Opposition MPs are demanding that the federal government fully reimburse the medical expenses of a young reservist whose brain tumour was misdiagnosed.
Robyn Young, 24, travelled to Ottawa this week with her mother to ask that the full cost of her rehabilitation, as well as her move to British Columbia to receive treatment, be covered.
Young suffered permanent eye damage after a military doctor misdiagnosed her brain tumour and sent her for unnecessary corrective eye surgery.
Young was a full-time reservist at the time of her initial appointment, but had become a part-time reservist when the tumour was discovered, meaning she was no longer entitled to full medical benefits.
She told CTV News this week that her medical costs have financially drained her.
After Young’s case was raised in the House of Commons Tuesday, Defence Minister Jason Kenney said the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces would “continue to pay her medical costs and meet her medical needs relating to her present condition.”
The Armed Forces had recently said they would provide Young with medical coverage, including prescriptions and five months of her vision rehabilitation. But that does not include the cost to move Young to B.C. for her treatment.
During question period Wednesday, NDP veterans affairs critic Peter Stoffer and Liberal defence critic Joyce Murray said the government should fully reimburse Young’s medical expenses.
“The minister responded that the defence department is continuing to cover these costs, but that was disingenuous. They only started to cover them recently, and have not reimbursed the tens of thousands of dollars she already spent,” Murray said.
The government insists Young won’t be abandoned.
“If there’s outstanding medical claims, she should submit them,” said James Bezan, parliamentary secretary to the defence minister. “The Armed Forces are going to reimburse her.”
But Young's mother said she doesn’t believe that will happen because she tried submitting receipts before and "everything" was denied.
“So we don’t even know who to submit the receipts to,” she said.
With files from CTV’s Richard Madan
