Services

Having Trouble With A Government Agency?

Contact Senator Harkin

For nearly 200 years, members of the Senate have been assisting their constituents when they need help dealing with the federal government. I believe this is one of my most important duties as your Senator.

My Senate office may be able to assist you if you are from Iowa and your difficulty is with a federal agency. If you are not from Iowa, you need to contact one of your Senators at http://www.senate.gov. Due to congressional courtesy, any inquiries sent to my office from non-Iowans will be forwarded by my staff to one or both of the Senators from your state.

If the difficulty you are experiencing involves a State agency, that complaint should be sent to the Governor of Iowa at http://www.governor.state.ia.us/ or your state senator or representative. You can find out who your local senator or representative is at http://www.legis.state.ia.us/FindLeg/. Inquiries that my office receives involving a state agency, will be sent to the Governor of Iowa. If your concern involves a local government office, it should be sent to the head of that office.

My staff is happy to assist you in trying to resolve problems with a federal agency. My staff can help you obtain information on the status of a claim you have filed. Keep in mind, a U.S. Senator and staff CANNOT force a Federal government agency to decide an issue in your favor or overturn a decision that is within the law and final. If you are seeking information from the federal government and have not been able to find an answer, my staff may be able to help. Members of the staff can answer common questions that arise when fellow Iowans apply for benefits or seek services from our government. Sometimes simple questions can be answered on the agency's website. Most federal agencies can be found at http://www.first.gov which provides the general public with easy, one-stop entry to all on line federal government agencies.

While I am able to assist with a large number of things, it is important to explain what can not be done. The Constitutional principle of Separation of Powers requires that no member of the legislature attempt to assume powers that are reserved to the other branches of government. That means that an individual U.S. Senator does not authority to require an agency to make determinations. A U.S. Senator or staff member may, however, ask for an explanation of a decision made by an agency and then pass the agency's explanation on to you.

U.S. Senators are also prohibited by Senate rules from providing legal advice or interfering with matters before the courts. If you need assistance with the proceedings, judgements or sentences of any court of law, you will need to contact legal counsel. You may contact the Iowa State Bar Association at 515-243-3179 or at http://www.iowabar.org or the Iowa Legal Aid office at 800-532-1275 or at http://www.iowalegalaid.org. Persons using English as a Second Language should call 800-532-1275 or 515-243-2151 in Des Moines.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

If your case involves a federal agency, the best way for you to contact my office is by calling, fax, e-mail or mailing to one of my local offices. Due to the ongoing mail delays in Washington, it can take weeks for a constituent letter to reach me if mailed to D.C. Casework requests may require your completion of a Casework Authorization Form. That form is available here as an Acrobat PDF file. Please print the form and mail it along with a description of your request to the address on the form. For more information, please contact my local office that is closest to you.

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