CAPE CORAL, FLa. -- Pictures on the wall remind Walter Hanley of his time defending our country. "From 1967 this is where I used to live in Vietnam," Hanley told me while pointing at pictures of his colleagues in the military.
Hats around the house decorated with embroidery of the war that didn't leave him unharmed. "I have diabetes. I have an aneurysm in my stomach. I had a heart attack at 50 and I'm also a diabetic. Medical files have piled up over the years. Now an irregular heartbeat and high blood pressure are his concerns.
"My blood pressure goes up to 175 over 110 and goes all the way down to 90 over 60." The man who defended our country now hardly knows how to defend himself. "Something is happening and its out of my control and that's what I need the cardiologist for."
He's been trying to come here to the Department of Veterans affairs to see a cardiologist since October. They denied me medical treatment and the reason they said is because I'm a transient." Hanley recently moved to Cape Coral from New Jersey.
So I walked into the VA, made calls and sent emails to find out why Hanley hasn't been able to schedule an appointment.
In an emailed response a spokesperson at Baypines healthcare tells me, "All veterans receive the care regardless of their primary facility. I would not be able to speak to the specifics of the case without a signed form from the veteran authorizing us to speak to you about his personal health concern."
