Arizona-based VA Allegedly Denied Veteran’s Request For Medical Treatment

An Arizona-based Army veteran has filed a $50 million medical malpractice lawsuit against the Veterans Health Administration and the Carl T. Hayden VA Medical Center.

The plaintiff, Steven Cooper, claims that he sought an appointment at the VA Medical Center for more than a year while he was struggling with prostate pain. The plaintiff continually contacted the VA Medical Center seeking an appointment to be evaluated by a physician. However, the medical center continuously denied access to healthcare. If the plaintiff was able to obtain an appointment, the medical center would allegedly cancel the appointment forcing the plaintiff to attempt to reschedule.

Once the plaintiff was finally able to be seen by a physician, he was examined and told that while there was an abnormality in his prostate there was nothing more that should be done and that there was nothing to worry about.

The plaintiff suffered for another year while he tried to get care for symptoms that were worsening by the day. Eventually, the plaintiff was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer. The cancer was at such an advanced stage upon diagnosis that the doctor said the plaintiff that he should seek hospice care and that he had no more than a year to live.

In an attempt to save his life, the plaintiff then went to a private physician and underwent a surgical procedure that left him with a variety of permanent injuries. The plaintiff argues that had he been provided timely healthcare, the debilitating surgery would not have been necessary.

The plaintiff’s attorney has stated that “had the VAMC properly seen, evaluated, diagnosed, and treated the plaintiff when he initially sought appointments for his signs and symptoms, his disease would have been curable.”

This is not the first time the Phoenix VA has been in hot water. In 2014 the Phoenix VA was involved in a scandal involving hospital wait times where many veterans died while waiting for treatment.

In 2015, a veteran was awarded $3.2 million at the conclusion of a three-year trial. The veteran, a former Army doctor, claimed that he underwent routine shoulder surgery at the Phoenix’s Carl T. Hayden VA Medical Center which left him without full use of his arm.

Medical malpractice can have devastating effects that last a lifetime. If you have been injured by a physician’s neglect, attorneys Charles Gilman and Briggs Bedigian will work to get you the full compensation to which you are entitled. Call 800-529-6162 today or contact them online for a free case evaluation. They handle cases in Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Washington, D.C.