How my dad lost his money thanks to the VA

“My dad asked me to tell his story: He’s a disabled veteran. He worked till retirement from GM in 1993. In 1994, he and my then teenage brother were wrestling hen my dad fell and broke his neck. He’s been a quadriplegic ever since. My parents live on a fixed income from his retirement and they were really looking forward to the $600. They have been having problems with Haley VA Hospital taking money out of his social security, or any other money that comes via the government. They have been paying bills from the VA Hospital for years, yet it seems that years later some charge or another pops up. This time the VA Hospital claimed all but $218 of the rebate check. This rebate wasn’t supposed to be for bills, but to stimulate the economy. My parents paid the amount they were billed for this month, but the VA took extra. This just isn’t right, but when you complain to the VA, you get nothing but red tape. My parents needed this money very badly. The wheelchair van is broken down again (damn Ford) and the stove went out on them too. I couldn’t think of anything else to do so I gave them my rebate check. The VA sucks. They don’t care about a 68 year old retiree quadriplegic who wasn’t in a war. He was serving during the period between Korea and Vietnam, during the cold war where we could have been at war any moment. He wasn’t wounded in battle, so they don’t care. He falls by the wayside and my parents end up balancing on the thin edge every month. I give them every dime I can.”

Aimee Charbeneau, 35, graphic artist
Tampa, FL