Gay veteran fights VA for benefits

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) - The actions a Connecticut resident and retired Navy veteran is taking to get the Veterans Affairs to recognize same sex marriages is having an impact on some Yale law students.

Three Yale law school students filed a notice of appeal in court today. They say this may be the first time that a veteran is asking the VA to recognize same sex marriage.

"I would like to share with you my life story of being an American, and serving for my country as a homosexual," says Carmen Cardona.

Cardona who legally married her partner is being told by the VA that she can not receive benefits for her wife.

Cardona served in the military for 18 years. Shortly after she was honorably discharged in 2000, she began receiving service-related disability benefits from the VA for carpal tunnel syndrome that she developed as a result of her service duties.

In 2010, Carmen legally married her longtime partner in Norwich. She then applied to the VA for spousal benefits but they denied her request.

"I am fighting for the right. This is the land of the free, and I believe that we all are equal, and we should get the same rights," says Cardona.

Military veterans with a service-connected disability of 30 percent or more are eligible for dependency benefits for their spouses. Carmen is rated 80 percent disabled by the VA. she has been told by the VA that her wife does not qualify as a dependent.

The Yale law students say that there are more than one million gay and lesbian veterans, and they hope this case will help others in the same situation.