CHARLESTON, W.VA. - Former Air Force Reservist Gale Reid received a letter from the Veterans Affairs Department telling her she had Lou Gehrig's disease, and she immediately put herself through a battery of painful, expensive tests. Five days later, the VA said its diagnosis of the fatal disease was a mistake.
Letters recently were sent to 1,864 veterans about disability benefits for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, and a "small number" have contacted the VA indicating they received the letters in error, VA spokeswoman Katie Roberts said Monday night.
However, the National Gulf War Resource Center, which provides information, support and referrals about illnesses to veterans, said Reid was among at least 1,200 veterans who received the letter even though they hadn't been diagnosed with the illness.
"VA is immediately reviewing the individual claims files for all the recipients of this letter to identify those who received the notification in error," the VA said in a statement Monday night.
Former Army Sgt. Samuel Hargrove cried Sunday after opening his letter. "I can't even describe the intensity of my feelings," said the father of two from Henderson, N.C. "With so many health issues that I already have, I didn't know how to approach my family with the news." So, at first, he didn't. Hargrove then discovered the mistake.
The resource center said it has received communications from panicked veterans in Alabama, Florida, Kansas, North Carolina, West Virginia and Wyoming.
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