Written By: Joshua Dieker, District Representative 

                                            
                                                   Frank DeNinno

Too often, our office hears troubling stories from distressed constituents. There are people who are having difficulty making ends meet because of an error in their Social Security benefits. There are people who are having difficulty getting the medical care they need because of a problem with Medicare or the VA. All of these cases are important, and everyone affected faces serious problems as a result. However, rarely do we hear a story that is in such dire need for help as was brought to us by Frank DeNinno.

Mr. DeNinno sent us a letter at the end of July stating he had applied for Disability Benefits more than five years prior and was still waiting. Social Security Disability Benefits are available to adults who are unable to work as a result of a disability. If a person is qualified for Disability, five years is an inconceivable amount of time to have to wait. That is five years without any income. Mr. DeNinno’s letter indicated that he had run out of other options and was actually living in his car.

However, without a way to call him or an address to send him mail, it was difficult for our office to stay in contact with Mr. DeNinno. Fortunately, we received a call the next day from an advocate at the Resource Center for Independent Living (RCIL) on Mr. DeNinno’s behalf. RCIL had been working with Mr. DeNinno to help him find any resources that were available, but had begun to run out of options. We began communicating with Mr. DeNinno through the RCIL and by email, which he accessed at the public library, as we worked towards getting his case resolved.

Upon receiving all his information, we contacted the Social Security Administration to find out why his case was taking so long to process. We discovered that there were a couple of issues. One was the same problem initially encountered by our office; communication. Again, given that he did not have a regular address or phone number, SSA and Mr. DeNinno had a great deal of trouble being able to communicate. Additionally, Mr. DeNinno is totally deaf, and is thus unable to use a telephone. Because of these drawbacks, they were unable to make him aware of additional information needed by the Social Security Administration.

SSA had been able to identify his need for disability benefits and his application was pending proof of citizenship to begin benefit payments. Unfortunately, they still needed a copy of his birth certificate in order for that to happen. This presented a couple of new problems. Since Mr. DeNinno was living in his car, he no longer had a copy in his possession. Obtaining one was difficult because he wasn’t born in Kansas, but rather in North Carolina. Our office contacted the Office of Vital Statistics in North Carolina to find out what Mr. DeNinno needed to do to get a new copy sent to him right away. They said that they would expedite his request and put his birth certificate in the mail the same day, even though the normal wait can be as long as nine weeks. We assisted him in filling out the online form, and within just a couple of days he had the document in hand.

We helped Mr. DeNinno make sure that SSA had all the information and documentation that they needed to finally complete his application, and within about a week he finally received his first benefit check. No one should ever have to go through the trouble Mr. DeNinno faced to receive the benefits to which they are entitled. However, when things do go wrong, we are pleased we are available to help. All told, we worked with Mr. DeNinno for a little over three weeks but were able to help resolve an issue that had been ongoing for half a decade.

Mr. DeNinno checks in with us every once in a while, and we have been so pleased to hear about the progress he has made. He is no longer living in his car, and is now working with vocational rehabilitation towards being able to work again. In the mean time, he has the benefits he needs to pay his bills and access to needed medical care so he can focus on job retraining.

If you are facing difficulties with the Social Security Administration, or any other Federal agency, please don’t hesitate to contact our office. We may be able to track down the problems that are costing you time and money, and help set things right again.