San Bernardino Massacre Survivors Say They Aren't Getting Critical Medications

SAN BERNARDINO (CBSLA.com) — Three survivors of the San Bernardino massacre allege that the workers compensation division of the county is preventing them from getting the care they need.

Osama Megalla, the husband of one of the survivors, is going a step further by submitting a letter to the county's CEO, and Gov. Jerry Brown.

In the letter to Brown, he pleaded that he intervene, explaining that his wife Hanan Megalla was shot four times on Dec. 2, 2015.

"I feel there is a conflict of interest. Those doctors are hired to reject the claims for the poor injured workers," said the victim's husband to CBS Los Angeles via phone.

During the shooting, Megalla says his wife's bones were fractured, and nerves were damaged.

He told Brown in the letter, "the surgeon installed a plate with 10 screws to reattach the bone … she still suffers from severe pain."

He went on to allege in the letter that "the county of San Bernardino is denying approval of these medications citing opinion of utilization review doctors."

Megalla explains that he tried to fill her medication in one instance and was told "by the pharmacy that the approving company saying that the adjuster is not available. She's not going to be available for two, three days."

He says the bureaucracy is breaking his wife's spirit.

"This issue is adding to her anxiety. And she can't sleep at night. And her mood is just bad, of course. And she's always scared that she may not even get her medication. And sometimes she feels hopeless," he said.

Julie Paez, a fellow survivor, also told CBS Los Angeles of similar issues.

Shot twice during the attack, Paez is missing part of her pelvis. She alleges that she was stranded in the hospital because the workers compensation division delayed approvals of medications. Paez is also working with limited physical therapy.

The county says it has no interest in denying medical treatment to survivors of the massacre. A spokesperson said that this wasn't a financial issue but that the county was simply following a utilization plan it has with the state.

The county Board of Supervisors is scheduled to meet Monday to discuss survivors' complaints.