HOMEWOOD, Ill. (WLS) — A woman in the south suburbs says her veterans benefits were cut off for roughly a year and a half, even as her family repeatedly tried to send the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs the paperwork it requested. After the family reached out to the I-Team, they say the payments were reinstated and back pay was issued.
Mary Lou Heinberg, 92, of Homewood, said the benefits are an important part of how she pays for medical support and other costs at the assisted living facility where she lives in nearby Olympia Fields. Heinberg qualifies for the assistance through her late husband, who served eight years in the U.S. Army.
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When asked what the ordeal had been like, Heinberg did not hide her frustration. “Very upset, truthfully. I mean, my nerves. Sometimes I think they’re waiting for me to die. Really? I’m 92!”
She said the interruption in payments created a real financial hardship.
“It’s very depressing, to be perfectly truthful. I’m especially with groceries going up, medicine is going up. So, I really have to limit myself to what I do,” Heinberg said.
Her family said Heinberg had been receiving VA benefits for years and continued to receive them after relocating to a new facility in 2022. But they said the payments stopped in January 2025, and the VA later told them it had not been notified of her move.
Mary Woods, a family member, challenged that account.
“That they’re stopping the benefit because she did not notify them that she moved into a new facility,” Woods said. “But she did. She did. She faxed them. And I have a copy of fax before she moved in in February of 2022.”
The family also said the VA claimed it did not have a medical expense report needed to count the facility as a medical expense, despite reports being completed after the agency requested them.
“They’re not telling us that no one, no one will tell us anything. All they will do is send another letter,” Woods said.
Despite documentation the family said it had provided, benefits remained suspended. Heinberg said she had gone about 18 months without receiving the roughly $1,500 per month she believed she was owed.
As a result, Woods said she had been helping cover her mother’s expenses.
“I’m giving her like $2,000 a month to help her because she’s not bringing in enough money to be living there,” Woods said.
The family said matters worsened when the VA sent a letter seeking repayment of $50,000 for benefits Heinberg had received while living in the new facility. The VA maintained she should not have been receiving those payments, but the family disagreed.
When asked about the repayment demand, Heinberg said, “Oh, I almost passed out.”
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Woods added, “I told them they can keep sending letters because she doesn’t have the money.”
Heinberg said, “I said I don’t have any money. How I would pay them $50,000?”
The I-Team contacted the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in Washington, D.C. The department did not provide a statement, but the family said a liaison contacted them within days to investigate the matter.
The family later received documentation showing a new decision and an email stating, “We were able to restart your mother’s award…”
The email continued, “She should start receiving her monthly award on or around August 1, 2026.”
According to the family, the email also addressed the $50,000 debt, stating, “A chunk of the retroactive payment will wipe out the existing debt.”
Consumer Investigator Jason Knowles said, “It looks like we are on the road to a resolution.”
Heinberg praised the outcome.
“You’re a miracle worker,” she said. “Yeah, it’s amazing.”
She added, “For the length of time you’ve been involved. It’s unbelievable.”
Reflecting on the turnaround, Heinberg said, “So, less than 12 hours, and it took me more than 18 months, and still got nowhere.”
Knowles replied, “And in 12 hours, we got the job done.”
“Right? Hallelujah,” Heinberg responded.
The family said they have also received about $28,000 in back pay for benefits that were not provided during the year and a half payments were stopped.
Sens. Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin have also been assisting with the case and both say they are available to help other people who are experiencing problems obtaining VA benefits.
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