Army veteran Skip Morrison barely kept it together while describing his interminable fight with the Veterans Administration (VA) for a referral to a much-needed healthcare specialist, fighting back tears as he declared it’s “sad the way we’re treated.”
The Seattle-area veteran spoke with local TV news station KIRO 7 on Monday about his long struggle to get a specialist’s appointment through the VA’s Puget Sound Area Medical System. Morrison served two years in the Army and is now “100 percent disabled” due to a back injury he suffered in the line of duty.
“We fight for our country, and now have to fight for everything we’re entitled to,” he lamented tearfully. “It’s not right.”
Morrison explained that every time he goes to the VA complaining about back pain he’s simply given pain pills, with referrals for effective treatment taking months and lots of leg work by Morrison.
“I want to know if something can get done with this, I don’t want to just keep taking pills!” he declared. Morrison claims he can’t afford to go to a civilian doctor, and feels “stuck” in the VA system.
The report also highlights Cliff Douglas, another veteran who died after waiting months for a medical examination of a cancerous tumor. The cancer spread before the VA could even make an appointment for Douglas, and his sister is now suing the ponderous bureaucracy for her brother’s death.
[h/t IJReview]
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