FactFinder helps Kan. veteran receive cancer benefits after first being denied by the VA

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) - A Kansas veteran turned to FactFinder for help after Veterans Affairs denied her cancer benefits and other health benefits following her return from deployment.

That help resulted in Lorraina Robles receiving full benefits -- including retroactive benefits -- after the was diagnosed with Stage 3 cervical cancer.

Robles served in the Air National Guard, most recently in Africa. Now, she’s fighting for her life.

She endured debilitating pain before doctors discovered that it was caused by cancer. It has been nearly a year since her diagnosis, and since then, her life has been spent in and out of the hospital receiving treatment.

“We are at the point now where she is so mentally messed up, a lot of what I say she doesn’t remember,” Rosales’ husband Abraham said.

Her fight with cancer has not been Robles’ only battle. Robles’ family sent FactFinder letters they received from the VA last fall when her claim was denied.

Part of the reason for the denial of service listed in the letter is because the VA “did not find a link between (her) medical condition and military service.”

However, the VA did add in the letter that there was a favorable finding saying Robles participated in a toxic exposure risk activity.

Abraham Robles said they requested a higher-level review for his wife’s claim.

While waiting on an answer from the VA and still getting treatment at the hospital, bills began adding up. Abraham said that he and his wife split time between hospitals in Kansas and Texas, but they eventually had to sell their house due to financial stress.

“We ended up having to take money out of retirement from the military,” Abraham said. “I took out emergency money from my 401K just to cover the costs.”

According to the VA, Robles is a veteran of the Gulf War Era. Under the PACT Act, she is eligible for benefits.

The new law expanded VA benefits for veterans who served in regions with toxins. On the list of covered medical conditions is reproductive cancer including cervical.

Last month, the VA sent a letter to Robles saying they completed their higher level review for her case.

In that paperwork, the VA told Robles it identified “an error to assisting (her) in gathering evidence to support (her) claim in each of (her) claimed conditions.”

The VA described it as a “duty to assist error” during the higher-level review adding that they failed to get an examination or medical opinion for her cervical cancer claim.

Abraham said the VA has tried calling Robles while in the hospital, but due to her condition, she was not able to answer.

“All the information that was supposed to come to me was going to her phone,” Abraham said. “I never got updates on appointments.”

Abraham said he received a call from VA representatives and was told they wanted to work with their case, because her claim should have been approved based on all the information and medical records provided.

FactFinder reached out to the VA to figure out what happened.

A spokesperson for the VA said, “VA has asked this veteran since Aug. 2025 for medical documentation, in this case, a biopsy confirming cervical cancer, but had not received it from the veteran or her family.”

The VA added that under federal law, the VA requires medical documentation, proof of military service and a nexus connecting the condition to a veteran’s service before it can pay monthly benefits for that condition.

FactFinder passed that information on to Lorraina’s family, and within hours of them submitting her medical form, her benefits were approved.

“On March 10, 2026, VA received the records it needs and granted the veterans service connection for cervical cancer at 100%, among other benefits,” the VA said in a statement.

Lorraina will receive retroactive benefits dating to Aug. 2024, the day after she was discharged from service.

While Lorraina is still receiving treatment for cervical cancer, the claim approval helps relieve the financial strain put on the family from the medical bills.

“I’m forever grateful,” Abraham said.