Rep. Johnson surpasses $66 million mark in constituent services

LITHONIA, GA – Since taking office in 2007, Congressman Hank Johnson (GA-04) has worked to help secure more than $66 million for constituents seeking help with federal agencies from his offices in Georgia’s 4th Congressional District, which encompasses parts of DeKalb, Gwinnett and Newton counties and all of Rockdale County.

“Helping constituents solve seemingly intractable problems is what my district office does every day. I’m proud that my staff has been able to help so many constituents receive the money and benefits due them from the federal government. Taking care of home first is my number one priority.”

Johnson, whose Washington, D.C. and district offices have a strong reputation throughout Georgia and the nation for strong constituent services, said he will continue to put constituents first.

In 2018, Congressman Hank Johnson (GA-04) celebrated and recognized his staff – both in Washington, D.C. and the District – for being named finalist for the first-ever Democracy Awards, the Congressional Management Foundation’s new award recognizing non-legislative achievement and performance in congressional offices.

The following are some success stories:

Veterans Affairs: A U.S. military veteran from Snellville, Ga., received $100,000 back pay and a $3,300 monthly benefit following an inquiry and update request from Rep. Johnson’s office. The veteran is a Vietnam Agent Orange victim who suffers from PTSD and severe heart condition. Along with this monetary benefit, the veteran will also be receiving additional care at the VAMC.

A U.S. military veteran received $30,000 back pay and an $810 monthly benefit following an inquiry and update request from Rep. Johnson’s office. The veteran suffers from PTSD and depression, and the office also followed up to ensure he was getting the proper care needed from his doctors. 

Social Security: A constituent was denied twice for disability benefits and requested assistance from Rep. Johnson’s office because his medical condition was dire. The office worked with the constituent to ensure that the Social Security Administration had the medical evidence needed for a favorable decision by the Office of Disability Adjudication and Review (ODAR).  Within three months of the inquiry, the man’s claim was granted, earning him $31,000 in back pay and monthly benefits.

Internal Revenue Service: Recently, Congressman Johnson cleared up an IRS issue for a constituent. She left the following message on Rep. Johnson’s Facebook page: “Congressman, I just wanted to thank you and especially (your constituent services representative) Shy Armstrong! Two weeks after submitting my problem with the IRS, the problem was SOLVED!!!! I owe a debt of gratitude to my congressman. Often we hear all the negatives and low approval ratings of the U.S. House of Representatives. Well, MY congressman truly worked on my behalf, and a 3 month problem was solved within 2 weeks! Thank you so much, Congressman Johnson. You’re a man who is FOR the people!!”

Housing: Since 2009, Johnson’s office has helped nearly 1,700 residents deal with pending foreclosures of their homes. Since 2011, more than 800 homeowners in the Fourth District have been approved for HomeSafe Georgia – which helps homeowners who are unemployed or underemployed through no fault of their own with up to 18 months of mortgage payments – resulting in nearly $27 million in relief, more than any other district in Georgia. Rep. Johnson’s office has worked with the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) to get the word out about HomeSafe at two events – and helped get DCA’s Fourth District outreach off the ground.

Example of helping save a home: A constituent contacted the office seeking help with postponement of a foreclosure. Her lender wouldn’t reconsider and told her that foreclosure would proceed. She had been previously denied because she had no income but by the time she asked Rep. Johnson’s office for help, she was working. Rep. Johnson’s office sent an inquiry to her mortgage company asking for reconsideration since she was now working, and requesting postponement of foreclosure to give the lender time to verify her employment.  On the day before the scheduled foreclosure, she was notified that foreclosure would be postponed and that she would be approved for a loan modification (she also later learned that she was approved for the HomeSafe Georgia program.)

Online Office: Rep. Johnson’s staff stands ready to assist residents of Georgia 4th Congressional District with their federal agency problems. For a full list of services, visit Johnson’s constituent service section of his Web site: https://hankjohnson.house.gov/.    

Johnson’s website is a one-stop shop for news updates, e-newsletters, speeches, legislation, constituent services, videos, photos and place where constituents can e-mail their representative directly. Rep. Johnson’s office has addressed more than 200,000 constituent e-mails and letters since 2007.

► Town Halls: Since taking office in 2007, Johnson has held hundreds of meetings and participated in a host of community events to hear directly from constituents. In August 2009, Johnson held a town hall on health care reform that was a model for the nation. More than 3,000 people attended. In 2009-10, Johnson held three jobs fairs in the span of 13 months that served more than 2,000 constituents, with some receiving job offers on the spot. In August 2011, Johnson co-hosted a jobs fair with Congressman John Lewis. More than 5,000 people attended. Johnson has held five “telephone town halls” with more than 100,000 residents since 2009.

In 2013-14, Rep. Johnson's office closed nearly 2,000 constituents cases. In 2015, Congressman Johnson held four town halls in a row in every county he represents: DeKalb, Rockdale, Gwinnett and Newton counties. In 2015, Rep. Johnson held town halls in every county he represents. In 2019, the Congressman reached more than 220,000 constituents by holding in-person town halls in every county he represents, four telephone town halls and three Twitter town halls. He also held a ground-breaking event in 2020 called The Restoration Resources Fair to help the previously incarcerated get back on their feet and intergrate into society.

► Pandemic Resources: Congressman Johnson held five COVID-19 related telephone town halls and webinars in 2020 and has a comprehensive Fourth District COVID Resources page.

► Senior Meet & Greets: From 2007-2020, Rep. Johnson has held a dozen senior citizens meet & greets throughout the Fourth District at senior centers in DeKalb, Rockdale, Gwinnett and Newton counties.

► Academy Nominations: Each year Congressman Johnson has the privilege of nominating a limited number of students to four of the five service academies. The honor of attending a service academy comes with an obligation and commitment to serve in the military for a minimum of five years upon graduation. Since 2007,  Rep. Johnson has nominated more than 180 Fourth District students to attend the military academies with 102 receiving appointments:  https://hankjohnson.house.gov/serving-you/military-academy-nominations. These appointments are worth more than $37 million collectively. 

► Arts Competition: Each spring, a nationwide high school arts competition is sponsored by the members of the U.S. House of Representatives. The Artistic Discovery Contest is open to all high school students in the 4th District. The over-all winner of our district's competition will be displayed for one year in the U.S. Capitol. https://hankjohnson.house.gov/serving-you/art-competition. To date, these scholarships have been worth more than $500,000.

► AppChallenge: Officially launched by the U.S. House of Representatives in 2015, this nationwide effort allows students to compete against their peers by creating and an application or “app,” for mobile, tablet, or computer devices. The Challenge is designed to promote innovation and engagement in coding and computer science. For more, click HERE.

► E-Newsletter: Congressman Johnson sends regular updates to more than 17,600 constituents from his office for subscribers of his e-newsletter: https://hankjohnson.house.gov/media-center/e-newsletters.

► Social Media: Congressman Johnson can also be reached through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

► Offices: For face-to-face meetings and help with federal agencies, Congressman Johnson and his staff are available in Georgia and in Washington, D.C., Rayburn Building 2240. Rep. Johnson’s main district office is located at 5240 Snapfinger Park Drive Suite 140 in Lithonia 30035. In Georgia, call 770-987-2291 and in Washington, call 202-225-1605. Please call ahead or for an appointment or request a meeting online at https://hankjohnson.house.gov/contact-me/request-appearance.

###