Despite all that evidence, the VA denied his claim.

Despite all that evidence, the VA denied his claim.
"I feel nothing but frustration and betrayal from them," said Reyes.

To his psychologist Dr. Clancy, the VA's decision "was jaw-dropping."

Retired soldier: 'I feel nothing but frustration and betrayal'
By Tracy Vedder
Watch the story
STANWOOD, Wash. -- Thousands of local vets currently suffering from injury and illness are in a kind of limbo. The Veterans Administration has denied them benefits, and many feel betrayed by a VA appeals process that can take years.

Twice a week, Keith Reyes tries to perform the simplest tests of balance for his physical therapist. It's a struggle. He's been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and a traumatic brain injury.

"Not only does he have some issues with his brain and the way it reads balance, but he's got some inner-ear problems as well from the blast," said physical therapist Sarah Ridley.

Reyes wobbles and trembles through a simple course where the obstacles are three inch-high squishy domes and a foam walkway. On his first try, his foot knocks over a foot and a half-high bar he's supposed to step over.

This is a man who spent 20 years as a Navy diver and was part of the elite Special Warfare Combat Crew team. He worked hand in hand with Navy SEALs. Reyes bleeds red, white and blue.

"I'd die for my country over and over," he said.
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Not only do I hear this all the time, it's also personal experience. When we hear about claims being denied, appeals being filed for denials as well as the backlog of claims, there are lives on the line. It would be great to just blame this administration for the torture these veterans have to go through, but that would be denying the problem has been in existence since after WWII. There very well could have been a problem back then, but very little has been reported on it.

It took years for the government to acknowledge what experts were already clanging alarm bells over when it came to PTSD and Agent Orange. While the veterans were suffering, the VA was the last to be brought up to speed. Claims denied no matter what evidence was produced, no matter what their own doctors found and no matter what letters of support veterans had in hand. Vietnam veterans are still waiting to have their claims approved, which in itself is a disgrace, but now they have to stand in line behind the newer veterans because the pressure is on to take care of them. Why can't they all be taken care of at the same time?

A recent report pointed part of the problem at Lockheed Martin. How a contractor got involved in this instead of government employees at the VA is puzzling and very troubling. They have not alleviated the pressures of veterans waiting years for compensation, but they added to the problem.

While we read about the Iraq and Afghanistan veterans suffering with their wounds and waiting for compensation to pay their bills and survive, we also need to acknowledge the older veterans who are waiting even longer, seeing their claims being denied as well. For them, time is the enemy. Unless they have an approved VA rating they have to pay for their care if they turn to the VA. It has taken over 30 years to reach them, make them aware of what's wrong with them and then they feel betrayed because the VA was not ready for any of them. They did not suddenly discover there is something wrong. They knew that all along. Outreach work has gotten them to understand what the "wrong" actually is. Now the wrong has been complicated with all that is wrong with the VA system itself.

Again, reminder here, the issue is not with the employees of the VA. Keep in mind most of them could be making a lot more money working in the private sector. Most of them are either connected to veterans because of family members or are veterans themselves. The anger needs to be directed to the top of the food chain but we also have to keep in mind this problem is not something new and has been going on for a very long time. We have a golden opportunity to fix the system once and for all now that the media is finally paying attention to all of this. We can and we must take care of all the veterans or none of them are really being honored at all.

Senior Chaplain Kathie Costos
Namguardianangel@aol.com
www.Namguardianangel.org
www.Woundedtimes.blogspot.com
"The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive veterans of early wars were treated and appreciated by our nation." - George Washington