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Mindy Shrader, EBS in Sauk County, helped a client do a significant amount of detective work to prove that she was eligible for receiving benefits related to her ex-spouse. The client initially came to see Mindy because she was worried that she couldn't afford her increased rent. After talking to the client, Mindy learned that the client might be eligible for benefits on her ex-husband's record. Unfortunately, the client had been married in another country before moving to the United States, and the divorce had taken place in another state. The client provided all the records she had about her marriage, which were not in English, and Mindy helped her bring those to SSA. In addition, Mindy helped the client request a copy of her divorce judgment from the other state to send to SSA. Unfortunately, SSA was unable to accept the marriage documents because the agency is prohibited from accepting documents from that country. However, the client was able to connect Mindy with an old friend who had witnessed the wedding and was willing to write a letter to SSA verifying when the wedding had taken place. SSA finally approved the client's application for benefits, which increased the client's total monthly benefit amount by over $1,200 and got her over $17,000 in back pay!
Monetary Impact = $17,000
6/29/2023
Story #90