A 40-year military veteran had his prosthetic legs repossessed by the manufacturer and then returned to him unusable in the midst of rehab, according to the Mississippi Clarion Ledger.

Jerry Holliman, 69, served active duty in the U.S. Army twice: as an 18-year-old who volunteered to fight in Vietnam and then again as a 53-year-old master sergeant in Iraq. He earned Bronze Stars in both tours, and between active duty and the U.S. Army National Guard, he served 40 years in the military defending his country.

As a young specialist in Vietnam, Holliman said he was exposed to Agent Orange, a chemical initially used to kill vegetation but in later years was found to cause serious health problems in Vietnamese and the U.S. service members who were exposed to it.

Ever the soldier, Holliman survived three forms of cancer, but complications from diabetes began affecting his legs. Cancer and diabetes are two diseases — among many — which have been recognized by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) as diseases associated with Agent Orange contact.

The VA paid for a motorized wheelchair for Holliman a few years back and, though his house was not majority wheelchair accessible, he was able to move around fairly well. He could still walk some. But that changed when gangrene set in, resulting in emergency surgery that left him with both of his legs amputated.

Holliman went to a veteran's home in Collins, Mississippi, for what he thought would be a short stay until he was able to get his mobility back and gain more tools for how to maneuver in his new life. He hasn’t been able to leave since.

Holliman is stranded in large part due to an inability to get clear answers over whether the government will pay for his prosthetics and the prosthetics’ manufacturer refusing to adjust the legs so that he may actually use them. Holliman said he got the legs in August from a company called Hanger. He started going through rehab at the nursing home but after a few sessions with the Hanger staff, Holliman was told the VA would not pay for the prosthetics.

He was encouraged by staff to use Medicare instead, but the forms indicated he would have to pay a co-pay. Further, there was no definitive cost for the equipment listed. He would essentially be signing his name on a mystery tab. Hanger was not forthcoming about their prosthetic leg costs, but a 2013 report from ABC News said the cost for a single leg can range from $5,000 to $50,000 for adults.

So, Holliman refused to sign the paperwork, believing that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs should cover the cost in full. The man adjusting his prosthetic legs responded by taking the legs and leaving.

"This is their responsibility," Holliman said.

"Medicare did not send me to Vietnam, I was sent there by my country."

Desperate for a resolution, Holliman reached out the Clarion Ledger who called Hanger to get their take on his case and the return of his legs. Hanger declined to comment, but on January 2, hours after Clarion Ledger reporting staff had left the facility, the man who had repossessed the veteran’s limbs brought them back.

'You can have them,’” Holliman remembered the man saying, “but they're not going to do anything to them until the VA pays them.”

Even with the legs back in Holliman’s possession, the company's refusal to make adjustments leaves them useless. He can't walk without one leg folding in on him.

At this point, the retired veteran just wants to go home to enjoy a peaceful life of fishing, but depression has set in watching older servicemen die around him — even his roommate died just a month ago. Holliman is the youngest resident at the home.

“This place is not for me. It’s a dignified place for these guys to die, that’s what it is,” Holliman said. “I’m like a cat. I got nine lives. I think I’m on the last one, though. It’s not my time. You know, we go through a lot. Some of us can go out there and slip on a piece of bubble gum, and we die. But it’s not meant for me to go yet.”

In a statement sent to Blavity, VA spokesperson, Matthew Gowan, said they were not involved in the matter.

"While we can’t get into specifics due to privacy concerns, VA was not involved in this equipment purchase and we ask that you include this information in your story accordingly," Gowan said. "VA’s Prosthetic & Sensory Aids Service, which also has more than 600 local contracts with accredited orthotic and prosthetic providers, stands ready to deliver comprehensive support to optimize health and independence of our Veterans. If eligible veterans do not wish to take advantage of these services, VA is unable to intervene and correct issues arising with personal purchases."

Veteran-Affairs

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