Newsletter: Passport Season (Like High School) Never Ends
Here’s to making sure that no matter how many cases are on your docket, you get at least one Friday afternoon this summer to sneak off a little early and be outside (yes, we’re sending this on a Monday because some of us Type As need a full week to plan our “spontaneous” skiving off).
Tips on news stories we’ve missed and resources you find helpful are more than welcome: anne@popvox.org.
This Week
Webinar: Burnout & Care
Friday, July 28 at 1pm Eastern
Caseworkers' willingness to go above and beyond to help constituents in distress can easily cross over into burnout and compassion fatigue. In this webinar, experts from the Schwartz Center discuss their innovative approaches to supporting caregivers facing burnout and trauma in the medical field. The Schwartz Center has done groundbreaking work amid disasters like the Boston Marathon Bombing and partnered with the VA’s National Center on PTSD to support caregivers during the pandemic. Caseworkers will explore ways these lessons may be applied to Congressional contexts.
Agency News
PACT Act filing deadline
Veterans interested in submitting a claim under the PACT Act must file a claim or an Intent to File by August 9th to be eligible for benefits backdated to August of 2022. Submitting an “Intent to File” locks in the effective date of the claim while the veteran is gathering documentation or searching for a Veterans Service Officer (VSO).
Disaster season
Recent devastating floods in Vermont have drawn attention to the coming shortfall in FEMA’s disaster relief fund. Congress is working on a supplemental funding agreement that would keep the fund from insolvency.
FEMA struggling in the aftermath of last year’s fires
A recent report shows that FEMA has paid out less than 1% of the money Congress allocated to victims of the Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon fire in New Mexico in the spring of 2022. Impacted constituents have until November of 2024 to file FEMA claims.
Canada attracts tech talent in H1-B backlog
Canada’s new strategy to attract tech talent includes a special program to allow H1-B visa holders in the United States to apply for a Canadian work permit. In the first 48 hours, the program met its cap of 10,000 applicants.
Copyright Claims Board (CCB) completes its first year
The newly-created Copyright Claims Board is wrapping up its first year in service. The CCB is the “small claims court for copyright,” handling copyright infringement cases with values under $30,000.
Congress belatedly receives findings of Coast Guard sexual assault investigation
The US Coast Guard opened an investigation into allegations (some going back to the 1990s) of sexual assault and mismanaged disciplinary actions at the Coast Guard Academy in 2014, but only reported its findings to Congress in June.
Massive Medicaid scam targets Native Americans in Montana
Montana authorities allege that fake sober home operators in Arizona lured members of the Blackfeet and Crow tribes with promises of free housing and treatment, fraudulently billing Medicaid and leaving victims homeless and stranded. At least 40 tribe members have been located and returned home, but many more remain missing. The Navajo Nation has issued a public health state of emergency.
New scanners at the IRS
The IRS announced plans to use modernization funding to digitize more of its services, including the purchase of 700 new scanners, a mobile app prototype, and the ability to allow constituents to respond online to more notices. IRS chief Werfel says that “within the next five years, taxpayers will be able to securely file all documents and respond to all notices online, as well as securely access and download their data and account history.”
Onboarding a new SSA caseworker?
This is a handy guide to understanding the different types of Social Security Old Age and Survivors’ Insurance (OASI) benefits.
Casework News
You’re not alone
Axios has noticed that Congressional offices are struggling to handle record-high numbers of passport cases.
Service journalism on casework
The Anchorage Daily News has a thorough explainer on benefits constituents can expect from their delegation, including casework.
Casework is FOIA-able
RollCall investigated the number of cases completed by the office of Representative George Santos by submitting FOIA requests to standard casework agencies. Lots to unpack here, but it’s the first time we’ve seen journalists explicitly target casework numbers.
ICYMI
Sharing Constituent Stories While Respecting Privacy
We had a great question at the Storytelling Webinar on how to share constituent stories while respecting individuals’ privacy. This Case Note post offers some tips for navigating this tradeoff.
Call for Participation
Continuing Ed for Congress
What is your dream certification while working in Congress? In keeping with the Modernization Committee recommendation to increase professional development opportunities for staff, Lorelei Kelly of Georgetown University will be conducting a research sprint during August. She is seeking staff to interview, share ideas and hear feedback on prototypes to learn how colleges and universities can provide customized certifications. These sessions can be in person or online. Reach out to Lorelei.Kelly@georgetown.edu to participate.
Comments, questions, suggestions, tips, concerns? Did someone forward you this email, and you’d like to subscribe? Send all of the above my way: anne@popvox.org.
Anne Meeker
Deputy Director
