Local veteran said Fargo VA Medical Center dramatically reduced services

MOORHEAD, Minn. (KVRR) — Kevin Shores, a Navy Veteran and activist from Moorhead, has recently undergone a dramatic transition of care. From being able to receive up to 38 hours of care to now, only 13 hours per week.

“I wasn’t able to get my hair washed or take a shower this week because it’s time-consuming. And now I have an open wound on my leg. To where we do the shower, we have to correlate with the agency that comes in and does the bandage on my leg,” said Shores.

Shores is blind and has limited mobility to move around his house in a wheelchair. Prior to the reduction in hours, an attendant would be able to go through a list of daily needs and drive him to and from his house. But Shores said the Fargo VA told him attendants are not allowed to drive him around.

“To me, I felt like they’re retaliating, because I called them out about the transportation. And then we got into an argument, and unfortunately, I have little tolerance for being interrupted,” said Shores.

Shores said he was also told by the VA that certain tasks like ironing, moving furniture to sweep, and wrapping presents are not permissible for his attendant. But he said he was never aware of what can or cannot be done.

“It’s the VA’s obligation to help me get things done. To help me find a normalcy in life, and they’re failing. And if a society is judged based upon how they take care of their less fortunate, we failed,” said Shores.

In the last week, Shores said he’s only had enough time to eat one meal a day and sleep in his wheelchair. He was told he can make an appeal to the change in hours, which he says he will do.

We made attempts to reach out to the VA, but have yet to receive a reply.