CBS19

Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger announced Tuesday that she returned over $1 million to 760 constituent cases in Central Virginia.

She accomplished this feat “by cutting through federal red tape, expediting returns owed from the Internal Revenue Service, and securing backlogged benefits from federal agencies like the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the U.S. Social Security Administration,” stated in a press release from release from Spanberger’s staff.

“My number-one job is to serve the people of Central Virginia. Since swearing-in, I’ve heard stories from local veterans who’ve waited years for the VA benefits they’ve earned through their service, and I’ve heard from Central Virginia seniors who’ve been denied the Social Security benefits they’re rightfully owed. My office has worked closely with hundreds of Central Virginians like them to make sure they receive just and fair treatment from our government—and in many of these cases, we’ve been successful in securing the benefits they deserve,” said Spanberger in the release.

Spanberger encourages her constituents to reach out to her office for more assistance.

“As we pass the $1,000,000 milestone, I hope that many more Central Virginians will reach out to my office for information about how we can be of assistance. These dollars can be the difference between putting food on the table or not—and our team is always on-hand to assist any of our neighbors currently experiencing difficulty in dealing with the federal government,” she said in the release.

One of Spanberger’s constituents, Brad Mena, described how Spanberger’s constituent service efforts have personally benefited his family.

“My son is autistic and was receiving Social Security benefits until his payments were arbitrarily stopped. The Social Security Administration also demanded repayment of 18 months’ payments,” said Mena in the release. “Ms. Spanberger launched an investigation, which resulted in his benefits retroactively being reinstated.”

Constituents with questions about the program should go to the portal on Spanberger’s website or call Spanberger’s Glen Allen office at (804) 401-4110.

Spanberger is a Democrat representing Virginia’s seventh congressional district.