Fact check: Did Josh Harder fail to help a World War II veteran?
An eye-raising claim by a candidate at last week’s high-profile congressional debate in Modesto is not standing up to scrutiny.
Ted Howze alleged that U.S. Rep. Josh Harder’s office failed to get health care through the VA for a 100-year-old veteran, claiming it was one more example of how the office had failed constituents seeking help.
However, the veteran’s family told The Bee it never sought help from Harder’s office. That supports a Fox 40 news report from July in which Howze was featured for getting the World War II veteran prompt care from a doctor Howze knows after the family faced a months-long delay with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
The Howze campaign put the Fox 40 story on its website with commentary by Howze. He states how American Veterans First brought the veteran to his attention “after the VA system failed to care for him (the veteran) in a timely manner.” Howze did not then claim Harder’s office failed to help.
Howze did not respond to requests for comment.
But Tim Rosales, his campaign manager, said Howze based his claim about Harder’s office at Wednesday’s congressional debate based on what American Veterans First told him.
Duke Cooper — the Riverbank nonprofit’s founder and CEO — also is featured in Fox 40 story from July and makes no mention of Harder’s office.
“He got that information from American Veterans First,” Rosales said. “That was the source of our information. You need to have a conversation with them.”
Howze made his claim Wednesday during The Modesto Bee’s debate at The State Theatre in downtown Modesto featuring the six candidates running to represent the 10th Congressional District. It came about 35 minutes into the 90-minute debate.
“That’s why so many people in the 10th District are calling our campaign and our office asking for help, because they’ve been unable to receive it at your office,” Howze said.
“Take the case of 100-year-old Sam Satariano, who showed up at your office asking your staff to help him get treatment at the VA system and couldn’t do it,” Howze continued. “We did. We got him treatment through a local doctor. That’s what happens when you live here, and you’re local, and you have known people for two and a half decades.”
‘That’s a blatant lie’
Harder denied the allegation at the debate.
“That’s a lie if you are saying that we don’t actually help veterans in our office,” Harder said. “That’s a blatant lie.”
When asked by The Bee after the debate, Harder’s office said it has no record of Satariano or anyone on his behalf seeking help for the veteran. The office said it logs every request for help from constituents and requests made on behalf of constituents.
Howze said later in the debate that he took exception to being called a liar and cited another example in which he claimed Harder’s office had not helped a veteran.
Satariano’s daughter, Sherrie, confirmed when asked by The Bee that she and her dad sought help last year through the VA and not Harder’s office. “We never contacted Harder,” she said in a phone interview.
Satariano said she is not criticizing anyone, and she and her father — who now is 101 years old — are grateful to Cooper and Howze for their help. And when asked whom she and her dad will vote for, she said: “I’m pretty sure we are going to vote for Ted.”
She said her dad last used the VA about 20 years ago, until they tried last year to get him an appointment for his chronic pain. She said the VA told her its Modesto Clinic was not accepting new patients, but her dad could be seen in Sonora in two or three months.
She said she got a referral to American Veterans First to see if it could help her dad get a lightweight wheelchair they could use for doctor and other appointments. She said she told Cooper about the long wait for her dad at the VA, and Cooper brought in Howze, who arranged for Satariano to see a local doctor.
Cooper said he is supporting Howze, who is a Republican and former Turlock councilman, and that he was commenting for this story as a private citizen and not on behalf of his nonprofit. Harder is a Democrat from Turlock.
Cooper said he is not doubting Sherrie Satariano but said to the “best of my recollection” about an incident that happened many months ago the family told him Harder’s office was not able to help. “The information I gave Ted Howze is that the VA and Harder’s office had not provided him care in a timely manner.”
Wednesday’s debate featured the candidates in the March 3 primary running to represent the district that covers Stanislaus and southern San Joaquin counties. Harder is seeking his second term after defeating longtime Republican U.S. Rep. Jeff Denham in November 2018.
The top two vote-getters among the six candidates, regardless of party affiliation, will move on to the November election.
Caseworker for veterans issues
Harder campaign spokesman Ian Lee said, “Josh took (the allegation) very personally. He prides himself on providing really good constituent service. That’s, from Day One, been among his top priorities. ... His grandfather is a veteran (serving two tours in Vietnam).”
But Cooper questioned Harder’s remarks at the debate about how when he first took office his staff sent letters to all the veterans in the district and that his office has helped more than 300 of them. Cooper said he was sitting in the audience with several veterans, and said he and they did not get letters.
Harder’s office said the letters were sent based on a list provided by the VA of veterans receiving services from the federal agency. The office added it has a full-time caseworker who helps only veterans and sent a breakdown showing it has helped 398.
The breakdown shows that slightly more than half of the requests for help involved the VA. The rest included other federal agencies and state and local agencies. The office said some of the issues can be resolved in a couple of hours with a phone call, but others can take much more time.
