Hundreds of U.S. troops were wrongly sent letters which could be interpreted to mean that they were suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), more commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease. The neuromuscular disorder is incurable, usually fatal, and stole decades from the life of the New York Yankee great (pictured).The Veterans Administration was attempting to inform veterans who were suffering from ALS that they were now eligible for disability benefits. Last September the Secretary of Veterans Affairs made amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) a presumptively compensable illness.
However, a "coding error" meant that about 600 veterans were sent the letter, when they should not have been. In reality, the letter was not telling them of a diagnosis of ALS, but rather informing them of benefits.
Given that, hopefully careful reading would have prevented anyone from becoming distraught over ALS, which is essentially a death sentence. Sufferers usually die within a few years, although British physicist Stephen Hawking is one who has managed beat those odds.
In a press release regarding the mistake:
In an effort to provide Veterans this new and much-needed support, VA sent notification letters to Veterans with ALS advising them of their potential eligibility for disability compensation benefits. On August 13, 2009, VA sent outreach letters to 1,864 Veterans and survivors across the country. Unfortunately, VA made a coding error and Veterans who should not have received this letter did. The Department is reviewing individual claims files for all the recipients of this letter to identify those who received it by mistake.
VA employees are calling Veterans to ensure that they understand the purpose of the letter, explain why they mistakenly received the letter, and express VA’s sincere apologies for the distress caused by this unfortunate and regrettable error.
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