U.S. Rep. Ron Barber's office worked for nearly five years to help a constituent collect more than $83,000 in Social Security disability payments that had wrongly been denied.
"One of my main responsibilities is ensuring that the men and women I represent have someone on their side if they have a dispute with the federal government," Barber said today. "This is one example of the work my staff does on behalf of constituents every day. My door is always open and my staff and I are here to help."
Alejandro Molina, a former Benson police officer, was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder which made him unable to work. He was eligible for Social Security Disability Insurance but the Social Security Administration denied his claim. Eventually, Barber's office was able to help him.
"Without Congressman Barber's office, I don't think I would have ever received the money," Molina said. "It was pretty tough."
Molina fought the denial with Social Security's Office of Disability Adjudication and Review as well as in U.S. District Court. In May 2008, he asked for assistance from then-U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' office. Barber was serving as Giffords' district director and led the constituent services program in her Southern Arizona offices.
Daniel Frey, a constituent services representative, immediately pressed Social Security officials to reconsider the denial. He continued working on Molina's case as Giffords resigned from office and Barber was elected. Just before Frey retired at the end of 2012, the Social Security Administration agreed to pay Molina years of back payments.
This year, Alesia Ash took over Molina's case and continued working to ensure the payment was made. Molina recently received a check for $83,691.15 for benefits that he should have been paid since July 2006. Molina also will receive $1,470 per month in disability payments.
Many other Southern Arizonans have contacted members of Barber's constituent services team seeking assistance including:
A woman and her father who had a problem with an insurance company that was not covering costs for a hospital stay. After a member of Barber's staff contacted the company, it covered more than 90 percent of the hospital bill.
An unemployed veteran whose disability payments stopped because of an identity theft problem. The Veterans Administration asked the veteran to provide documentation to reinstate his payments. Although he provided the information, the VA still had not made his payments. He had a 10-week-old baby at home and was threatened with being evicted and having his power cut off. After a member of Barber's staff intervened, the payments were reinstated and retroactive payments ordered.
A Vietnam veteran with colon cancer who was having trouble making his mortgage payment. A member of Barber's staff helped the veteran ask the bank for assistance and within two weeks his monthly mortgage payment was reduced by 25 percent.
Two disabled constituents, one of whom was a veteran, had trouble paying their mortgages. Both worked with Barber's staff to have their mortgage payments reduced by about half.
Since Barber took office in June 2012, about 630 constituents have asked his office for assistance. More than 900 cases have been closed -- some of them cases that first were started when Giffords was in office and since have been taken over by Barber's staff.
Barber's staff now is working on about 660 active requests for assistance.
Barber's constituent services representatives can help Southern Arizonans with a wide variety of issues.
Many requests for help come from veterans and active-duty military, seniors with issues related to Social Security and Medicare benefits and families struggling to make ends meet. There also are numerous requests for assistance with passports, visas and foreign travel problems.
Some issues can be resolved relatively quickly. But others, depending on the complexity of the issue and the agencies involved, can take months or even years.
Constituent services are available at Barber's offices in Tucson and Sierra Vista from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The Tucson office is at 3945 E. Fort Lowell Road, Suite 211 and can be reached at 520-881-3588. The Sierra Vista office is at 77 Calle Portal, Suite B-160 and can be reached at 520-459-3115.
The names of those who ask Barber's office for assistance as well as the details of their issue are confidential. But Molina gave permission for his name and story to be used to illustrate the type of assistance available to Southern Arizonans though Barber's office.