Army Reserve Captain Wins Approval for Line of Duty Injury after a Year Long Struggle

MILFORD, NH — On the evening of Nov. 1, 2016, Capt. Shane Morgan and his wife, Jaime of Milford, received the news that they fought for during the past year. Through an email, Morgan learned that the U.S. Army reversed its decision, and approved Morgan’s heart attack as a line of duty (LOD) injury.

“I would go through it again if it means this helps other soldiers,” Shane Morgan said. “I love the army and I would not change my experience for anything, but this last year has been difficult for all of us.”

Morgan served on active duty for almost 10 years, and then joined the Army Reserve as a captain. In November 2015, Morgan reported to drill weekend in Fort Devens, MA, for a physical fitness test and suffered a heart attack during the push-up portion of the drill. As he recovered from his heart attack, Morgan and his wife began what would become a yearlong fight to have the heart attack covered as a LOD injury. Only then would Tricare, the Army Reserve insurance, cover the medical bills and follow-up care that was needed.

The Morgans submitted the necessary documents and waited. In February, when the timeframe for the completion of an investigation - 75 days after the incident - had passed, he filed a complaint with the Office of the Inspector General. When no progress was made by May, Morgan said he sent letters to Sens. Kelly Ayotte, R-NH, Jeanne Shaheen, D-NH, and U.S. Rep. Ann McLane Kuster, D-NH.

"We gave the Army plenty of time to do their job," Morgan said.

While he wasn't getting answers from the army, Morgan said his own unit provided support, including Sgt. Kristen Masiero, who helped him navigate through the process. On Oct. 5, 2016, the Army communicated that it was denying Morgan’s injury as line of duty. Jaime said she then brought her story to Facebook, and then the media.

“I am a private person,” Jaime Morgan said. “But no one is helping us. I needed to drive this.”

Jaime Morgan said she decided to speak with Army Times first. That story ran on Oct. 14. That same day, the Morgans learned that the LOD investigation was reopened. Jaime said she branched out and more than 20 news outlets covered their story before they received the news on Tuesday.

The Morgans said that the past two days have been filled with media interviews.

“It really hasn’t sunk in yet,” Morgan said. “As the dust settles, I think we will definitely be in a more celebratory mood.”

The Army’s Health Services Branch was contacted for comment, but had not responded as of the time this story was posted.

Caption: Capt. Shane Morgan, Jaime, and their sons Caleb (L) and Nathaniel (R).