GREELEY, Colo. -- An Army veteran in Greeley has one more thing to be thankful for this Thanksgiving after a five-figure paperwork dispute was resolved with the VA.
The issue stemmed from disability benefits based on the number of dependents Thomas Howard had over the last two decades. The VA says he was overpaid and wanted more than $14,000 back.
Denver7 profiled Howard's case back in July.
Early in November, Howard says he got a letter from the VA.
"The money I owed them was forgiven, and I don’t owe them anything, and we're done," he said.
The VA never told him exactly why his case was let off the hook, but he has some theories.
"I contacted [Denver7], you came out and did the interview, and I'm pretty sure that had a part to play," he said.
So at Thanksgiving dinner with family, Howard had one less thing to worry about.
"I'm thankful for that weight being lifted off my shoulders," he said. "The biggest thing is I’m able to keep my house, and I don’t have any external stress."
To celebrate, Howard says he cooked his first ever deep-fried turkey for dinner.
