Congresswoman Lauren Boebert’s Office Releases July Staff Mobile Office Hours

Rep. Boebert’s Casework Success Stories

• Due to red-tape and staffing issues at the VA—including no one answering the phones—a Silver Star veteran had gone 14 months waiting for an authorization for care. Within days of opening the case, the veteran’s condition turned to an emergency. We were able to escalate the case through the VA-VISN, and stayed in contact with the veteran over the weekend so he could get immediate help.
• Farmers raised complaints that the USDA was declining their crop loss insurance claims due to "failure to irrigate" during a drought. My district staff contacted the agency and worked to have the issue resolved so that farmers' claims could be paid.
• A couple traveling overseas was separated due to the husband testing positive for COVID. The wife contacted my office for help since her husband was detained at a quarantine facility with unsafe and unsanitary conditions. My office worked with the Department of State to convey emergency instructions to the embassy and help get the husband out of this dangerous situation. 
• A Grand Junction small business' EIDL loan was denied by the Small Business Administration (SBA) without justification. My office contacted the SBA to get them to re-look at the case and reverse their decision and grant the EIDL loan and save the small business from going under.
• A provider for bi-monthly veterans’ PTSD group counseling had been a repeat no-show for a year and attendance dwindled as fellow veterans struggled to counsel one another.  We drew attention to the problem which is now corrected.
• A veteran walked into my office in extreme distress with tens of thousands in unpaid medical bills for life-saving emergency medical care that the VA was supposed to cover. He was being harassed by bill collectors and reported the VA denied coverage because he didn’t seek care at his local hospital. The rural hospital didn’t have the needed expertise and doctors from both Albuquerque and Denver were involved in the case which created confusion on paper. We contacted the VA to put the pieces together for justification of coverage, and the veteran’s bills were paid.
• I was contacted by a veteran who had been previously denied a claim for an increase in benefits and filed multiple appeals as his chronic condition had quickly been deteriorating his quality of life. At this time the veteran was very close to losing his home as he could not work or perform daily tasks. We were able to get the veteran in contact with the Loan Guarantee Department at the VA to assist with the veteran’s mortgage while we waited for a new medical appointment to document the deterioration of the veteran’s medical condition and the determination from those findings. Within a few months, we were able to help facilitate the increase of monthly benefits well over the expected amount as well as more than doubling the amount of back pay the veteran was expected to receive. 
• I was contacted by a veteran who was not receiving his retirement or benefits almost a year after retiring from the Navy. We inquired with the Department of the Navy and were able to get his retirement services approved and enrolled in benefits while ensuring the veteran received back pay for the year that he did not receive his retirement pay.
• I was contacted by the daughter of a Korean War Veteran that had recently passed away and due to the lack of paperwork, the family was unable to hold a funeral service with military honors and reached out to our office to get his service records to place a plaque on his headstone so he could receive the honor he deserved.  Due to the closures of the National Personnel Records Center due to COVID-19, this request was backlogged as no paper records were being retrieved. After almost a full year, we were able to obtain the veteran’s service records for the family to ensure this Korean War Veteran will be honored.
• A veteran’s family contacted me regarding the VA’s very slow reaction to their doctor’s request for the veteran’s immediate open-heart surgery.  We got the veteran into surgery in three days. The doctor and family indicated the veteran could have died had they waited longer for surgery.
• A widow contacted me and was very concerned that she would not receive any funds to assist her with living expenses. She had applied to the VA for benefits but had not heard anything for three months.  Within a month after contacting my office she had received the paperwork and funds.
• A widow contacted me as she was to receive lump sum spousal benefits and had waited fourth months and not heard anything from the VA.  Within a month of contacting me, she received the lump sum payment.