Newsletter: Hang in there, friends!
I feel like a broken record, but just wanted to say again, as always, that the work you do every day on behalf of constituents does not go unnoticed or unvalued.
Especially for those of you working on hurricane relief or helping constituents out of Lebanon or the thousands of smaller but no less intense crises you handle every day — hang in there and thank you for your work.
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
Webinar: Agency Responsiveness to Congressional Casework
One of the hardest things about getting up to speed as a new caseworker is learning the different contacts and practices for each individual agency in responding to casework requests. The Administrative Conference of the United States (ACUS) recently commissioned a study examining agency-wide responsiveness to constituent service inquiries, with an eye to streamlining the process for both agencies and Congressional offices.
Webinar: Agency Responsiveness to Congress
October 17 at 3 PM EDT
In this webinar, Boston University law professor Sean Kealy, author of the ACUS report, will share some of his research and findings, as well as his recommendations to agencies on improving responsiveness to Congressional offices.
AI Tools for Casework
Related Resource: Agency Correspondence
Building professional working relationships with agency liaison staff is critical to a casework team’s success.
Casework Spotlight: Crises
Instead of our roundup of casework-related news this week, we have a few quick resources for teams handling hurricane relief and Lebanon.
This is an excellent guide to hurricane response resources from Rep. Chuck Edwards’ team [R, NC]. For those of you interested in putting together your own guide and PSA materials, we would also recommend taking a look through our guide to working with your communications team.
If you missed it, FEMA has also set up a page on their website to combat the rumors circulating regarding the hurricane response. Constituents have the ability to search rumors by topic or keyword. FEMA advises finding and sharing information from trusted sources, as well as discouraging others from sharing information from unverified sources.
For those of you helping Americans flee Lebanon and other conflict zones, the State Department issued a notice that additional seats on evacuation flights have not gone used; the Department encourages constituents seeking assistance to immediately complete the Department’s crisis intake form. Also, a reminder that we have a quick guide to what Congressional offices can and can’t do to support constituents in an overseas crisis here.
We hear frequently from caseworkers that handling crisis after crisis is one of the biggest drivers of burnout in this demanding role. If you missed it, we hosted a webinar last year with Dr. Julie Collier from the Schwartz Center for Compassionate Healthcare on navigating burnout and care — or taking care of yourselves and each other so that you can continue to serve constituents for the long term.
Finally, one recommendation from the former Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress that we’re continuing to watch is #151, the House should explore methods to provide surge capacity support for offices facing federally declared disasters (the same way that DHS allows employees to sign up to be part of a surge force responding to emergencies). While this rec hasn’t moved yet, we have a new blog post exploring two potential models that would help make this a reality, even as pilot projects. As always, we would love your feedback!
Two Possible Models for Disaster Casework Surge Capacity
Congressional staff face overwhelming workloads during disasters without additional support. Two solutions could reduce burnout, retain knowledge, and improve constituent services during crises.
Agency News
Don’t-Ask-Don’t-Tell Veterans get discharge upgrades
The DOD announced Tuesday that 820 veterans of the 2,000 veterans originally given less-than-honorable discharges under the DADT program have been upgraded. These upgrades make veterans eligible for benefits including health care and disability compensation.
Handful of USCIS updates
US Citizenship and Immigration Services has made some major strides in 2024, reporting through the Immigration and Citizenship Data page. These strides include decreasing the naturalization backlog by 60 percent and issuing a new application for naturalization with improved features.
USCIS has also issued clarifying guidance about the application of confidentiality protections following naturalization; and issuing guidance on children’s acquisition of citizenship.
SSA employee morale increasing
SSA employees’ views on employee engagement, confidence in leadership, and satisfaction are trending up for the first time in years — and more employees took the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS) than ever before. The trickledown effects of big changes to make the agency more responsive to constituents are real!
Customer service bill one step closer
A bill that would require agencies to designate a senior executive to oversee service delivery improvements is heading toward a full Senate vote. We think that if this becomes law, that executive should also be in charge of casework responsiveness.
Social Security struggling to fund ID verification
SSA’s service to allow authorized financial institutions to verify an individual’s SSN is a critical part of preventing identity theft; however, a new GAO report shows that the agency is struggling to fund this critical service.
IRS Direct File available next year
Over 30 million Americans in 24 states can utilize the IRS Direct File tool, a free online option to file directly with the IRS. Direct File is expanding to cover more income types, credits, and deductions, such as the premium tax credit and retirement savings contributions.
OIG Pushes for VA Background Investigations
The VA Office of Inspector General published a report urging the Veterans Affairs and Veterans Health Administration to improve personnel suitability for interacting with veterans and handling sensitive information. The report included four recommendations, two for the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) and two for the National Cemetery Administration (NCA).
VHA Rideshare Program: 438,000+ Rides to Veterans Since 2022
The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) has expanded its innovative rideshare program to help veterans with mobility challenges access medical care. The program, which initially started as a pilot, has grown to 101 VA centers, with the cost covered by VA medical centers. The program continues to evolve, with a plan to integrate all transportation options into a single platform by December 2024.
Nice model: Delaware Senate Senate Launches Spanish-Language Services for Residents
The Delaware State Senate has announced the implementation of Spanish-language services to help connect Spanish-speaking residents with government resources. The program aims to enhance communication and comfort between constituents and the state, offering assistance via email and phone. Residents will be connected to direct help or rerouted to services in their primary language. I know many casework teams handle bilingual support — if you have any insight into making this work in your office, let me know!
This is just fun!
Celebrated sci-fi author John Scalzi released a new audio novella about a young post-graduation caseworker handling constituent services for aliens. It’s called, fittingly, Constituent Service.
