In a perfect nation, the men and women like Robert Cafici would be valued. Their loyalty to the country would compel them to work with them, get them treated for substance abuse and find out what's behind the use of drugs. After all, these are not your average citizen. These are people so dedicated to the country, they are willing to die for it. But this is not a perfect nation. Far from it when the troops and our veterans get to the point where they have just taken too much abuse, lost too much hope and cannot find one reason to stay alive in this country.
Parents of ex-Marine who killed himself sue VA
Newsday - Long Island,NY,USA
BY MARTIN C. EVANS martin.evans@newsday.com
February 5, 2009
The Oak Beach parents of a 21-year-old ex-Marine who died of a heroin overdose are suing the Department of Veterans Affairs, saying admissions personnel at a VA hospital in Pennsylvania incorrectly advised their son that he was ineligible for medical coverage assistance when he sought treatment there the day before he died. The suit alleges that VA officials told Robert Cafici he was ineligible because of his less than honorable discharge.
Cafici had gone to a VA hospital in Lebanon, Pa., on Dec. 13, 2007, complaining of symptoms of jaundice, according to his parents, Vincent and Concetta Cafici.
The lawsuit claims that a routine check of VA medical records would have shown VA personnel in Pennsylvania that Cafici was being treated for post-traumatic stress disorder and other unspecified ailments at the Veterans Administration Medical Center at Northport. Doctors there considered him a suicide risk because of a similar overdose six months earlier, according to the records.
The lawsuit, which was drafted last year, comes amid allegations by veterans groups that Washington has been incompetent in addressing the psychological needs of U.S. troops and veterans stressed by more than seven years of war. Last month, both the Army and the Marines released figures showing sharp increases in suicides among uniformed personnel.
"I don't know if the public is informed about how our boys are being treated," Vincent Cafici said. "A lot of them need help, and I don't know if they are getting it."
A spokesman for the VA, Phil Budahn, said the department does not routinely comment on pending lawsuits.
He also said "for most veterans, the VA will only care for problems caused by or aggravated during their military service, and that in some circumstances, a less than honorable discharge can limit a veteran's eligibility for medical care and other VA services."
Cafici's parents said their son, who lost 100 pounds in order to join the Marines, and served between December 2003 and March 2006, began struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder while he was stationed in Iraq. Concetta Cafici said her son was particularly distraught after having to pull the bodies of two Marines from a Humvee that was immolated during an attack.
She said her son fell into a depression after receiving a less than honorable discharge when he was discovered to have used an illegal steroid to bulk up as he prepared to again be deployed to Iraq.click link for more
