Newsletter: Monster Agency News Week
Hope you’re hanging in there as we get into the thick of August recess! We keep waiting for summer to slow down while DC empties out, but… here we are. We have quite the roundup of news you can use today, including a slew of new studies on federal benefits, and a few great events on the horizon.
In particular, we wanted to flag a great training happening TODAY from our friends at the American Governance Institute and the R Street Institute on practical cybersecurity. While you undoubtedly have to do the yearly official-side training, this event focuses on how to secure your personal devices and take common-sense steps to keep yourself safe. With constituents increasingly reaching out to caseworkers by any means possible, we strongly recommend this training for all casework and district staff.
I am always here for questions, comments, suggestions, or just to chat. Feel free to reach out by replying to this email, or shoot me a note at anne@popvox.org.
Anne Meeker
Deputy Director
POPVOX Foundation
TODAY: Secure Our Congress: Practical Cybersecurity for Staffers
Congressional staffers face unique cybersecurity challenges, and they can lack resources and training to protect themselves in the digital world. Staffers are a gateway to Congress, and we must ensure the centerpiece of our democracy is as secure as possible against cyber threats, espionage, and fraud.
Join Demand Progress, R Street Institute, and the American Governance Institute for a training session for aides to members of Congress focused on reducing cybersecurity vulnerabilities and improving cyber civil defenses specific to the professional and personal lives of congressional staff.
This session includes training that is geared specifically towards caseworkers and other district/state staffers, although all types of Hill staff are welcome.
News About Casework
Congrats to the CMF Democracy Award for Constituent Services winners!
A round of applause to the Bilirakis [R, FL] and McBath [D, GA] teams, and to everyone who submitted an application. You’re all winners in our book! CMF CEO Brad Fitch’s op-ed on the winners is worth a read.
New report on how agencies should handle casework
The Administrative Conference of the United States just released a comprehensive report on how federal agencies are handling casework, with recommendations for how agencies should streamline and modernize their responses to Congressional casework inquiries. We are cheering!
Casework in the News:
Great service fair coverage for the Salzman [R, FL] team
Casework-Related Agency News
The best use-you-can-use: a constituent-focused guide to missing SNAP benefits
A user-friendly, one-page guide to troubleshooting when a constituent misses a SNAP deposit. While these cases are usually handled by your state counterparts, this is a helpful resource to have on hand!
SSA makes huge progress on releasing SSI underpayments
The agency recently changed the threshold for releasing underpayments without managerial review from $5,000 to $15,000. As of June, over $900 million of SSI underpayments have been released.
SSA switches to login-dot-gov for online accounts
Constituents who created online SSA accounts before September 2021 will be required to transition to the new platform to continue to access their accounts.
VA also switches to login-dot-gov or ID-me for online accounts
Similarly, the VA announced it is phasing out the myHealthEvet ID verification and DOD logon, and veterans will need to use either login-dot-gov or id-me to continue to access their accounts by 2025.
Taxpayer Advocate releases highlights from upcoming report to Congress
Some notable elements include wins on previous recommendations, problems with refundable credits, accessibility to taxpayers with disabilities, problems with improperly e-filed returns, and issues with mail delays outside the US. In other non-TAS treasury news, TIGTA provided recommendations for strengthening cryptocurrency compliance.
VA unable to collect revenue from community care
VA paused its use of a tool to bill local providers for community care because of cybersecurity concerns in February, and has been unable to collect over $665 million since.
OIRA releases new report on burdens/barrier reduction across the federal government
OIRA’s 2024 report on Tackling the Time Tax has helpful information about program changes across a number of frequent-casework programs.
Nonprofit contracted to handle benefits applications for some states shuts down
The Benefits Data Trust, a nonprofit that handled work to make benefits more accessible for a number of states across the country, announced abruptly that it is shutting down, leaving states scrambling to replace its services.
USCIS IG report notes asylum backlogs likely to grow without intervention
The report also notes that delays will result in increased litigation, with applicants challenging the agency on missed benefits due to excessive processing delays.
Two reports on VA claims
A GAO report notes a continued need for enhanced training for VA claims processors, and a VA IG report shows that VA missed identifying thousands of veterans eligible for retroactive benefits.
From the White House: updated pardon application materials
The White House has recently overhauled the application process for a presidential pardon. This article details how, and includes the updated application forms.
New data on constituent trust in federal High-Impact Service Provider (HISP) agencies
Performance.gov released a new dashboard with up-to-date data from post-service feedback surveys for High-Impact Service Providers including VA, SSA, USCIS, and more.
Data from a study on benefit cliffs
The Atlanta Federal Reserve Bank just released data from its study of how targeted coaching can help constituents impacted by “benefit cliffs” (when an increase in income results in a disproportionate drop in benefits eligibility).
New data on the psychological burdens of applying for benefits
While most respondents agreed that they were treated with respect by SNAP program staff in their states, large numbers of respondents also noted that the process of applying for benefits was stressful, with stress exacerbated by disability, the presence of children, and other factors.
