Veteran and His Wife Were Convinced He Had ALS. The VA? They Refused to Even Test Him. Last Week, Tragedy Struck.

Bradley Michels, 47, of Texas gave 10 years of his life to his country. But when he needed his country the most, his wife says, they wouldn't even give him the time of day. In fact

Bradley, from the East Texas town of Frankston, served in the Air Force from 1986 to 1996. Shortly after that his wife Janie started noticing something odd.

Bradley Michels (Source: KLTV-TV screen shot)

“I noticed his health decline right after he got out of the military…right after he cleaned up after Desert Storm,” she told KLTV-TV. “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.”

It got worse and worse, and four years ago Bradley went to the VA and asked to be tested for ALS, a degenerative neurological disease. They filed for benefits. They were denied -- twice. The doctor, Janie said, refused to do the test.

“In the beginning, he said he didn't know what was wrong,” she said. “After a lot of pushing, he said it was not ALS and that it was psychosomatic.”

Finally, another neurologist agreed to test Bradley. The couple's fears were realized: He did, in fact, have ALS.

KLTV.com-Tyler, Longview, Jacksonville, Texas | ETX News

But as the news station put it, their claim to the VA remained denied. Bradley succumbed to the disease last week, and status of the couple's claim is still unclear. In fact, KLTV tried to call to get clarification on the status, and here's what happened:

KLTV tried contact the VA about the status of Bradley's claim, but the toll free number led to multiple automated prompts that did not direct to a live person.

For now, Janie and her three dependent children are left to wait with only their memories and a continuing fight.

“We shouldn't have to fight anymore,” Janie told the station. “This is just wrong. We have no way to pay rent and utilities, no way to buy groceries.”