A Marine veteran who died of cancer on the eve of the Corps’ 250th birthday won his battle for benefits for his surviving sons and was awarded medical retirement Monday by the Board for Correction of Naval Records.
Navy Secretary John Phelan announced on social media that Marine Sgt. Kevin Lloyd, who died Sunday after a long battle with colorectal cancer, is eligible for retirement benefits and Combat-Related Special Compensation.
Lloyd and his ex-wife, Alicia Rose Urban, had fought to have his medical discharge changed to retirement as a result of his illness, which they said was misdiagnosed when he left service in 2015.
Lloyd, who was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, served three tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. He developed migraines and abdominal pain and was medically discharged and awarded an 80% disability rating from the Department of Veterans Affairs for service-connected conditions.
In 2023, however, he was diagnosed with colorectal cancer that had spread throughout his body. The disease is considered by the VA to be related to exposure to burn pits used overseas during Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom to dispose of garbage and waste.
Survivors of veterans who die of a service-connected condition such as Lloyd’s receive benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs, but Lloyd petitioned for his discharge to be changed to medical retirement, which ensures that the Defense Department provides benefits to survivors. Those include monthly compensation, medical coverage under the Tricare health program and access to military installations, including commissary and recreational benefits.
In announcing the change, Phelan said the Department of the Navy was committed to supporting military families.
“Today we mourn the loss of Sgt. Kevin Lloyd, a battle-tested Marine who served our nation with honor through multiple combat deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan. … Caring for Sgt. Lloyd’s family and honoring his service is exactly what that commitment requires. My deepest condolences to the Lloyd family, and to Sgt. Lloyd: Thank you for your service, your sacrifice, and your example. Fair winds and following seas,” Phelan said in a post Monday on X.
Since midsummer, Urban, a critical care nurse and mother of their three sons, led a vast social media campaign across numerous platforms to call attention to her former husband’s illness, pressing for top-notch care, advanced medical treatments and support from the veteran community.
When Lloyd was given palliative radiation therapy for his metastatic cancer at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center in Houston, Texas, Urban pressed for transfer to the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston so he could receive an oral chemotherapy drug that would give him several more months with his sons.
When there was a delay in the VA’s approval to cover the medication, Urban turned to TikTok to call attention to the issue.
“Because the VA has declined to pay for the $30,000 treatment he needs, he will die. We have three children, and we are begging you to show us that his life is worth more than $30,000,” Urban said in a video.
He received the medicine later that day.
Lloyd was able to return home and Urban pressed for entry into a clinical trial but he was too ill. When he reentered the hospital, she called on veterans to come see him.
“I’ve been begging for 114 days, not for money but for presence. He’s still fighting like hell but morale is fading. Please — go. Sit [and] talk with him. Fill that waiting room,“ she wrote in a Facebook post that was widely shared on Reddit and other platforms. “Don’t let him die alone.”
She also urged the Marine Corps and lobbied Congress to change his discharge to medical retirement so his children could receive Tricare, compensation and recognition as a Gold Star family.
In the end, Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz took up the case. Cruz’s office declined to say why he decided to get involved, but Urban credits Cruz and his state relations director R.W. Bray for Monday’s announcement.
“Ted Cruz’s office was the only office to return any of my calls regarding this mission,” Urban wrote on social media. “They didn’t see a claim number or an unpaid hour during a shutdown. They saw a Marine, a hero, and a father — and they kept their promise,” she wrote.
Burn pits were used in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere to dispose of waste, including garbage, medical waste, batteries, munitions, plastics and other materials, generated by war on terrorism operations.
Exposure to the toxic smoke generated by the pits has been linked to a variety of cancers and illnesses. In 2022, Congress passed the PACT Act to ensure that veterans who develop illnesses related to the pits are eligible for expedited disability pay and benefits.
Funeral details have yet to be announced but according to a TikTok post earlier this month, Lloyd will be buried at Houston National Cemetery.
Phelan did not respond to a request for further comment but said in his social media post that his office is working with the Marine Corps’ Wounded Warrior Regiment to assist the family.
“Our team is collaborating … to assist Sgt. Lloyd’s dependents to navigate the Combat-Related Special Compensation process, ensuring that all earned benefits are delivered without delay,” Phelan wrote.
Patricia Kime is a senior writer covering military and veterans health care, medicine and personnel issues.
