{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.kelly.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/year-in-review-kellys-office-returns-millions-of-dollars-owed-to-arizonans-in-2025/", "Year in Review: Kelly\u2019s Office Returns Millions of Dollars Owed to Arizonans in 2025", "2025-12-17", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "AZ", "Mark Kelly", "K000377", "www.kelly.senate.gov", "markkelly", "https://www.kelly.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/", "scraper", "Kelly\u2019s office helped return more than $11.2 million in owed benefits and payments to constituents\n\nIn the past year, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly\u2019s office helped thousands of Arizonans and their families get the money they were owed by the federal government. From advocating for Social Security beneficiaries and veterans to correcting tax errors and addressing problems with federal health care coverage, Kelly\u2019s office worked on more than 5,000 constituent cases in 2025, helping return $11.2 million in owed payments and benefits. Since taking office, Kelly\u2019s team has helped return nearly $45 million owed to Arizonans.\n\nKelly\u2019s office also held mobile office hours and participated in resource fairs across the state, including hosting monthly virtual office hours in Congressional District 7, a region that went without representation for eight months, including the more than six weeks it took for Congresswoman Adelita Grijalva to be officially sworn in after her election. The office worked with local partners to provide information on health care, employment opportunities, and disability claims.\n\nSee below for examples of Arizonans helped by Senator Kelly and his office in 2025:\n\nSocial Security\n\nMr. Laging from Phoenix contacted Kelly\u2019s office after receiving a sudden notice from the Social Security Administration that his benefits were suspended due to an overpayment he did not owe. After Kelly\u2019s office submitted an inquiry, the agency acknowledged the error, removed the incorrect overpayment from his record, and released his suspended benefits. Mr. Laging received $29,256 in annual benefits and $8,665 in retroactive payments.\n\nMs. Rubin from Mesa reached out for assistance obtaining a one-time lump sum Social Security death payment following her husband\u2019s passing. After Kelly\u2019s office contacted the agency, officials identified and corrected a direct deposit error and released the payment to her.\n\nVeterans Affairs\n\nMr. Stauffer from Sun City contacted Kelly\u2019s office after his VA disability claim remained undecided. Following an inquiry, the VA approved his claim, issuing $33,664.20 in back pay and establishing a new monthly disability benefit of $3,967.36.\n\nMr. Hager from Surprise contacted Kelly\u2019s office after errors in his Air Force retirement pay resulted in incorrect monthly payments. Following an inquiry from Kelly\u2019s team, the issue was resolved, and Mr. Hager received his corrected retirement pay and back pay owed.\n\nMr. Cordova from Tucson was told he did not qualify for dental care through the Tucson VA Medical Center. After Kelly\u2019s office intervened, the VA confirmed he was eligible and approved his dental coverage.\n\nTaxes\n\nMs. Siler from Tucson reached out after the IRS incorrectly recorded her income twice, leading to an improper tax burden and withholding of her refund. After Kelly\u2019s office assisted with submitting corrected documentation, the IRS issued a refund of $5,108.26, including interest.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.kelly.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/year-in-review-kellys-office-returns-millions-of-dollars-owed-to-arizonans-in-2025/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8536749519407749, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}