San Benito soldier battles stage 4 cancer as wife wages war against military ...
31.12.69
Staff Sgt. Lupe Maldonado has been dedicated to his country and his work.
"As soon as he woke up from surgery he asked when he could go back to work."
His wife Yerika Maldonado skypes with us from their home in Fort Hood where SSG Maldonado is now stationed.
After several tours to Iraq, he's now spending his days at home, fighting for his life.
"He has Stage 4 cancer."
It was only after the Maldonado's turned to a civilian hospital recently that the soldier was told the grave news.
The cancer has spread from his colon to his spleen, pancreas, and lymph nodes.
His wife says if only he had been told sooner, the cancer may have not spread and become inoperable.
"He told his medic while in Iraq that he had blood in his stool and the medic said it was hemorroides. Then he came back and at the army clinic they told him the same thing and said he was clear for duty."
Yerika blames the military physicians who she claims didn't properly check her husband all the times he turned to them in pain.
bTricare/b Help – How do I know if I#39;m eligible for TFL?
Q. I have had a job with good health insurance for almost 30 years. I’ll lose my employer’s insurance if I retire next year at age 65. How do I enroll in Tricare for Life based on my wartime military service? I served in Vietnam, but have never used Tricare.
A. Tricare for Life consists of full coverage by Medicare, Part A and Part B, plus full coverage by Tricare Standard. A retiree must be eligible for both Medicare and for Tricare, and be enrolled in Medicare, Part A and Part B, to be eligible for Tricare for Life.
Tricare eligibility is established by federal law for certain categories of persons. Not all who served in the military, even in wartime, are eligible.
For those who have left service, the basic eligibility criteria for Tricare is to have earned military retirement benefits by serving at least 20 years in uniform or by being medically retired for disability. The wording of your letter makes me suspect neither is the case for you.
You should call the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS) support office, toll-free, at 800-538-9552, to find out for sure whether you are eligible for Tricare.
Social Security wants people to apply for Medicare at least 90 days before the effective date of their Medicare coverage. That’s usually on the first day of the month when they will be 65 years old, or the first day of the previous month if they were born on the first of the month.
You’ll need to do that regardless of whether you’re eligible for Tricare.
Tags: Medicare , Part A , Part B , Tricare For Life
