The US Navy vet says he was held back from applying for VA benefits until CBS Chicago intervened

CHICAGO (CBS) — A U.S. Marine veteran contacted CBS News Chicago after hitting a wall with his family’s military medical benefits.

Adam Goldin tried for months to get the case solved, but to no avail. Luckily, things quickly changed when a TV station got involved.

Goldin gets choked up talking about the Iwo Jima Memorial in Washington, DC, and the addition of the Iraq War to the monument. Goldin served in Iraq 21 years ago.

‘I made one tour through Iraq. I was a radar repairman in the Marine Corps,” Goldin said. “It was after 9/11.”

Inspired by the horrific events of September 11, 2001, Goldin wanted to fight for freedom here at home.

Goldin’s grandfather Joseph and uncle Howard also inspired him to serve his country.

“I’m part of a generation of veterans who supported our country,” he said. “I come from a long line of military personnel.”

But twenty years later he ran into trouble as a veteran.

“It’s just absolute frustration,” Goldin said.

Goldin was dealing with the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Civilian Health and Medical Program, or CHAMPVA, which helps veterans’ family members with medical care.

He applied in July and the website for the program suggests a processing time of 90 days.

“It’s hard for me to see what … needs to be taken care of for my family, and I can’t do that,” Goldin said.

Goldin knew his application was received on July 29, 2024, so 90 days means he should have been accepted by the end of October. But without saying anything, he called the VA many times, but got nowhere.

“I have bills piling up,” Goldin said.

Goldin showed CBS News Chicago some of the doctor and pharmacy bills that are piling up. He said he was on the hook for about $4,000.

“I feel like the VA just doesn’t care,” Goldin said. “I’m being held back.”

So in December, Goldin contacted CBS News Chicago, desperate for help because the VA missed its own deadline by more than a month.

“We’re 45 days over the 90-day mark, so if I was 45 days late, I would be fired,” Goldin said. “Why don’t we hold them to a higher standard?”

Almost immediate results when CBS News Chicago contacts VA

To get answers to that question, CBS News Chicago sent a single email to the VA minutes after speaking to Goldin.

What happened then? Goldin said CBS News Chicago’s intervention on Dec. 10 had almost immediate results.

“Okay, so I got the Zoom call at 12:26,” he said. “At 2:08 p.m. I get a call from the VA, from a supervisor at CHAMPVA.”

At 2:19 PM, Goldin received another email apologizing for the issues, along with a form to fill out to proceed.

“At 3:05 p.m., I got an email from him: ‘Your family is now eligible and is being taken care of,’” Goldin said.

It was truly incredible in every way.

“Thanks guys for taking care of this,” Goldin said. ‘Two and a half hours. It took you two and a half hours to take care of what I’ve been trying to do for months.”

Goldin is still fighting the battle – this time on behalf of other veterans.

“I really hope this helps other veterans, and that’s really what I did this for,” he said.

The VA acknowledged the processing delays and pointed to a dramatic increase in CHAMPVA enrollments. The number of CHAMPVA enrollees increased from 616,236 in 2022 to 703,597 in 2023 and 794,359 in 2024.

The good news is that solutions are coming. Next month, vets will be able to apply online, which will speed up the process.

The VA is also changing the way it handles mail processing to reduce delays. The VA will completely switch to a new system in May.

Additionally, the VA is hiring more people and making it easier for vets to track their applications.