NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — "It's just hard. It's very hard," said Joannta Burnley.
Joannta's husband, Marine veteran Maurice "Reese" Burnley, communicates by blinking.
"He's saying yes when he blinks. That's how he talks," Burnley said.
Burnley served in the Marine Corps. A leg injury led to an infection and ultimately an amputation. Then in January 2022, he suffered a massive stroke that left him unable to move on his own or speak.
He is currently receiving hospice care. His VA disability benefits cover most of that cost.
Recently, the VA began withholding about $1,000 a month from his benefits to recover an overpayment. Joannta says the VA told them it overpaid him more than $81,000 in a lump-sum disability award. Those deductions have forced her to let go of a caregiver.
"It's leaving me where I don't have a lady that was coming three times a week at night," Burnley said.
A VA press secretary said the overpayment appears to center around attorney payments. Before his stroke, Reese hired an attorney to fight the VA on a separate disability issue. He won that case, but the VA said it mistakenly paid money intended for their attorney directly to the Burnleys.
When I brought that explanation to Joannta, she pointed to a June 2025 email from the attorney indicating the attorney had already been paid.
After more than a year of trying to get clarification, and with deductions from her husband's monthly benefits beginning this spring, Joannta reached out to NewsChannel 5 for help.
"Y'all are the ones who made a mistake, but how are you holding us accountable?" Burnley said.
The VA requires signed consent forms before it can discuss a veteran's case. Those forms must be signed by the Burnleys' daughter, who holds power of attorney for the family.
I have asked VA representatives about what options the family has and whether the case can be reviewed given the current circumstances. While they are answering some questions, they said responses to all questions might take several weeks.
We have requested the VA's full accounting of the situation and will update you when we receive a response.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at hannah.mcdonald@newschannel5.com.
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