan for the next month or so. George still needs the VA to find a long-term facility and he hopes it will approve his second appeal asking for full disability.