This story about a WWII veteran falls into the Better Late Than Never category. A southern Ohio veteran who fought at the Battle of the Bulge finally got his full disability benefits. He almost froze to death in January of 1945 and sat out the remainder of the war. His daily reminder of that time is the severe stiffness and skin disorders caused by extensive frostbite. And he fought for 60 years to get benefits for his injuries, finally receiving full disability benefits in 2005.

During one of his many trips to the Cincinnati VA, an official saw his cigarettes and told him that the numbness, discoloration and blisters on his legs came from smoking. Despite encounters like that, Tim Dolan kept on fighting.

The problem, it appears, was the lack of medical records. Records from battlefield hospitals are often sketchy at best, with many veterans' records lost entirely. Moreover, VA offices moved, burned or were closed. Tim Dolan is not the only veteran to find his quest for disability benefits frustrated y the lack of records.

However, the story has a happy ending. Dolan gradually had his disability pay increased, from 30 percent to 80 percent and finally to 100 percent. He received back benefits from 1988 on.

There is a moral to this story: Don't give up. Tim Dolan kept on fighting and finally received his due. You can too with help from advocacy groups such as The Rep for Vets.

Source: Morgan County Herald, "Battle for Benefits: World War II veteran wins 60-year fight for his rights," by Leona Jewell, Feb. 8, 2102.