You Got Questions? Congressman Weiner Has The Answers

If your Social Security disability benefits have been denied, a monthly government check has been lost or the Veterans Administration has refused medical benefits, then the first line of defense is your Congressman’s office.
By year’s end more than 1,000 constituent problems will cross Congressman Anthony D. Weiner’s desk as he copes with the myriad problems posed by government agencies.
Weiner’s district is home for Queens and Brooklyn communities with the City’s oldest residents. His district ranks among the 10 communities in the U.S. with the largest number of seniors.
The freshman Congressman encourages constituents who don’t feel they’re able to "navigate the bureaucracy" to contact his office at (718) 322-9001. His main office is located at 1901 Emmons Ave. in Brooklyn. Other offices are located at 118-21 Queens Blvd., Forest Hills and 90-16 Rockaway Beach Blvd., in Rockaway Beach.
"We encounter two reactions from constituents," Weiner said. "They are either completely mystified or angry because they’ve been given a runaround."
Weiner’s staff on Emmons Ave. in Brooklyn is headed by Brian Gotlieb. He tracks the bureaucracy to ferret out the answers to questions sought by concerned citizens.
"Our record in resolving complaints is very good," Weiner said. "If it’s a clerical error we get 100 percent satisfaction and our record in successfully disposing of Social Security disability cases in about 75 percent."
In most cases, Weiner’s team deals directly with administrators of such agencies as Internal Revenue Service, Social Security and the Veterans Administration.
"I don’t want our constituents to make a second call when approaching us about complaints," he said. "So even if it’s a pothole complaint that is normally a function of the City to correct we make the contact.
Weiner said constituents are often confused by the way in which the Social Security Administration’s letters are constructed.
"They use boiler plated — or all-purpose sections — that are difficult to decipher," he said. "And very often, the left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing."
The Congressman said his constituents are very concerned about such matters as Social Security, the cleanliness of streets, quality of life issues and the availability of school supplies.
Weiner’s watchword is "don’t wrestle with the red tape, call us."