Before Brian Norberg, a professional chef, was struck by a car in 2009, he didn’t know he had brain cancer. A brain scan performed after the collision revealed that he did.
After a series of surgeries that left him with a slew of side effects, he applied for Social Security Disability. After his application was denied twice in a row, he sought the aid of his elected officials, and began an online petition to get assistance.
His search for help ended in May 2013 at the office of Jeff Merkley.
The senator’s office contacted Social Security, which took his application out of the queue for an Administrative Law Judge hearing and returned it to the Disability Determination Services (DDS) in Salem. In less than two months, DDS had reevaluated his application and approved him for benefits.
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