A U.S. Air Force veteran developed ALS shortly after his 10-year service, but the VA refused to test him for it and he died from the disease.
"I noticed his health decline right after he got out of the military...right after he cleaned up after Desert Storm," veteran Bradley Michels' wife Janie told KLTV, an ABC affiliate. "He started having neurological problems...he had a slurred voice sometimes, and he started having cramps in the balls of his feet that went into his knee and into his thigh."
The couple approached the VA multiple times asking to have Michels tested for ALS, a degenerative neurological disease, but they were denied and refused disability benefits.
Michels was in the Air Force from 1986 through 1996. During that time he was stationed in South Korea, Germany and Arizona. Janie told KLTV he loved serving his country but expressed disappointment when it wasn't there for him when he fell ill.
The symptoms began to show soon after he came home in 1996, but it wasn't until three weeks ago that a neurological doctor agreed to test Michels for the disease. He tested positive for ALS, but the couple was still denied benefits from the VA, Janie explained to KLTV.
Michels died last week at age 47, due to ALS.
"We shouldn't have to fight anymore," Janie said to KLTV. "This is just wrong. We have no way to pay rent and utilities, no way to buy groceries."
Michels' body was donated for ALS research after his death, which was his last wish.
