Veterans breathe sigh of relief after VA expands access to health care
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — The early expansion of VA health care benefits is a major win for Pennsylvania veterans who often have to deal with life-altering conditions following deployment.
"I didn't really think about it at the time, but everything kind of hit me when I came back that I kind of had to take it seriously," Jack Stonesifer.
Stonesifer was an 18-year-old freshman at Marshall University when he enlisted in the West Virginia National Guard. He was with the National Guard for many years.
Stonesifer served as an Army paralegal in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait in 2021. Before his deployment, he went for runs every day.
"They always told us that there would be impacts, even if you didn't get hurt. But I honestly never really believed it. I was fit, I was good, in shape," said Stonesifer.
When Stonesifer came home, he realized something wasn't right.
"I'll get winded just walking up a half of a block uphill," he said. "It's a lot tougher for me to keep going. Even just like trying to keep up with my toddler. She's running circles around me."
Every day, he finds it hard to breathe due to respiratory issues. He said the VA helped him quickly set up an appointment for him this month. He has a follow-up for asthma testing.
"I've gotten dizzy, I've had falling spells. I'll have coughing fits or I'll start sweating and kind of getting red in the face. Then I've got chronic fatigue now. I'm always falling asleep," Stonesifer said.
Balancing work and being a husband and father is an everyday battle for him. Memories of terrible sandstorms in Kuwait cloud up in the back of his mind.
"One of the big things that affected me a lot is my breathing, especially after coming back. One of the big things they attribute that to is the sandstorms that we got in Kuwait because of all the contaminated material from the animal feces to the hard lead to anything else in the dessert. Because we'd be breathing that in for a few days," Stonesifer said.
All veterans who were exposed to toxins and other hazards while serving in the military are now eligible to enroll in VA health care. This went into effect under the PACT Act on Tuesday, nearly eight years earlier than originally planned.
"What it does it just makes it a lot easier when submitting a VA compensation claim," Stonesifer said.
He said the early enactment also will help veterans get benefits much quicker, which is crucial to not only his generation of vets.
"For who all became eligible, they finally let the last thousands of WWII veterans. So, that was one thing I was happy they pushed up because of course those gentlemen are dying daily, and of course all the gentlemen in Vietnam. By pushing it up those five years, they'll be able to get that critical VA coverage," said Stonesifer said.
He loved what he was doing for our country, but he didn't know what he was breathing into his lungs would make it difficult for him to catch his breath today.
Stonesifer is in law school at Duquesne University. With every breath, he's pushing forward with the VA on his side. He said the VA already helps him with quick appointments and provides virtual therapy for mental health.
"I'm hoping that the trend will be greater access and expansion for health care coverage when it comes to veterans, especially when it comes to service-connected disabilities," Stonesifer said. "There's always the chance that some of the guys, some of the people get lost in the cracks and just by expanding that coverage and by getting more people to hopefully use the VA we'll be able to help more veterans and make sure their taken care of," he said.