Sun Herald, Biloxi
Good news arrives for ‘very happy’ South MS veteran whose check was shorted for years
By Anita Lee
Valentines Day is even better than expected for Army veteran Harriet “Elva” Pflug of Lucedale.
A long-awaited payment from the Veterans Administration finally arrived. Pflug had been fighting since February 2024 for the cost of living increase that she failed to receive in her monthly disability checks from January 2023 forward.
She didn’t notice the first year that she was shorted because her check was delivered by direct deposit and her bills were on auto pay while she was gravely ill with COVID.
When the VA failed to correct the problem by July 2024, she contacted the office of U.S. Rep. Mike Ezell. His office corresponded with the VA. But, still, no decision.
Veteran’s fight for pay
Pflug brought her problem to the Sun Herald’s attention in a recent email. She also forwarded her information to the Gulfport office of U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, which went to work on her claim.
A Sun Herald story followed February 6. On Feb. 12, Pflug logged onto the VA website to order prescription refills. The first thing she saw was her monthly pay amount, recorded accurately for the first time in more than two years. She then found a VA decision letter, dated the same day.
The letter said her pay had been corrected and she would be receiving almost $11,000 in back pay.
“My money hit the bank today!” Pflug said Friday. “So I was very happy.”
Although it was a long and frustrating battle, the 62-year-old persisted. She says that she is assertive, even a little feisty.
“I just hate that it took so long and was so much aggravation,” she said. “I can just image that being done to some 80-year-old man, and chances are he wouldn’t have the wherewithal to fight for it.”