JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A local Army veteran is speaking out after being mistakenly declared dead by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), saying the error has left him without disability benefits, healthcare, or recognition from the very agency meant to support him.
Bayne Sample, who served overseas for more than a year during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, said he first learned of the error when he opened a letter from the VA on March 3. The letter extended condolences to his family on his passing, dated Feb. 18, more than two weeks prior.
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“I was not surprised, to be honest,” Sample said. “In the middle of waiting for check tracers and other paperwork, all I got was a death notice. No follow-up. Nothing.”
It was only after News4JAX reached out to the VA that Sample received a direct deposit for the thousands of dollars he was owed.
A spokesperson said: “VA resumed Mr. Sample’s benefits payments May 7, and we are issuing a retroactive payment to him as well. He should receive that in 7-10 days. We regret the error and apologize for the inconvenience.”
Sample, who says he was injured while serving when a Bradley vehicle hatch crushed his right hip, was approved for disability benefits in January. But more than five months later, he was still waiting to receive his payments. The only compensation he says he received from the VA was a $7 check — mailed months late — for a reason he still does not understand.
He said he contacted Congressman John Rutherford’s office, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, local Veterans Service Organizations (VSOs), and VA hotlines, but said every inquiry was met with either silence or automated responses.
“Everybody says two weeks. It’s been five or six months,” he said.
Beyond the administrative nightmare, Sample said his healthcare has been minimal or denied outright.
“They told me I was refusing treatment because I wanted an alternative [prescription]. So they haven’t given me any prescriptions,” he said. “They’ve cut off my mental health care three times. Actually, they just cut it off last week as well.”
Sample described an initial wait of more than nine months to see a mental health professional, only to be told in sessions that certain topics were off-limits.
“Every session, I’d sit there and couldn’t talk about the things that were actually bothering me,” he said.
He described his deployment as harsh and extended. Initially told his mission would last three months, Sample ended up overseas for nearly a year and a half, much of it in remote areas with poor living conditions and minimal food.
“Chicken broth in a little mouthwash cup and one slice of bread, that’ll be your dinner. Your breakfast, straight burnt burritos and powdered eggs.”
Physically, Sample’s injuries from the military continue to affect him daily. He said he cannot run and suffers from frequent vomiting, which civilian doctors have linked to mental trauma.
The bureaucratic limbo has taken a toll on Sample’s finances and mental health. After his car broke down, he lost his job and said he struggles to find work while awaiting the benefits he earned.
“It’s hard. I go to work when I can, but I have two vehicles that don’t run and medical issues I can’t afford to treat,” he said.
Still, he’s trying to remain hopeful.
“I’d just like to be seen as alive,” he said. “Because, as you can see, I’m alive right here in front of you. I’ve been into the VA, I’ve talked to my doctors, my representatives, I’ve been there in person, and six months later, I’m still dead to y’all.”