Soldiers who risk their lives in foreign wars expect their medical care and educational opportunities will be forthcoming upon their return.
But for one Laramie County Community College student, Harry Payne, who serves in the South Dakota Army National Guard, homecoming has initiated an entirely different set of battles. A native of South Dakota’s Black Hills, Payne joined the Guard in 2006, and his enlistment will be finished in January. In 2009, Payne was drawn to Wyoming by the budding wind energy business. Prior to enlisting, Payne studied homeland security, a major he resumed at LCCC.
Enlisting as a South Dakota resident, Payne is still considered a member of the South Dakota National Guard, despite his Wyoming residency, which has led to brick wall after brick wall since his first deployment.
Payne’s situation has been called an “interesting predicament” by many in veteran aid programs; he continues to be bounced back and forth between states.
National Guard educational aid programs in Wyoming refer him to South Dakota programs because his unit is based in that state. The aid programs there refer him to his state of residency, Wyoming. “They are just as confused,” said Payne of Wyoming’s aid programs.
In addition to being a human racquetball, Payne still travels to South Dakota monthly for his training. “It’s mostly a hobby now,” Payne said laughing,
A $500 veteran bonus check from the South Dakota Guard is tied up in his residency problem, and a lack of cash flow has caused Payne to pick up another job. Balancing two jobs and schoolwork requires quite a bit of finesse, but Payne has the additional burden of handling his medical issues. “I held mostly A’s in my courses up until two or three weeks ago,” Payne said, going on to explaining his Veteran Affairs’ medical appointments caused him to slip a little in his grades. “You can’t reschedule them, not with this VA at least,” he noted.
Payne summed up his experience with a single word: “Slow.” “They still haven’t received my medical file… It’s been a year and three months since I was told it would be taken care of.” Payne’s ordeal with the VA is protracted by the fact he is still active guard. “It took them a year to read my MRI,” Payne said. He explained this prolonged examination caused even more damage to his shoulder. The injury healed over in a way that caused a need for attention, but not severe enough to warrant surgery. The VA instead fed Payne medication.
“I had to endure [the shoulder injury] whatever that was for that entire year. Now my shoulder is better. My neck and my back, on the other hand…” Payne trailed off, shaking his head. “They said they will keep sending me medication until it is bad enough to require surgery.”
Payne has heard this phenomenon happens frequently to fellow soldiers. “A friend of mine went in [to the VA], and they pretty much accused her of just coming in to get medication,” he recalled.
The soldier was, in fact, looking for medical help because the VA gave her a medication that elevates her risk of heart attack and stroke. She had stopped taking her medication because she is already in a high-risk group. She was merely looking for help.
Payne is looking into a civilian provider because of his experiences with the VA. “The VA is overwhelmed, and their systems are outdated, but they are at the mercy of the government because it’s the taxpayers’ dollar,” Payne said.
While he said he felt the staff of the VA tries very hard, individual’s issues should be focused on. “They need to listen,” Payne insisted. “They need to be more understanding.” These brick walls were a surprise upon his return from Afghanistan. Three of Payne’s semesters at LCCC have been paid for out-of-pocket because he has not received his educational benefits yet. With a family to support and an education to pursue, Payne like so many other veterans continues to take on another heavy burden.