51 Year Old Disabled Army Veteran Seeks Help Getting Started Again

by Adrian Chase Jr.
(Corning.CA, USA)

My Name is Adrian M. Chase Jr. I am 51years old. I was in the Army at 17 years old. I enlisted because I wanted to serve my country. I was in basic training at Fort Dix, NJ.

We were given the first swine flue shot that went out in 1976 where several troops died and a lot of others got injured or sick from this shot. I got sick. It hurt my lungs.

I also go stabbed while I was stationed in Europe and I received blood from a German doctor. Now I have terminal hepatitis C virus. I was told in 1995 that I was terminally ill with pulmonary fibrosis and had only five years to live.

After that I had both knees replaced from the steroids used for my lung problem. It was bad on all my joints but the worst on my knees. I was bedbound for several years until I received my two new knees in 2002.

I also have Type 2 diabetes because I'm 120 lbs overweight from the steroid use for my lungs.

During all this time I was told by several doctors to file for VA benefits, but as you can imagine, I didn't feel up to doing much of anything besides living and not leaving my wife and kids behind.

The past couple years I've felt better so I am trying to help make a better living for my wife. I tried to file a claim with the VA myself and I was denied any disability.

No one seems to want to do much to help me with this now because they say I should have had someone else fill out the paperwork to start with.

But since I started it on my own no one else can help me now. That doesn't make sense to me. I guess a man shouldn't try anything on his own or you have to pay for it.

Anyway I'm 52 years old. I've drawn $670 a month SSI now for about 15 years. I feel good enough to go to work or to school to make a better living for my family.

I just need someone that is willing to help me get started doing this, not just the run around like I've been getting every time I try to get some help.

I've tried the ticket-to-work program but got nowhere with that either. I feel like there has to be someone out there that can understand that I want to work or go to school.

I just want to to better the life of my beautiful wife and children. They've done so much for me through all these years that I've been sick.

It's frustrating to know that if I divorced my lovely bride that has stuck it out with me through all the hard times that I could receive $800 per month more income. Remember I only receive $690 now. It makes me sick to think some people have no choice but to do that. It's very wrong.

Well I could go on and on, but I tried to get my point across that I just need help to get started again after 15 years of drawing SSI.

The VA just disgusts me. I know people who draw VA benefits that got loaded and watched someone else weld something. Now they draw benefits while a person like me, who didn't ask for 15 years of back pay or anything like most people would have, I get denied and told I shouldn't have tried to file on my own.

Anyway, thank you so much for hearing my story. I hope there is someone out there who can help me. Thanks again, Adrian M. Chase Jr.