Disabled Vietnam War vet still fighting to get mail delivered

HARRISON COUNTY, Ky. (LEX 18) — Vietnam Battle veteran Paul Helvey has not acquired mail at his Cynthiana residence for a couple of yr now.

USPS stopped delivering after a provider was attacked by a canine on his avenue again in June 2021.

After that, folks within the space needed to go choose up their mail on the submit workplace a couple of mile away.

For Paul, who’s legally blind and may’t drive, that was not an possibility.

As an alternative, his nephew, Tim, made the journey to the submit workplace day by day. He had to do that as a result of Paul receives his life-saving remedy by means of the mail.

Tim reached out to LEX 18 to get assist with the issue. We reached out to USPS and a spokesperson defined {that a} neighborhood mailbox (CBU) could be put in by early April.

USPS mentioned supply to the CBU began sooner than anticipated on March sixteenth.

However there’s nonetheless an issue.

It is situated on the finish of Paul’s avenue, which is riddled with potholes. For a person who’s legally blind and deemed catastrophically disabled, it merely doesn’t work.

“It would as nicely be 20 miles up the street as a result of he cannot do it and he ain’t gonna do it,” Tim mentioned. “I imply he isn’t bodily able to strolling up there and getting it after which strolling again. He is simply not.”

Due to that Tim put in a request for door supply. Tim mentioned he needed to acquire the right documentation from Paul’s physician to use.

Tim mentioned the native submit workplace has contacted him about the place a brand new mailbox may very well be put in on the finish of Paul’s sidewalk. However he contends that does not work both. Paul must climb up and down his steps to get his mail which is one thing he says may very well be a hazard within the winter.

“The mail must be delivered in the identical place that they have been delivering it for years,” Tim mentioned.

That is proper right here.

LEX 18

This mailbox is about 20 ft from the road.

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Earlier than the canine assault, that is the place mail was delivered for years. Tim and Paul are at a loss as to why that may’t resume.

“The mailman does not must climb steps,” Tim mentioned. “He opens it up and places it in.”

We contacted USPS about this and we had been instructed they’d no extra data for us.

Additional complicating the problem, Tim mentioned the present mail provider truly turns round within the cul-de-sac instantly adjoining to Paul’s residence after delivering to the CBU. He mentioned he believes making a fast cease to deliver mail to Paul’s field on his porch needs to be easy since he already passes by it day by day.

“It is outrageous,” Tim mentioned. “It is getting silly.”

He added that he looks like he’s being fought each step of the way in which. For almost a yr now Tim has put his life on maintain to assist Paul out and now he is contemplating authorized choices to battle again.