Question:
My son is presently in Red Oak Iowa jail. He is a veteran from Desert Storm. He was picked up because of running from police. There was a high speed chase on a motorcycle . He wrecked; however, thank God, he wasn't killed. He also got a D.U.I. He knows he did wrong . Alcohol has always been his demon. Not his first time incarcerated. On the high speed chase he wrecked as I said. He broke his hand. It's busted up pretty bad. They told him the only way he could have it fixed is if he got $1,400 for the surgery . My question is: can't he be taken to the veterans hospital for help with this surgery? The VA hospital is located in Omaha NE. It's not that far from where he is at. He knows he's wrong and the consequences he must pay for his actions. However, that is my question: What are his rights on this? Without surgery, he may not be able to use his hand again. I would be so thankful if I could have a reply. Thank you sir.
Jim's Reply:
When we violate civilian laws, our status as a veteran counts for very little. Many of the basic rights that most Americans take for granted are suspended in one way or another during incarceration. While there are a few court programs that may assign veterans to specific recovery programs, there are few allowances made during the initial stages of incarceration and this will be particularly true of veterans who are repeat offenders and not showing great interest in rehabilitation. Providing medical care for incarcerated individuals is usually a very local process involving contracts with regional health care facilities and prisoners may not be allowed to reach beyond those local processes without court approval.
The best chance he'll have of getting the care he needs will be for his attorney representative to advocate for that treatment. As an alternative, you may want to see about bonding him out so that he can seek VA care on his own.