{"id":7672,"date":"2026-01-24T21:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-24T21:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7672"},"modified":"2026-01-24T21:30:00","modified_gmt":"2026-01-24T21:30:00","slug":"multiple-sclerosis-a-veterans-journey-back-to-va-care","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7672","title":{"rendered":"Multiple sclerosis: A Veteran\u2019s journey back to VA care"},"content":{"rendered":"

Originally published:<\/strong> 2026-01-24T21:30:00+00:00. Historical source article: benefits, rules, amounts and deadlines may have changed. Check the official source for current information.<\/p>\n

Understanding VA care for Veterans with multiple sclerosis<\/h2>\n

A diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) led to new health care opportunities for Kathleen Fitpatrick. In 1988, when Fitpatrick first entered a VA medical center, it made her uneasy. She had every reason to feel at home there\u2014nearly a decade of Army service as a medic and operating room technician, plus a family military legacy spanning her father\u2019s Air Force service during the Korean War and her uncles\u2019 Army and Marine Corps service in Vietnam. Yet despite her impressive credentials and deep military roots, she felt out of place, like the facility was designed for an older, predominantly male population. That discomfort stayed with her, and before long, she stepped away from military life, and VA health care, entirely.<\/p>\n

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<\/a>
Kathy with her monkey friend in Honduras, during temporary duty building a field hospital and doing medreps to deliver first aid to Hondurans in remote areas.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Fitpatrick started her civilian life by earning a business degree focused on marketing and built a 20-year career in the nonprofit sector. Life seemed on track until June 2001, when a simple pedicure changed everything.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey soaked my feet in hot water for 40 minutes because they were behind schedule,\u201d Fitpatrick recalled. \u201cThen I came home and cut the grass in 95-degree weather.\u201d<\/p>\n

The overheating triggered an MS attack and left her numb from the waist down over the next two days, launching what she calls her \u201cmedical odyssey.\u201d<\/p>\n

Using private insurance through her employer, Fitpatrick found a civilian neurologist who eventually diagnosed her with MS. She began one of the three injectable MS treatment options available at the time. For nearly two decades, she managed her relapsing-remitting MS through private health care, working until 2014 when cognitive symptoms and burnout resulted in her retirement.<\/p>\n

It was Fitpatrick\u2019s desire to get vaccinated for COVID-19 as early as possible that brought her back to VA in 2020.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just knew VA would be on top of that,\u201d she explained. But getting vaccinated required establishing care with a VA primary care physician.<\/p>\n

Living with MS: Finding support through VA<\/h2>\n

At the Washington D.C. VA Medical Center Women\u2019s Health Clinic, Fitpatrick\u2019s new primary care provider became her gateway back into VA\u2019s system.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was, like, pulled into the system,\u201d Fitpatrick said.<\/p>\n

The doctor referred her to MS specialists, connecting Fitpatrick with the MS Center of Excellence<\/a> care system. The transformation in VA care amazed her. The modern MS clinic offered not just advanced MS medications, but comprehensive interdisciplinary care, including cognitive rehabilitation, services her private insurance had never offered.<\/p>\n

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<\/a>
Kathy and her Paralyzed Veterans of America pals during an advocacy outreach in June 2025. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Now, Fitpatrick has found a new mission. Since 2009, she\u2019s been deeply involved with Veteran organizations, including the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), where she served as district and post commander, and the Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA). She is the President of the Colonial PVA Chapter for Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, D.C. and New York, and co-chairs the Women Veteran Program for the Colonial Chapter. Fitpatrick also volunteers through VFW\u2019s \u201cCooties\u201d subgroup, where she brings joy to long-term care Veterans through monthly bingo games and holiday care packages.<\/p>\n

Her advice to Veterans hesitating about VA care is direct: \u201cDon\u2019t be afraid to reach out to VA for medical care related to your MS, because they\u2019re excellent at it.\u201d<\/p>\n

She acknowledged that some Veterans may still carry outdated impressions, but emphasized that VA of today offers cutting-edge treatments and specialized services designed specifically for Veterans\u2019 needs. <\/p>\n

\u201cI walked away from military life completely,\u201d she added. \u201cIt\u2019s only over the last four years that I\u2019ve come back into the fold.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Veterans with MS, that return can mean access to world-class care and a community that understands both military service and chronic illness.<\/p>\n

VA resources for Veterans with MS<\/h2>\n

VA offers a variety of national resources for Veterans diagnosed with MS:<\/p>\n