When Santa Maria resident Alexander Espinoza’s federal disability payments abruptly dropped, he struggled trying to fix the problem alone before seeking help.
He contacted the office of Rep. Salud Carbajal, D-Santa Barbara, and staffer Amisha DeYoung-Dominguez tackled the problem.
“Just to know that there’s an office that can help you in resolving any government issue is just vital,” Espinoza said.
Carbajal used Espinoza’s situation to highlight an often overlooked role of a congressional office — constituent services performed by staff.
“I’m just gratified and happy that we were about to help you resolve your issue,” Carbajal said.
Espinoza said he became injured while working as a concrete mason and began receiving Social Security disability benefits. Last year, however, the agency reduced the payments drastically, leading to frustration as Espinoza tried unsuccessfully to settle the problem.
On Monday, he became emotional as he recalled needing charitable assistance after losing his full benefits.
The cut in benefits occurred at a painful time in his life, but the congressional staffer “gave me hope,” Espinoza said, adding that help like that can be critical for those who struggle to advocate for themselves.
“We examined the claim, and it turned out that it was erroneously reduced. Moreover, he deserved all the back pay that he was denied for years,” Carbajal said. “As a result, he got the back pay, he got the adjustment in his benefit, and he got a substantial windfall to make him whole.”
The resolution meant that Espinoza received “a life-changing” sum of money and peace of mind.
Whether it’s a problem with Social Security, Veterans Affairs, Medicare or any other federal issue, Carbajal said his staff remains ready to help residents in his district battle the bureaucracy when the normal processes don’t work.
The 24th Congressional District encompasses all of Santa Barbara County plus portions of San Luis Obispo and Ventura counties.
“When people come to us, usually they’re on their last rope. They’ve gone already through the system, the process, and they’ve been beaten down and they come to our office. We can’t resolve everything, but we resolve a good number of the matters that come to our attention,” Carbajal said, calling constituent services the top priority in his office.
Last year, Carbajal’s constituent services staff helped residents in the district recover $1.7 million. However, not all of the help focuses on financial problems since the requests can sometimes involve a passport problem or immigration issue.
DeYoung-Dominguez estimated that the Ventura office handles 100 cases with similar numbers in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties for constituents living there.
There are limits to the congressional assistance. For instance, his office will work to ensure immigration applications are being processed on a timely basis.
Espinoza credited the help with fixing his disability benefits problem with also keeping him on track with his educational pursuits at Allan Hancock College.
“Nothing brings more gratification to me and my team than the success story that you are sharing,” Carbajal said.
It’s not just individuals who get help. Allan Hancock College staff reached out for help with federal student aid. The federal system implemented changes that led to a debacle.
Allan Hancock College Superintendent/President Kevin Walthers said Carbajal’s staff has remained in contact to help with various issues.
“We think we’ve got it all fixed now,” Walthers said, adding that the college sent out 400 notices to students that the issue had been corrected and informing them of the steps to take so the financial aid can be awarded.
“School starts in two weeks, so we need to have that going,” Walthers said.
For assistance with constituent services, residents can call Carbajal’s district offices at 805. 730.1710 in Santa Barbara, 805.730.1710 in Ventura or 805.439.3574 in San Luis Obispo. Requests for help with a federal agency also can submitted online at Carbajal’s website by clicking here.