Constituent Service Success Story

Evelyn Jansen, Discovery Bay

Mrs. Jansen of Discovery Bay originally contacted my office to seek assistance in dealing with the Social Security Administration. It turns out that her husband was receiving Social Security disability benefits until he passed away on July 21, 2007. With the passing of her husband, Mrs. Jansen informed my staff that she was widowed without any source of income and that her monthly bills were becoming more than she could handle.

Mrs. Jansen thought she would be financially stable after her husband’s death because she assumed she would continue to receive his benefits, as she stayed home to care for him prior to his passing. The local Social Security office informed her that she would not receive any benefits because of her age. She was 57 at the time. This news couldn’t have come at a worse time as she was facing unpaid medical bills and mounting financial hardship.

I worked with my staff to make an inquiry on Mrs. Jansen’s behalf. We were told that, in fact, Mrs. Jansen is not entitled to Social Security disability because of her age, but due to the inquiry, the Social Security Administration determined that she was entitled to nearly $13,000 in unpaid disability benefits for her late husband.

Mrs. Jansen was overwhelmed upon hearing the news and I’m proud that we were able to assist her.

Robert Vannatter, Pleasanton

I originally met Mr. Vannatter last August when I went to the Pleasanton Gardens Senior Center in Pleasanton.  He asked me for help in verifying the medals he earned during his service with the U.S. Army during World War II.

As a member of the 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment, Mr. Vannatter participated in the Allied operations at Normandy.  He said that during the battle he lost a pair of pant.  I didn’t ask him whether they were the ones he was wearing at the time.

Unbeknownst to him, the pants were recovered, and, years later, were placed on display at a museum in France as part of a World War II exhibit.

Recently, a visiting scholar from New York was at the French museum and examined the pants for identifying characteristics.  He found Mr. Vannatter’s Army Identification number on the underside of the belt buckle.  The scholar was able to track down Mr. Vannatter’s name and contact information through the U.S. Army and National Records Personnel Center (NPRC).

Mr. Vannatter was then asked to provide a memory of his experience in World War II to supplement the museum exhibit in France.  He recalled having earned a Bronze Star but was not certain.  In the interest of making his memoirs as accurate as possible, he asked me for help in seeking verification of his military awards.

I worked with my staff to submit a request to the NPRC to review Mr. Vannatter’s eligibility for various medals and marks of distinction.  The NPRC was able to verify that Mr. Vannatter did in fact earn a Bronze Star for his service at Normandy.  They mailed the medal to my district office in Pleasanton, along with the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal.

I was lucky enough to then be able to present Mr. Vannatter with the Bronze Star, the Armed Forces’ fourth highest combat award, earned for his service during World War II.

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2008, 11th Congressional District of California