Agency Help
If you can't get an answer from a federal agency in a timely fashion, or if you feel you have been treated unfairly, my office may be able to help resolve a problem or get you the information you need. While we cannot guarantee you a favorable outcome, we will do our best to help you receive a fair and timely response to your problem.
Residents of the 5th Congressional District of Missouri can contact me for assistance in dealing with Federal agencies. In order to better serve you, this form will generate a printable page that you should sign and mail to my office.
If you are a resident of Missouri’s Fifth District and are having problems with a federal agency, please contact our district office by phone to begin the assistance process.
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Kansas City, Missouri 101 W. 31 Street |
Independence, Missouri 211 West Maple Avenue |
Under the provisions of the Privacy Act of 1974, our office must have formal authorization from you before making an inquiry to a federal agency on your behalf. This law was enacted to protect individuals from unauthorized disclosure of personal information without their consent.
In order for our office to effectively advocate on your behalf, we require you to fill out and return a privacy waiver.
The Privacy Act of 1974 prohibits any department or agency of the Federal Government from releasing any personal information about an individual without that individual's written permission. Therefore, before I may initiate an inquiry on your behalf, it will be necessary for you to download, complete and sign a privacy release form and mail it to me. Since e-mails do not contain valid signatures, they do not fulfill the requirements of the Privacy Act.
Click here to download the privacy release form for assistance in general.
Click here to download the privacy release form for assistance for veterans issues.
Click here to download the privacy release form for assistance with immigration issues.
Click here to download the privacy release form for assistance with prison issues.
The form must be signed by the person whose case is in question. When you contact the office it would also be very helpful if you would include all pertinent information such as your name(s), mailing address, telephone number(s), social security number, documentation from the agency including correspondence and other information relevant to your case.
As a federal legislator Congressman Cleaver has no authority to intervene in matters that fall under the jurisdiction of the State of Missouri. Some examples of state matters are: medicaid, food stamps, child support, insurance regulation, or utility regulation. You should contact the Governor or your State Legislators for assistance with these matters. You can obtain a complete listing of state agencies and contact information for the Office of the Governor and/or your State Legislators by logging onto the State of Missouri’s website at www.mo.gov.
If You Are Contacting Me Regarding a Legal Issue
The rules of the House of Representatives prevent Congressman Cleaver or his office from intervening in the proceedings of any court of law (including appeal proceedings), since these are activities of the judicial branch of government. If you are having a legal problem involving the courts or prison system, you may need to contact the Justice Department or consider help from an attorney.
Please include all pertinent information and claim numbers in your correspondence—such as:
- Your Social Security number for a case involving Social Security;
- VA claim number for a case with Department of Veterans Affairs;
- Taxpayer identification number (Social Security number, if individual) for an Internal Revenue Service problem, etc.;
- Your address, home phone number and daytime phone number (if different than home) so that we can obtain any additional information from you that might be necessary;
- Copies of any related documents or correspondence that you may have from the agency involved;
Please Note:
The Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. § 552a) requires that Members of Congress or their staff have written authorization before they can obtain information about an individual's case.
We must have your signature to proceed with this type of request.
Authorization Form
indicates information that you need to provide.