Constituent Services

Government procedures can be confusing and, in the age of automated answering systems, often frustrating. Caseworkers are trained to assist constituents by cutting through a myriad of departments and phone numbers. They can direct people to the appropriate office, provide them with necessary instructions, phone numbers or materials, and/or find out the status of an application.

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Constituents will sometimes request that the Congressman "expedite" their applications for services or benefits. While a caseworker is available to obtain information regarding the status of a constituent's application or claim, this office has no authority to move one person's application ahead of others who are also waiting. However, if an emergency situation develops, a caseworker will communicate the circumstances to the agency and request that the agency take the appropriate actions.

Occasionally, a constituent will request that the Congressman use his influence to overturn a decision made by a federal agency. A caseworker is happy to assist constituents by forwarding information to the appropriate sources for consideration during the adjudication process. A Congressional office, however, does not have the authority to instruct a federal agency to approve or deny an application.

If you need assistance with a specific federal agency, please review our Help with the Feds pages.

The Privacy Act of 1974 requires Congressional offices to obtain written permission from an individual before an agency can release any case-specific information.

A privacy release form is available in Word and PDF formats. This form can be sent or faxed to our office, and should be addressed to the appropriate case-worker.