A terminally ill Vietnam Veteran and Purple Heart recipient living in Bozeman, MT was unable to arrange a C&P Exam for his medical and mental health issues, as he was homebound. His wife also had health conditions and was unable to transport the Veteran. Cheyenne VAMC was the closest VA facility offering C&P Exam but was over 8 hours away. The visit was necessary to establish needed home care and other benefits. When the C&P claim was received, Elizabeth Franklin coordinated a home visit. She packed her laptop, drove 8 hours, stayed overnight, and completed the exam on the Veteran’s leg.

Her commitment to the Veteran and VA ICARE values did not stop there. Since he also needed an exam with a mental health Examiner, Ms. Franklin worked collaboratively with the Veteran, his wife, and a mental health Examiner to virtually connect at his home the same day for a PTSD Exam. During the interview, Ms. Franklin said tearfully, “This is a Veteran. I was so happy to be part of this…they were asking for benefits at the end of his life that he deserved, and it was an honor for me to do that for him. They were humble people, and I was humbled by them. I was honored to do my job…I was honored to do this for him at this point in his life.”

The Veteran’s wife said, “She was absolutely wonderful…it was really nice that she would drive all that way to find out what he needed.” By leveraging her skills and compassion, other caring VA employees, community partners, and VA resources such as Telehealth, Elizabeth Liz Franklin was able to provide needed help to a Veteran to ensure he received necessary care and benefits at the end of his life, as well as needed help for his wife/caregiver.