SERVICE Spotlight ‘ They had DAV helps Air Force veteran right claims mistake, access overdue earned benefits By Matt Saintsing PROOF ’ A The veteran... Todd Erickson at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, in 2011. His claim for service-connected disability benefits was denied because his exams were not shared internally between the VA and a private contractor. DAV’s fight for justice on his behalf resulted in a determination that a clear and unmistakable error had been made, resulting in a significant retroactive payment. fter serving six years in the Air Force with multiple deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, Todd Erickson submitted a claim to the Department of Veterans Affairs in 2014 for service-connected ailments. It came back denied. According to the VA, he never showed up to his medical exams. In reality, Erickson, 31, attended the exams, but somehow the results weren’t shared internally by the government. Puzzled and discouraged, he said he felt written off by the VA—a system charged with taking care of those returning from war. “For the longest time, I didn’t have any faith in the VA,” he said. He certainly never imagined that a chance encounter as a real estate agent would lead to correcting that five-year-old mistake, unlocking VA disability compensation and medical care. He met Ashley Crance, a DAV national service officer with the Newington, Conn., office, in October 2018. Crance, a Marine Corps veteran, was looking to sell her house near Camp Lejeune, N.C., and a mutual friend recommended Erickson’s professional services. Crance quickly found out that Erickson was also a veteran and offered her assistance with his claim. Erickson was planning to submit another VA claim 6 DAV MAGAZINE | JULY/AUGUST 2019 | DAV.ORG
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‘They had PROOF’
Matt Saintsing
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