VA covers sick young veteran’s $73K transport bill after dad’s plea goes viral. How tough medical bills are for veterans

ABC13

Victoria Vesovski

Tue, February 24, 2026 at 7:42 AM GMT+9 4 min read

Military veteran Sylvester Craft did everything he could do to protect his daughter Savali from combat when she followed in his footsteps and joined the U.S. Armed Forces.

What neither of them expected was that Savali — a mother of two and five-year Air Force veteran — would end up fighting for her life in a Las Vegas hospital bed following heart failure.

Nor did they expect that Sylvester would have to fight Veterans Affairs to cover the cost of flying her to California for the specialized care she needed.

“I’ve been through so much,” Sylvester told ABC 13 last week (1). “I’ve been fighting like I’ve been in a war zone.”

Savali had approached her local VA office for care when she learned that she had a thyroid condition and an enlarged heart.

But when she was hospitalized for heart failure, the VA denied the family the $73,000 they needed to pay for air transport to Stanford Medical Center in California.

That was the estimated cost of the flight, medical team and specialized equipment needed to keep her alive during transport.

Astounded that the VA wouldn’t foot the bill, Sylvester Craft turned to social media for support.

“She’s an Air Force veteran of five years; she’s lying here with heart failure, fighting for her life, giving everything she got,” he shared in a video that went viral (2).

"Save my daughter’s life, let this make national media, send it to every media outlet you can send it to.”

It was a desperate ploy — but it worked. Not all veterans are so lucky.

Here’s a look at what happened next, and the challenges other veterans are dealing with when it comes to urgent medical bills.

Viral video moves Veterans Affairs to pay up

People did share Craft’s video widely, and raised nearly $60,000 on a GoFundMe campaign to help cover the costs of Savali’s medical transport

Meanwhile, Rep. John McGuire, who represents Sylvester Craft’s own district in Congress, saw the video.

A veteran himself, McGuire spoke to Sylvester directly and was so moved that he contacted Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins to make things right (3).

“I’ve been on the phone with him four or five times trying to make sure, and what I got is a guarantee that the VA is going to pay for everything,” McGuire told ABC 13.

Sec. Collins agreed. Sylvester Craft cancelled the GoFundMe campaign.

With full VA funding, Optimum Medical Transport took care of Savali’s flight to Stanford Medical Center last week.

On Thursday Feb. 19, Sylvester Craft celebrated his birthday by sharing the news that his daughter had turned a corner. Savali is off heart and lung support (4), but remains on dialysis.

Story continues  

He added that the family has been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from their community in Southside Virginia.

Sadly, many veterans may feel isolated and overwhelmed with medical debt.

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Veterans struggling with medical debt

About 30% of veterans — including 44% of Gen Z and millennial veterans — are struggling with medical debt, according to National Debt Relief.

Even within the VA system, financial strain persists: the Department of Veterans Affairs has reported roughly $382 million in outstanding medical care debt affecting about 875,000 veterans.

Veterans carrying medical debt are more likely to feel afraid and overwhelmed about how to pay it off.

In fact, the National Debt Relief survey noted that 91% of veterans believe debt aggravates service-related PTSD (5).

The survey also revealed that nearly 4 in 10 veterans (37%) face constant stress over paying bills, which rises sharply to 51% among Gen Z and Millennial veterans.

Phillip Easton, Managing Director of the American College of Financial Services’ Center for Military and Veterans Affairs, said many veterans quietly struggle to make ends meet, even skipping meals.

“It’s not just about dollars and cents, it’s about dignity,” he said. “Financial instability can take a toll on a veteran’s confidence and sense of worth."

While veterans should approach VA for financial assistance directly, there are additional routes of support.

GoFundMe lists a number of organizations willing to assist veterans financially (6):

American Legion Temporary Financial Assistance

Coalition to Support America’s Heroes

National Association of American Veterans

Semper Fi & America’s Fund

USA Cares

And specifically for women:

Combat Female Veterans Families United

Center for Women Veterans

As Savali’s story shows, many Americans are willing to step up to support their veterans’ medical needs.

But there are still gaps in the system to providing that support for everyone.

Article sources

We rely only on vetted sources and credible third-party reporting. For details, see our editorial ethics and guidelines. ABC 13 (1, 3, 4); Facebook (2); National Debt Relief (5); GoFundMe (6)

This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.

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