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| A Bureaucratic Nightmare |
April 11, 2000 |
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“I was in disbelief. Finally, after years of ongoing fear, it was over. I still get teary- eyed thinking about it.” These are the words that Carol D. uses to describe the day my staff members notified her that she could go back to being a full-time mom and wife -- free from the stress of an unfair decision, and the burden of overwhelming debt.
Carol’s nightmare began in 1992, when the Social Security Administration approved benefit payments to her parents, for the care of Carol’s daughter - a minor in their legal custody. As can sadly happen in life, Carol and her parents became estranged, and a custody battle for Carol’s daughter, then 9, ensued.
While lawyers took the controversy to the courts, Carol continued to be the best mom she could be -- endeavoring to shield her daughter from the turmoil in which the family was embroiled. In trying to do the right thing, Carol met with the Social Security Administration in 1996, to discuss the termination of the benefits that previously had been approved for her daughter.
But something went terribly wrong. Instead of receiving a benefit termination notice, Carol was presented with a demand to pay back more than $20,000 in overpaid benefits - benefits that Carol had never received!
Carol, and her new husband, Clark, then spent two agonizing years - visiting the Social Security Administration office every month - trying to resolve the bureaucratic nightmare they were living. “Each time we went there, they would tell us that the matter would be resolved,” Carol says, “but then they would send us another notice to pay, so finally, Clark said that we needed to get our congresswoman involved. We thought Heather Wilson would be able to help us - and she did.”
Carol contacted my office in April 1999 and shared her story with us. I was troubled by what I learned, and after careful review of the situation, my caseworkers determined that this was another example of bad things happening to good people.
My staff members, Peggy, Kristen, and Julie, worked diligently on behalf of Carol and her family, to help straighten things out with the Social Security Administration. And following their tenacious efforts, a wrong has finally been righted. Just recently, my staff received notification that Carol’s debt has been waived and shared the good news with the family.
One of the most enjoyable - and most important - parts of my job is helping people caught in federal red tape, whether it’s a lost Social Security check, or Veterans Benefits unreasonably delayed, or the Immigration Service taking years to grant citizenship to somebody clearly qualified. If I can be of service to you, please call my office at (505) 346-6781 - we will always try to help. Also, check my website for information about some of the most commonly asked questions about federal government programs and benefits.
P.S. Carol reports that her daughter is doing just fine. She is a high school honor student, and a member of her school’s R.O.T.C. program. |
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