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Vietnam veteran Gregory Jon Lynn, 64, proudly served his country and comrades as a foot soldier in the army back in the late 1960s, yet now that he finds himself stricken with stage 4 cancer, the Veteran’s Administration (VA) is balking at referring him to MD Anderson, where there are doctors specializing in his type of cancer.
To add insult to injury, Gregory’s wife Andrea Lynn discovered that although Mr. Lynn served his country for a full 3 years during that contentious conflict, he cannot get the VA to pay for the cancer treament he so desperately needs, but that illegals are eligible for “free” medical care without having to prove citizenship.
Perhaps tellingly, as a foot soldier in Vietnam from 1969-1971, Mr. Lynn was exposed to Agent Orange, a well-documented carcinogen.
Mr. Lynn has adenoid cystic carcinoma, a rare form of cancer whereby malignant cancerous cells grow within the glandular tissues, most notably the salivary glands of the head and neck. Other sites of origin can include the trachea and lacrimal glands.
Mr. Lynn was originally treated at the VA’s own hospital, but ultimately that facility declared that they were out of treatment options for Mr. Lynn, and referred him to the world-renowned cancer treatment hospital – right here in Houston — MD Anderson. A copy of the actual letter from Mr. Lynn’s treating VA physician is included at the end of this article.
Turns out that MD Anderson, well known globally for its innovative and effective cancer treatments, conducts cancer treatment trials in addition to traditional cancer treatments. Not only that, but they have a trial specifically for this relatively uncommon form of cancer–adenoid cystic carcinoma.
But the VA refused to pay for the treatment. The director of the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center – the local VA hospital – Adam Walmus, whom Ms. Lynn says ”doesn’t know Greg from a hole in the wall” decided that the best course for Mr. Lynn was to stick with the treatment–or apparent lack thereof–at the VA.
In desperation, Ms. Lynn wrote to many media outlets and congresspeople such as Ted Poe. His office, through a representative, has stated flatly to the Lynns that it did in fact contact the local VA office, and they in turn have responded that they (the VA) have no intention of referring Mr. Lynn to the MD Anderson trial. The Houston Legal Issues Examiner has seen the communications in question, and wonders that if Mr. Lynn’s doctor with the VA avers that there is nothing more she can do for him, then why can’t he be referred to the cancer treatment trial at MD Anderson?
Ms. Lynn explains that, “A few months ago [Gregory Lynn] developed more lesions and the [VA] doctor, instead of upping the medication, she took him off completely and on the next visit, more lesions grew and the ones that held for over two years began to grow. [The doctor] should have tried another medication or put him on a higher dosage. Now [the doctor] upped the dosage and told Greg to tell me to look online for more medications for his lungs. [The doctor] said ‘Your wife seems to be good at finding things online.’”
Indeed, Ms. Lynn found an online agreement between the National Cancer Institute (hereinafter NCI) and the VA termed the NCI/VA Interagency Agreement that would seem to support the VA’s responsibility to pay for MD Anderson’s cancer trial.
According to the NCI, there is an interagency agreement in place between the VA and the NCI:
What is the NCI/VA Interagency Agreement?
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) signed an Interagency Agreement in January 1997 that is intended to increase the access of eligible veterans to all phases of NCI-sponsored clinical trials and to provide VA clinical researchers with expanded opportunities to participate in clinical cancer research. According to the agreement, VA will provide coverage for eligible veterans to participate in a broad range of clinical trials across the country.
What constitutes an “eligible” veteran? Again according to the NCI Interagency Agreement:
Veterans covered are those who fall into the “mandatory” category under legislation passed by Congress. These include:
Service-connected veterans (those with a VA determination of a service-related health problem);
Former prisoners of war;
Veterans who were exposed to herbicides while serving in Vietnam, to ionizing radiation during atmospheric testing and during the occupation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, or to an environmental hazard while serving in the Persian Gulf Theater and need treatment for a condition that might be related to such exposures;
Veterans receiving a VA pension;
Veterans of World War I;
Veterans eligible for Medicaid; and
Veterans who are non-service-connected and whose income is $21,001 or less if single with no dependents, or $25,204 or less if married or single with one dependent, plus $1,404 for each additional dependent.
Andrea Lynn has been given an appointment with Ted Poe’s office, but the meeting is scheduled for April 6. Unfortunately, people with malignant cancer cannot afford the luxury of time or bureaucratic red tape.
WWII veteran James MacMillan, 86, of Nashua, holds up
his hand to ask a question during the town hall meeting with
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., back right, and former New
Hampshire Attorney General Kelly Ayotte, back left, in Nashua,
N.H., Saturday, March 13, 2010. (AP Photo/Cheryl Senter)
Furthermore, Ms. Lynn found to her consternation that, per the agreement, the VA’s own doctors are responsible for locating these trials and recommending them to their patients. (To see the actual agreement, go to www1.va.gov/cancer/ and click “VA-NCI Interagency Agreement.”)
The Lynn family is no stranger to hardship, nor of making lemonade out of lemons. Seventeen-year-old son Gary Lynn, a senior at Spring High School, has cerebral palsy, and started his own foundation dedicated to the cure and research of the disease. Gary’s father Greg Lynn, the veteran now suffering from cancer, served his country almost 4 decades ago, yet the government he fought for now refuses him his rightfully earned healthcare.
But probably the most egregious thing about this whole case is the fact that a man who has served his country cannot get the treatment he needs, while illegals can get a Harris County “gold card.” The Houston Legal Issues Examiner looked online for the requirements in obtaining a Harris County gold card, which entitles holders to free or greatly reduced medical care in Harris County. The Harris County Hospital District’s Web-site states:
You do not have to be a U.S. citizen to qualify for financial assistance. However, if you are not a citizen, and you have documentation from the INS, it must be presented to determine your eligibility for assistance. [And, later] Information on Social Security Numbers should be given if available. These types of information will not change your eligibility.
Andrea Lynn, her voice breaking, says that while her veteran husband did receive a gold card, Ben Taub delared they would nonetheless send him back to the VA as it is the VA’s responsiblity to take care of veterans’ health needs. And therein lies a dirty cycle. It does seem a bit disingenuous to hand a gold card to folks who are not even supposed to be in the country, but a United States veteran is declined treatment in his own country?
The local VA’s office had not responded to inquiries as of press time.
Wish to help? Please call or write your representative, or your senator. Contact the local VA’s office here. The family also requests you forward this article to every veteran’s group available as this affects them all.
For more info: To see the actual NCI/VA agreement, go to www1.va.gov/cancer/ and click “VA-NCI Interagency Agreement.”
NCI/VA Cancer topics factsheet
US Department of Veteran’s Affairs
US Department of Veteran’s Affairs Houston regional office
Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma Research Foundation
Gary J. Lynn Foundation for the Research and Cure of Cerebral Palsy
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Copyright 2010 Sami K. Hartsfield – All Rights Reserved
1961-1975 Vietnam War Collectables
free medical care, illegals, michael e debakey va medical center, stage 4 cancer, wife andrea
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