Veteran Dies After VA Refuses Treatment For Days

Democracy Now!

Veteran Dies After VA Refuses Treatment For Days

As the Walter Reed scandal rocks Washington, what are the conditions at VA hospitals outside the Beltway? We look at the story of a 58-year-old Vietnam veteran named Willie Dougherty. He died in October after suffering two pelvic fractures. His family says he died because he was refused treatment by the VA. We speak with his widow, Jean Stentz, American Legion commander Harold Davis and Shay Everitt, the journalism student who first started investigating the story. [includes rush transcript]

"...HAROLD DAVIS: Well, it was a sad situation, because a man shouldn't have to die like that. I mean, nobody should. But the way he was treated by the VA was wrong. It shouldn't have been done. But now they're trying to cover it up. It’s like anything else, they try to cover it up..."

JEAN STENTZ: ...I mean, one night he was dumped on my driveway at 9:30 at night, after arriving from Beaumont, being strapped in a wheelchair in the back of a van, and they let him out on the driveway. And it was up to us to get him in the house. ...He had nothing. And it was up to us to figure out what to do as a family for him. And Willie was 6'4" and weighed about 200 pounds. I’m 5'2" and weigh about 110. So there's not too much I could do with Willie...