Frank Thorne of Philadelphia said he had grown so frustrated with his claim - which he said was denied after pending for more than a year, leading to an appeal that has now stretched nearly two years - that he gets upset even having to call the benefits office. Thorne, who served in the Army from 1995 to 2005, said he knows he has submitted the necessary paperwork and even made trips to Ohio and South Carolina to collect needed documents, but still has gotten nowhere.