Federal Agency Assistance

Aloha,

As your Senator, one of my highest priorities is to aid Hawaii constituents who have an outstanding claim with a federal agency or need assistance from the federal government. My staff in Hawaii will make every effort to provide you with appropriate resources or to obtain timely and accurate information on the status of your claim at a federal agency. (If you are a resident of another state, please click here to find your Senators).

I have designed this page to help you understand the types of issues where I can likely help and clarify actions that are not permissible by a Member of Congress.

If you are active duty military and need assistance for any reason, please click here.

Please note: In most cases, Federal law requires us to have a signed Privacy Release Form before we can discuss your case with the agency. Please fill out our Privacy Release Form.

Issues Where I Can Likely Assist

Issues Involving an Agency of the Federal Government

Some of the most common requests that I receive are regarding the status of Social Security claims, active duty military issues, veteran benefits, immigration petitions, and foreclosure prevention assistance. If you are a Hawaii resident who needs assistance with a federal agency, my staff may be able to help. While I cannot request that a federal agency provide you with anything that is not authorized by federal law, I can ensure that you are afforded due process and any errors that may exist in the handling of your request will be corrected. Please note that my office is not allowed to provide legal advice or act as your advocate in legal matters.

To that end, I canrequest information about the status of an application or claim pending with a federal agency or department, address concerns regarding the handling of such an application or claim, or provide additional information needed to resolve your claim.

The Privacy Act requires written authorization from a constituent before a federal agency can discuss the status of their case with my office. Please return a signed copy of our Release and Authorization Form to my Hawaii office, along with a brief summary of your situation, outlining the difficulty you are experiencing or the information you have requested. Once your correspondence has been reviewed my staff will take the appropriate action on your behalf and will contact you if more information is needed. While I cannot guarantee a favorable resolution of your case, I assure you that we will do everything we can to assist you in a timely and effective manner.

Please click on the issue area below for more information: 

Active-duty Military and Veterans

My staff may be able to help if you have a question about your VA benefits, would like to know the status of your VA claim, or if you have gone through your chain of command, but haven’t been able to resolve your issue.

Immigration

If you need assistance with information regarding the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) or a U.S. Embassy abroad, please contact my Hawaii office staff who may be able to assist.

Housing and Foreclosures

Many homeowners are still facing foreclosure or are having a difficult time communicating with their lender or mortgage servicer. Please call my Hawaii staff to see how we can assist you in preventing foreclosure.

Other

For all other federal agencies, please complete the Privacy Release form found in this section and send it to my Hawaii office, along with a letter describing your situation and they type of assistance you need. My Hawaii staff will contact you if additional information is needed.

Federal Agencies are created by federal law, and overseen by the President and his appointees.  Examples of federal agencies include the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Social Security Administration, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service and the U.S Passport Agency.

Legal and State Issues

Court Cases and Civil Disputes

The U.S. Constitution vests the courts with all authority to settle disputes arising under state and federal law.  As such, any matter that involves the interpretation of a law or its application to a particular situation must be decided by a court (including appeals from a lower court) and are outside the scope of the type of assistance I can offer.

My staff cannot provide legal advice or act as your advocate in legal matters.

Examples of court cases and civil disputes are: any matter being heard before a federal or state court, criminal trials, property damage disputes, bankruptcy or child custody, etc.  

State or Local Government Issues

Any agency or department created by the State of Hawaii is also outside my range of authority as a Senator in the federal government.  If you are experiencing difficulty regarding a state agency, you may request assistance from your State Senator or your State Representative, who represent you in the Hawaii State Legislature in Honolulu. Similarly, any issues that you may face relating to an agency created under the authority of a city or county should be directed to your local representatives on the City Council or County Board of Supervisors.

If you have questions about the scope of assistance that my office can provide, please do not hesitate to contact my Honolulu office.

Office of U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono
300 Ala Moana Blvd Rm. 3-106
Honolulu HI 96850
Tel 808-522-8970
Fax 808-545-4683
Email HawaiiOffice@hirono.senate.gov