Webster's Office Gets Over $10 Million Returned to Veterans

Leesburg, FL – Today, Congressman Daniel Webster, R-Clermont, announced that more than $10 million has been returned to veterans in his district in compensation, pension or retroactive payments since January 2017. 

“Serving veterans is one of my top priorities,” said Rep. Daniel Webster.  “We owe them a debt we can never repay.  Yet, too often, our veterans’ attempts to receive the benefits or compensation they have earned are met with delays. I am pleased that we have been able to intercede on behalf of so many constituent veterans to ensure they receive the services and compensation they have earned.   I am committed to continuing to work to improve the service quality and efficiency for our veterans.”

Webster’s office staff works diligently with liaisons and County Veteran Service offices to provide necessary or missing paperwork to the VA or to obtain status updates for veterans living in Congressional District 11. If you need assistance with a federal agency issue, call our district office at 352-241-9220.

Casework Examples:

Citrus County: The family of a veteran in Crystal River contacted my office for help with a pension claim which had been filed for an increase in pension benefits. The claim was stalled, so my office began tracking it down in the system.  Once located, it was learned that the VA was waiting for treatment records from a community-based outpatient clinic. My office was able to help clarify the need for the records and the VA granted the back-dated increase, which created a retro benefit of about $30,000.

Hernando County: A veteran in Spring Hill contacted our office for help with his benefit’s appeal at the BVA and Notice of Disagreement he had pending with the local regional office. My office submitted an inquiry on his behalf and monitored the notice as it moved through the VA process.  The veteran requested a video conference hearing for the BVA appeal, but was not able to keep the appointment. My office worked with the St Petersburg office to reschedule the video conference appointment and followed up with the Board to confirm his transcript was attached to the file. The Board’s decision was favorable. It was a pleasure to be able to tell the veteran the award had generated a retro payment of over $100,000.
 
Lake County: A veteran from Leesburg contacted our office because he had received a favorable VA decision letter, but had not received his retro nor monthly benefit. After obtaining information as to which VA office was working the case, my office submitted an inquiry on his behalf. We learned his payment had just been completed and retro check of over $10,000 was being direct deposited.

Marion County: A veteran from Marion Oaks contacted my office about an upcoming hearing with the VA regarding his appeal pending with the Board of Veterans Appeals. He was hoping to have a representative from his service organization represent him at the hearing. In following up with the organization, we learned the veteran had earlier terminated their representation.  We quickly informed the veteran of this and he completed the necessary paperwork. The service representative was able to review the case and accompany the veteran to the hearing.  We continued to follow this with the Board, confirming the attachment of the hearing transcript to the appeal. The BVA granted the award, resulting in a retro payment of over $100,000.
 
Sumter County: A veteran in Bushnell with CHAMPVA healthcare coverage contacted my office after receiving a notice from her oxygen provider, New Air Home Care, that they had not received any VA payments for over 6 months. Unless the VA payments were received, she would be liable for cost of her oxygen equipment.  My office contacted the VHA Office of Community Care, which found that it had several pending claims from New Air Home Care which had not been acted on. The VA processed the claims and approved payment to the provider.
 
The Villages: The widow of a veteran in The Villages had filed for benefits but was concerned with the delay. My office followed up with an inquiry and requested an “advanced age” flag as the widow was 92 years old. We continued to follow up with the agency as the claim moved through the process. Contact was made to the agency’s supervisory due to delays. Once the process was completed a retro payment of over $10,000 was made to the widow.

###