“I want to tell this story to everyone in our district who has ever reached a dead-end.”
Ms. H, of Waterford, was having trouble receiving her Social Security benefits and tried for nine months to secure the benefits she had earned.
My office was able to help Ms. H activate her file with the Social Security Administration, and secure a lump sum payment for the past nine months of benefits she was owed.
“After nine months of losing hope, I found myself quite frustrated and unable to know how to deal with this situation,” said Ms. H. “My phone calls to the local Social Security office would be automatically switched to the National SSA operators who would basically review my past recorded calls and tell me that there is nothing they can do. I decided to call some senior citizens advocacy organizations, but none of them were in the business of solving my issue. I was about to hire an attorney, but first, I called the Social Security Administration to ask what they thought about my decision. The gentleman who answered my call was located at the national center of SSA in another state. He did not put me on hold, instead, he kept me connected as he reviewed my file and recognized the number of times I had called during the past 9 months. He was quite empathetic to my issues and advised me to be patient and try one more option before hiring an attorney. He explained how he once was in the same situation as I was that day. His greatest advice to me was to save my money and instead of hiring an attorney, just call the office of your U.S. Congressperson and ask for their intervention in your Social Security Benefits case. He then immediately provided the contact information for Congresswoman Haley Stevens and encouraged me to give her a call and ask for her help. I took his advice and the rest is history. The next day I put all the facts on paper, in a letter to Representative Stevens and asked her to find out why my Social Security Benefit file has not been activated. Within 2–3 weeks Representative Stevens was successfully able to not only activate my file but also get the Social Security Administration to issue a lump sum check for the past nine month benefits that were owed to me. Words can not express my gratitude to Congresswoman Haley Stevens and her caseworker staff Zach Rich who kept me posted on every response or comment they had received from Social Security until the end. I can not describe the feeling of relief I felt after the past nine months. My friends and family are extremely happy for me and we are all so proud of Congresswoman Haley Stevens for lifting this financial weight off of my shoulders. I want to tell this story to everyone in our district who has ever reached a dead-end. Please, make a call to Representative Stevens before you give up. Congresswoman Haley Stevens is my new hero.”
How I Can Help:
If you are experiencing an issue with a federal agency, my office is here to be your advocate. If you are unable to reach an agency, are seeking the status of your application or claim, or are seeking assistance with navigation with the federal government, please give my district office a call at 734–853–3040. My staff can often help answer questions and find relevant resources. While we cannot guarantee you a favorable outcome, we will do our best to help you receive a fair and timely response to your problem. To learn more about the services my office may be able to provide, please click here.