PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — A Providence man has been charged for allegedly attempting to obtain veterans’ health benefits for PTSD suffered during an explosion in Iraq where he hadn’t been deployed. Nicholas Ash, 38, is alleged to have falsely claimed to a Providence Veterans Affairs Medical Center doctor that he was suffering from PTSD after experiencing a blast from an improvised explosive device (IED) while deployed in combat in Iraq. Ash claimed that he was suffering seizures as a result of the explosion, according to the Rhode Island U.S. Attorney’s office. Defense Department records show that Ash served in the U.S. Army from 2005-2007 and was assigned to Schofield Barracks in Hawaii and was hospitalized and placed on non-deployable status. Records also show that Ash was never deployed outside of the United States. After being confronted by the VA doctor, Ash allegedly told the doctor that after being discharged from the army, he experienced the IED blast while working overseas as a private military contractor. Records show that investigators found no record that Ash served in any such capacity. Ash allegedly presented the doctor with a letter written by a Middle East veteran who claimed to know of Ash’s deployment to Iraq. The veteran told investigators that he hadn’t met Ash until 2015 or 2017 and wrote the letter at Ash’s request. Ash appeared before a U.S. Magistrate Thursday and was released on unsecured bond.   Categories: News, Rhode Island