Baldwin Announces Veterans Misdiagnosed at VA Will Receive Over $4.2 Million in Retroactive Benefits

WISCONSIN – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) announced that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has awarded more than $4.2 million in retroactive benefits for over 100 Veterans who were misdiagnosed at a Wisconsin VA Medical Center and subsequently denied compensation and benefits. Senator Baldwin successfully pushed the VA to re-examine Veterans who were misdiagnosed for neurological conditions by a particular doctor at the Tomah VA Medical Center, Dr. Mary Jo Lanska, MD, and provide these impacted Veterans new exams and earned benefits.

“While we can never undo the hardship and loss these Veterans and their families experienced after being misdiagnosed, today is a big step forward in making it right and taking care of the heroes that served us,” said Senator Baldwin. “I am proud to have pushed the VA to do right by our Veterans and deliver the benefits each and every one of them has earned and deserve. Our country makes a sacred commitment to have our servicemembers’ backs when they come home from service, and I am committed to ensuring the VA holds up their end of the bargain.”

Earlier this year, Senator Baldwin announced that she successfully got the VA to identify, conduct outreach, and reexamine Veterans who could have been misdiagnosed by Dr. Lanska, MD. The VA is using these exams to readjudicate the original claims filed by these Veterans, meaning that they will not have to file a new claim and they could be eligible for years of benefits backdated to their original effective date. Additionally, for Veterans who have passed away since the original exam, the VA will contact their survivors to initiate the readjudication process and provide benefits accordingly.

Of the 941 Veterans who received exams from Dr. Lanska at the Tomah VA, Senator Baldwin announced that the VA has identified 649 Veterans who may have been negatively impacted by the exams. The remaining 292 Veterans either had their original claims appropriately approved from the earliest possible effective date or their exam did not factor into their final disability benefits decision, so no additional exam is required. Of those 649, 151 equitable relief claims have been filed and 101 have been granted, yielding $4.27 million in retroactive benefits paid.

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