It was an ordinary day. Finally, it's time to celebrate. The story goes like this ...... back in mid-October I visited the Department of Veterans Affairs office in downtown Lancaster. I had heard from a friend that my mom might be eligible for a widow's pension from the VA, since my dad was in the Army during WWII. Sure enough, they agreed and helped me fill out the application. Needed dad's birth certificate, Social Security number, Service number, marriage license to prove he was married to mom, and his death certificate. Also needed a canceled check from mom's bank account so the pension could be deposited in her checking account. Gathered them all together and made another visit to see Ms. Catrina L. Dean, VSO (Veterans Service Officer). We finished the paperwork and she told me that everything was in order and she would submit it within the week. She also told me that the process is slow and it would take at least three months before I would learn how much money mom would be eligible to receive. November 18 I received a letter telling me they received the application and that it was their sincere desire to decide mom's case promptly. Got another copy of the exact same letter in December, January, February, and March. OK, enough of this bulls*#t, I thought. What can I do? I tried my PA house representative, Mike Brubaker, and was told that since it was a federal government issue, I should contact U. S. Representative Joseph R. Pitts' office which is located next to the VA office in downtown Lancaster. Called and they actually answered the phone. No messages, no answering machine, just a human person on the other end of the line. Explained that my mom was running out of money and the VA pension would be a big help. They sent me a consent form that mom had to sign allowing them to contact the VA and see what was holding up her pension. Within TWO weeks I got too envelopes in the mail, the same day. One was the form letter that I already had five copies of in her file in my filing cabinet, and the other letter was from the Department of Veterans Affairs which read:
Dear Mrs. Woods:
Senator Congressman Joseph R. Pitts has expressed an interest in your claim and will receive a copy of the letter. We have made a decision on your claim for dependency and indemnity compensation (DIC), death pension and accrued received on November 15, 2010. This letter tells you about your entitlement amount and payment start date and what we decided. Your monthly amount is shown below.
WOW! Joe did it! After half a year of waiting I finally got results for mom. Shows you it helps to know someone. I had actually met Rep. Pitts when he rode in a parade and the Lancaster County Corvette Club, which I was a member of, supplied the transportation for him. Nice guy! If he ever changes his opinion on Woman's rights, funding education, etc., maybe I could vote for him. But, I will admit, he carries a big stick and can get the job done when needed. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.
PS - Mom finally got the first payment deposited in her checking account on June 1st.
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