The good news for Vietnam veteran Doug Chase, who was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2011, is that the doctor will see him now. The bad news is that Chase died of his cancer two years ago.
Via Business Insider:
The Veterans Affairs Department is apologizing to a Massachusetts woman for offering an appointment to her husband almost two years after he died.
Suzanne Chase, of Acton, tells [Boston CBS affiliate] WBZ-TV her Vietnam veteran husband, Doug, was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2011.
In 2012, she tried to move his medical care to the VA hospital in Bedford. They waited four months and never heard anything. He died in August 2012.
Suzanne Chase says two weeks ago she got a letter addressed to her husband, saying he could call to make an appointment.
“It was addressed to my husband and I opened it,” Chase told reporters. “I was in complete disbelief.” The letter read in part: “We are committed to providing primary care in a timely manner and would greatly appreciate a prompt response.”
Chase finds it even more confounding that the V.A. sent a letter out seemingly oblivious to her husband’s death, even though she had already applied for funeral benefits. To add insult to injury, that application was denied.
The V.A. has since issued a letter of apology to Chase’s widow, saying “We apologize for our error and any difficulties this has caused you.”
The letter continues:
We will examine our process, do what we can to fix it, and institute measures to prevent this from happening again.
It’s nice to say that with all that has gone on, the Veterans Administration has managed to keep its sense of humor.
Watch the report from WBZ-TV below:
Cross-posted at the Mental Recession
