Wounded Vietnam Vet sues Army to get care

Conn. vet wounded in Vietnam sues Army to get care
DAVE COLLINS
Associated Press
Thursday, November 8, 2012

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — A Purple Heart recipient from Connecticut who was wounded in the Vietnam War sued the Army on Thursday, saying he's wrongly being denied health care benefits.

Lawyers for William Dolphin, 64, of West Haven, filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court in New Haven in an attempt to upgrade his discharge status and get benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Dolphin was given a bad conduct discharge in 1974 after being charged with going absent without leave, or AWOL. He didn't realize the Army considered him AWOL after he left a New York City hospital to convalesce at home while suffering from memory loss, depression and trouble concentrating, according to the Yale Law School Veterans Legal Services Clinic, which is representing Dolphin.

Dolphin has been overwhelmed by medical bills and can't afford regular care for his conditions, while the bad conduct discharge has prevented him from receiving VA care, his lawyers say. He has asked Army officials to upgrade his discharge status, but they have refused.
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