OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — An Oklahoma Marine veteran hopes he's finally getting the medical care he's been seeking for years now. He contacted News 4 and said he wasn't getting help from the VA hospital. News 4 stepped in and there are finally some answers for the veteran.
"They diagnosed me with the small upper hernia three and a half years ago," said William Edwards, who is a Marine Corps Veteran.
William Edwards said at the time, his hernia was only two-and-a-half inches. However, three years later, it's grown and become more painful.
"It started just above my bellybutton and now it's like an entire foot in my abdomen," said Edwards.
The hernia is so large, Edwards said doctors gave him a belt to wear around his body to help keep everything in place.
"If I take this belt off, my intestine's here in my lap," said Edwards.
Edwards said he's been trying to get help from the Oklahoma City VA hospital for years, but told News 4 he hasn't had any luck.
"They told me I was over on the BMI, the body mass index," said Edwards.
Last month, though, he finally found out he was approved for a referral at Mercy Hospital.
Edwards said since then, there's been nothing but silence.
"I've got paperwork saying that has been approved since June 27th, and every single time I call them, they say, 'oh yeah, we'll get right on it,'" said Edwards.
News 4 reached out to the Oklahoma City Veterans Administration.
An hour later during the interview with Edwards, he got a phone call from the VA.
The call said they had to reappoint him to a different hospital and they would send new information in the mail.
The VA hospital sent a statement on Edwards case.
As you can understand, the Oklahoma City Veterans Affairs Health Care System is not permitted to speak specifically about a Veterans patient care without a release of information consent form. What we can say is that we are actively working to resolve this issue and help the Veteran receive healthcare.
Oklahoma City VA Hospital
"It's affected my daily life. For the last three and a half years," said Edwards.
Edwards hopes he will undergo surgery soon and now wants to be a voice for others who might need help.
"That's my main goal for all of this is advocating for other veterans that are afraid to speak out," said Edwards.
Edwards got another call from the VA Wednesday afternoon where they helped walk through the next steps in getting his hernia cleared.
The OKC VA Hospital also shared information with News 4 for veterans who might need help or have questions and aren't sure what to do.
If a Veteran needs help navigating the VA Community Care referral process, or access non-VA Healthcare, they can contact Community Care directly through the VA Health Chat app or call 405-456-3276. With this phone app, Veterans can directly communicate with community care as well as pharmacy, contact a nurse and many more avenues to speak to a medical professional and have one-on-one conversations directly with our staff.
The goal of VA Health Chat is to improve Veteran satisfaction and improve timeliness of getting Veterans scheduled for their appointments with providers outside the VA system and with Community Care appointments.
Oklahoma City VA Hospital
If you also need help on registering for care with the VA Hospital or have other questions, their website has links for registering, setting up an appointment, or looking at what areas they help.
