Victorville Daily Press - Letter to the Editor

Op-Ed

A letter from Rep. Cook

Recently, there was a question in these pages about the services I offer to veterans through my Congressional office. We offer a variety of services to veterans who contact us.

By far, the most common issues where we can assist are medical appointments and disability compensation claims. As a veteran and as an American who owes a tremendous debt of gratitude to the brave men and women of all generations who serve our country, I view directly assisting veterans as a primary job duty.

I'd like to share two recent examples that demonstrate the type of assistance we provide.

The first example involves a homeless veteran and his wife. His wife was on dialysis, and the VA hadn't been able to process his disability claim.

The veteran had all of his possessions in a moving van, with no place to take them. They were temporarily homeless and in need of a sterile environment for dialysis, so going to a shelter was not an option.

After the veteran called my office, my staff worked with the administrators at the Loma Linda VA Healthcare System, and with the help of various agencies, we were able to help secure motel vouchers and secure a place for the veteran's belongings as well. The veteran and his wife stayed in a motel for a few days and then located permanent housing through the Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing Program.

A second example involves a veteran who had earned a Purple Heart but never received it.

The man contacted my office and explained his situation, which centered around his paperwork being lost within the federal VA bureaucracy.

Though it was years later, we contacted the Army and were able to help track down the necessary paperwork. As a result, the Army issued the Purple Heart which was then presented to the veteran.

Of course, we can't guarantee an outcome, but we always pursue any case to its reasonable end.

I'm proud of the casework team I've assembled.

They number only a few but handle a high volume.

Since the beginning of this year alone, we've closed more than 700 inquiries.

We usually have approximately 100 cases open at any given time.

Veterans Affairs is a changing field, particularly with the crisis of 2014. You can always contact my office directly for updates, but I'd also encourage you to check out the Veterans Corner portion of my weekly newsletter, which has run for over two years. You can reach my office by contacting us at 760-247-1815 or go to my website at cook.house.gov, where you can also sign up for my newsletter.

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