[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 63 (Thursday, April 11, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2430-S2431]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO DIANA MILETE

  Mr. BROWN. Mr. President, I rise today to honor the career of Diana 
Milete. Diana has spent her life in public service and has made a 
difference in the lives of tens of thousands of Ohioans.
  Diana came to my congressional office when I was very first elected 
to the House and has been with us ever since, through all my time in 
the House and my entire 12 years in the Senate. When she retires at the 
end of this month, she will have spent more than three decades in 
Federal service.
  Helping Ohioans is one of the most important things our office does, 
and as the head of our constituent services program, her work has 
touched the lives of more than 59,000 Ohioans. These were seniors 
trying to navigate Federal Agencies to get the Medicare and Social 
Security benefits they earned over a lifetime of work. They were 
veterans and their families trying to secure medals and VA benefits. 
They were Ohio workers trying to claim the tax credits they earned.
  Diana went above and beyond the call of duty for so many Ohioans.
  I remember 2\1/2\ years ago, right before the Fourth of July, our 
office received a request for assistance from a

[[Page S2431]]

man in Cleveland named Danny Salazar, who was trying to arrange visas 
for his family to visit him from the Dominican Republic. You may 
recognize the name Danny Salazar--he was the Cleveland Indians' star 
pitcher, and the reason he wanted his family to come visit was because 
he had been selected to play in the MLB All-Star Game in San Diego. 
Diana got right on the case, and, working with other members of our 
team, she was able to make sure Danny's family got visa appointments in 
time for the game. Danny's mother got to come watch the game with her 
son, and he sent our office a picture of him and his family at Petco 
Park--a picture that hung on Diana's wall.
  Of course Diana's efforts weren't restricted to Major League Baseball 
players. Our office helps any Ohioan who needs it, and we have received 
piles of letters over the years from Ohioans writing to thank Diana for 
all her hard work for them.
  After Diana helped her with her Social Security claim, a woman from 
Elyria wrote: ``Diana, you are an angel in disguise. You literally 
saved my life and ended my despair.'' Another woman from Avon wrote to 
Diana, ``Many thanks for doing the near impossible!''
  Diana didn't stop with helping individual Ohioans. Over the years she 
worked on several cases related to ALS patients, who faced a mandatory 
waiting period of two years before they could receive disability 
benefits. Tragically, ALS is a fast-progressing disease, and many 
patients pass away before the 2-year waiting period is over. Diana 
brought the issue to our office's attention, and our legislative staff 
went to work. I joined my colleagues in the House and Senate to 
introduce legislation to fix this, and we eventually got it done. We 
reduced the 2-year waiting period to 5 months. This year, as Diana's 
time with our office comes to a close, I have joined a bipartisan group 
of colleagues to introduce legislation to eliminate the waiting period 
for ALS patients all together. That is how our office works best--we 
talk to Ohioans, dedicated workers in Ohio like Diana listen to their 
stories and bring their issues to the attention of our office, and our 
legislative staff works on a solution.
  We are all going to miss Diana when she retires at the end of this 
month, but she has earned a long and happy retirement spent with her 
family in Lorain. Diana's impact on this office will be felt long after 
she is gone. She has built one of the best casework operations in the 
country, and I know her team is going to carry on Diana's legacy, 
serving Ohioans with compassion and dedication for years to come.
  Diana, thank you for your service to the people of Ohio.

                          ____________________