Sick veteran's family scrambles

The family of Marine veteran Sgt. Kevin Lloyd believed they were close to finally bringing him home. Instead, they're now back at square one. The family of Lloyd — a three-tour combat veteran who's battling cancer — linked his condition to exposure from toxic military-maintained burn pits. He was scheduled for medical discharge from the Veterans Affairs, or VA, hospital in Houston so he could continue treatment outside the facility. But arrangements to secure a house, where he can live and receive care at, have fallen through, leaving the family scrambling to find another place that can handle his medical needs. "It feels like every time we get close to stability, something collapses," his wife, Alicia Urban, said. "We just want to bring him home where he can be cared for, but right now we don't know where that will be." No place to call home Urban blames the housing loss squarely on the VA. "We had a house lined up, but the VA wouldn't submit papers to the owner of the home verifying the programs we would be using to pay for the rental, so she wouldn't rent to us," Urban said. Without a safe place to discharge to, Lloyd remains stuck in a sort of limbo, trapped in a hospital where a Sept. 3 deadline looms for him to be evaluated for participation in a clinical trial — the last chance to save his life, according to Urban. The setback comes on top of treatment delays. According to documents provided to this newspaper, the VA hospital had Lloyd's cancer medication in stock on Nov. 11, the same day it was prescribed. Records show the drug was denied that day, then re-approved three days later on Nov. 14. Even then, he was not given the treatment right away. Lloyd received the dose the following night. "The medicine was sitting there the whole time," Alicia said. "They admitted he needed it, they approved it, but Kevin still had to wait days while his cancer spread." 'Without anyone to advocate for them' For Susan Zeier, a Sandusky activist and mother-in-law of the late Army Sgt. 1st Class Heath Robinson, the story is all too familiar. Robinson's death from cancer in 2020, linked to burn pit exposure, helped drive the passage of the PACT Act. His name is on the law. "The original burn pits documentary was titled 'Delay, Deny, Hope You Die' for a reason," Zeier said. "That phrase became the painful mantra of sick and dying veterans who faced the Department of Veterans Affairs' indifference." She continued: "For every Heath Robinson and Kevin Lloyd, there are thousands more veterans — many suffering alone, without anyone to advocate for them," she said. "The difference between Heath and Kevin lies in timing. Heath's fight came before the PACT Act, and his story became one of many that helped drive the passage of the largest and most historic veterans' healthcare legislation in our nation's history." Zeier said she personally warned the VA after seeing how her son-in-law was treated. "Former VA Secretary Denis McDonough once told me he personally pulled Heath Robinson's VA records and was appalled at what he saw. He apologized, and I told him: do not let this happen again," she said. "The PACT Act was supposed to ensure it would not," Zeier said. "Yet, today, this administration and VA Secretary (Doug) Collins appear to be ignoring the law — and rather than honoring it, they seem appalled and upset at the dying veterans and advocates pleading for the VA to provide the care the law requires. Zeier continued: "Meanwhile, Kevin Lloyd is being denied the care he needs — not to save his life, but to allow him to spend his remaining time in comfort and pass with dignity. This is the dignity he earned when he willingly and proudly went to war for his country. "Now, that same country — the government he served — is turning its back on him. This is not only unjust: It is a betrayal of the very promise made to every man and woman who has worn the uniform," she added. "We cannot allow 'delay, deny, hope you die' to remain the reality for America's veterans." Questions were emailed to a VA spokesperson regarding Lloyd's case. Those questions were not answered as of press time Friday.