When Arkansas veterans have problems with the federal government, they frequently turn to the state's congressional delegation for help.
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The four U.S. representatives and two senators representing Arkansas have staff members who help current or former members of the military.
The problems vary. Sometimes, paperwork has vanished or benefits have been denied. Other cases are more dramatic.
Because they represent the entire state, senators tend to have the largest caseloads.
U.S. Sen. John Boozman, a Republican from Rogers, has finished 1,274 cases focusing on military and veterans issues, his office said.
The cases vary greatly.
"It can have to do with health care issues. It can have to do with issues concerning veterans' compensation. It can have to do with the Veterans GI Bill. It can have to do with perhaps a loved one dying and you don't have the proper paperwork that you need to have burial at the national cemetery. All that has to be done very quickly," Boozman said in an interview.
The first-term senator said he isn't the final decision-maker.
"I can't determine the outcome. But what I can do is use the power of the office so I can get somebody to actually look at it. So many times, just getting a human being to pay attention to the problem that's going on solves the problem," he said.
Those needing help are often old and lack resources of their own, Boozman said.
"Many times we're dealing with elderly people that are trying to navigate this immense bureaucracy, and it can be overwhelming," he said.
In Boozman's office, the largest number of the cases concerns benefits claims, military records and medals, and health care.
U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton, a Republican from Dardanelle, has assisted more than 1,400 veterans and active-duty service members this year, including 200 who were seeking medals they had earned but never received, according to his spokesman, Caroline Rabbitt.
The four Arkansas Republicans serving in the U.S. House also receive numerous requests. First District U.S. Rep. Rick Crawford of Jonesboro handles about 450 cases per year, according to his spokesman, James Arnold. Second District U.S. Rep. French Hill has closed 205 cases since taking office in January, according to his spokesman, Michael Siegel. Third District U.S. Rep. Steve Womack of Rogers has opened 167 cases this year, according to his spokesman, Claire Burghoff. He has closed 232 cases, including many that were filed prior to Jan. 1. Fourth District U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman of Hot Springs has handled about 300 cases since taking office in January, according to his spokesman, Ryan Saylor.
Some cases are particularly memorable.
David Witte, a military and Veterans Affairs representative for Westerman, intervened this year on behalf of a World War II veteran whose pension payments had been cut off.
"He had not gotten a check for three months straight. And his granddaughter contacted our office and basically said, 'My grandfather is about to starve if he doesn't get money from the [Veterans Affairs] pension,'" Witte said. "So I immediately called the VA to figure out what was going on and found out that they'd stopped sending the check because they'd thought he'd died."
Witte said the error was fixed promptly.
"We were able to get that solved very quickly. The veteran was still alive, and we had proof of that. We sent it to the VA ... and they ended up back-paying him for the three months he had missed," he said.
In another case, Westerman's office helped obtain military service medals for a 95-year-old World War II veteran, Cordy Ramer of Fordyce. Westerman pinned the awards on the former Army lieutenant's chest in early September. Ramer died in late October.
John Ramer, the veteran's son, said it's quicker and simpler to get a response from a federal agency when a congressman's office is helping.
"It's easier for them. They knew who to contact and where to go to get the answers and I didn't," he said.
Thanks to Westerman, Ramer's medals arrived in time and his sacrifice was properly acknowledged, John Ramer said, adding, "It's a day that we will never forget."
Metro on 11/12/2015