Veteran Uses Siege to Vent His Frustrations With VA

A disabled veteran who barricaded himself for 12 hours on the 10th floor of the Department of Veterans Affairs building in Mission Valley, demanding more disability benefits and better medical treatment, surrendered early Friday morning.

Neil B. Shangold, 40, of Mira Mesa, was arraigned in federal court later in the day. Judge Barry T. Moskowitz ordered Shangold to undergo psychiatric treatment to determine whether he is competent to stand trial. The competence and preliminary hearings are scheduled for Jan. 5.

Shangold entered the VA building at 3:15 p.m. Thursday, armed with a .38-caliber revolver, police said. They said he went to the 10th floor, where the office of the regional director is situated, broke two windows and threw out computers, typewriters and other office equipment. He also cut phone lines and blocked doors with office furniture, police said.

Shangold, in a written statement, said his action was a last resort--by damaging as much government property as possible, but not harming any people--to get the attention of those who had been ignoring him. Employees were allowed to leave the office unharmed.

Shangold finally surrendered at 3:15 a.m. Friday. He has been charged with destroying more than $9,000 worth of government property. The maximum penalty is a $10,000 fine, 10 years in prison, or both.

He was taken to UC San Diego Medical Center for observation and later turned over to FBI agents, said police spokesman Bill Robinson. He is being held at the federal Metropolitan Correctional Center downtown in lieu of $150,000 bail.

Roni Breite, of San Diego, who has known Shangold for 2 1/2 years, said he “must have been very frustrated to do something like that, because he has very high ethics and morals.”

She said she is glad that he got the attention, but is not proud of the way he did it. “Yesterday, I was scared to death,” she said. “I was afraid he would be shot or have a heart attack, because he takes 23 different pills a day for his heart. Today I’m relieved that he’s safe.”

Shangold released five pages of complaints addressed to the Veterans Administration and the Social Security Administration. In the complaint, he vented his frustration over the tedious process he endured to get an increase in VA benefits for knee injuries he suffered in Vietnam and for poor medical treatment. He also criticized the Social Social Administration for stopping his monthly disability payments.

In the complaint, Shangold said he has had two heart attacks and triple coronary-bypass surgery and can’t work. However, he said he had to get a part-time job because his veteran’s benefits were not enough to live on. Because he earned more than $300 a month, he was no longer eligible for Social Security Disability Income, he said. He said he grossed $464 a month in his part-time job.

For 17 years, Shangold said, he has written letters to the local VA and Social Security, requesting better medical treatment and sufficient compensation for disabled veterans.

Concluding the complaint, Shangold listed several demands. Those included new requirements for determining disability compensation, increased payments, and timely medical appointments and treatment.

Though he said his frustration was not caused entirely by the VA, he still blamed the VA for failing to diagnose the seriousness of his knee problem, which delayed an increase in compensation, he said. During appeals to obtain the increase, he said, he was forced to find a job.

Hud Collins, the attorney representing Shangold, said outside court that Shangold is very sorry for what he did.

Dan Emer, the VA’s regional director, was unavailable for comment.

Ken Jacoby of San Diego said that he has known Shangold 10 years, and that Shangold was desperate and frustrated with years of dealing with the VA.

“He had pursued every known avenue to generate an increase in his veteran benefits, and to get better medical service from the administration,” Jacoby said. “They have treated him poorly. He had to wait for hours to see a doctor; appointments were forgotten; it took forever for him to get prescriptions filled, and doctors changed each year.

“It’s difficult to reexplain your condition to a new doctor each year.”

Jacoby said he feels sad and angry that the situation ended like it did. He described Shangold as generous and caring.

Breite said she met Shangold at a Jewish singles event and dated him for a year. She said they are still good friends. Shangold is a volunteer guide at the Aerospace Museum, Breite said.

“We are all shocked,” said William Immenschuh, president of the board of directors at the Aerospace Museum. “He is an excellent man who liked people and was easy to get along with. We knew he was suffering with knee problems, but we had no idea that he would take this step.”