A Vietnam veteran received a letter saying a Veterans Affairs hospital was ready to see him. The only problem? He died in 2012.
Suzanne Chase of Massachusetts received the letter that the hospital was ready to see her husband, Doug, who died from a brain tumor. Chase told Boston's WBZ-TV that the letter adds new layers of frustration to her experience with the VA.
NPR reports that the VA really should have known he was dead, since it denied him funeral benefits, ironically because he hadn't been treated at a VA hospital.
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"I was in complete disbelief," Chase told WBZ. "It was 22 months too late. I kind of thought I was in the twilight zone when I opened this letter and read it."
The agency's letter was a response to Chase's attempts to get her husband medical care at a VA hospital in 2012. Chase told WBZ that she and her husband didn't get a response from the agency, and he died mere months later.
The real kicker is the last passage of the VA's letter: "We are committed to providing primary care in a timely manner and would greatly appreciate a prompt response."
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