Army National Guard Sgt. with traumatic brain injury on the verge of losing his military insurance
Veteran on the verge of losing military insurance
FOX 26 Reporter Randy Wallace spoke with the mother of the veteran who is on the verge of losing his military insurance.
HOUSTON - Jahmarr Williams was living in Miami last year when his life was forever changed. Now he's living in Missouri City with his mother, who feels the military is turning its back on him.
"This is my son, but it's not my son. Does that make sense?" said Jahmarr's mother Eleska Moore.
She and other loved ones remember how Jahmarr loved to dance and was the life of the party.
On March 4, 2023, police say 32-year-old Tremaine Herbart ran over Jahmarr while he was walking across Pembroke Road in a Miami suburb.
"He didn't turn himself in," Eleska said. "He hit my son and kept going."
Jahmarr spent 12 years with the Army National Guard. His mother says he was supposed to be on orders to deploy before the crash.
"It's like having a newborn that's 6'1" and weighs 145 to 150 pounds," she said.
Eleska must do everything for her son.
"I sleep on the couch, because he can't be left alone," she said. "I go to the bathroom with the door open."
Recently, Eleska got some disturbing news from the Army National Guard.
"I've never heard from the General. I never heard from any of them saying we are going to put him out," she said. "You sent me a certified letter and addressed it to him."
The National Guard honorarily discharged Jahmarr.
Since he's no longer medically fit to serve, the Army National Guard is taking away benefits, like Jahmarr's insurance.
"They're treating my son like he's the problem, but he's the victim," Eleska said.
Special food alone costs his mother $1,500 a month.
She says paying for all her son's medical needs, without his insurance, will financially bankrupt her.
She's currently appealing the National Guard's decision, so Jahmarr's insurance is intact until a final decision is made.
The National Guard gave FOX 26 this statement on Friday:
We appreciate your sharing this documentation and your interest in this courageous service member’s status. We are looking into the exact status of Staff Sgt. Williams’ packet, but in the interim the Florida National Guard would like to convey our deepest sympathies to Staff Sgt. Williams and his family. It was a tragic accident, and the men and women of his unit, the 927th Combat Support Sustainment Battalion, have done a number of things to help ease the family’s pain, most notably raising more than $15,000, but also assisting the family to establish legal guardianship, enrolling Staff Sgt. Williams in Tricare Reserve Select, and helping with the Traumatic Injury Protection claim. Additionally, the Florida National Guard Foundation provided financial assistance to the family by providing for the mother’s lodging and food while she was in Florida following the accident.
The Florida Army National Guard is required to conduct a medical evaluation board by the regulations outlined in the letter you shared, and those regulations also specify required physical capabilities of the service member. These regulations are binding upon the Florida National Guard, and the appeal authority is with the U.S. Army Physical Evaluation Board at Ft. Sam Houston, Texas.
As soon as we understand the exact disposition of Staff Sgt. Williams’ discharge packet, we will follow up with that information. Again, thank you for your interest and support.