Newsletter: The Magnificent Mobile Office Hours
One of the most fun things I do to prep for this newsletter is spend some time every other week going through a batch of Google alerts for coverage related to casework. This is where I see local coverage of service fairs, casework wins, candidates sniping at each other over the quality of their services, etc.
But over the weeks, I kept seeing one consistent presence: local media coverage from the state of Nebraska of mobile office hours from the Sen Ricketts [R, NE] team. When I say consistent, I mean consistent. Eventually, there was only one thing to do: cold call the team and ask them to tell me how they were doing it.
Today, I’m delighted to pass on their insights into prioritizing an office hours program, making data-driven decisions, and how an office hours program impacts their caseload. As always, this is not an endorsement from our nonpartisan team, but an appreciator-of-game-recognize-game moment. Huge thanks to the Ricketts team for their generosity with their time and experience!
If there is a piece of casework operations that you feel like your team has cracked, I’d love to hear about it. And speaking of feedback, we are also working on recommendations around disaster casework resources. If your team has recently handled disaster relief, I’d love to chat more info below.
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
Call for Feedback: Handling Disaster Casework
Our thoughts are with teams helping their communities recover from disasters across the country, but especially hurricanes Helene and Milton. We are working on putting together a package of recommendations for how the House and Senate can support casework teams. If your team has handled a natural disaster or other surge event for casework in the last few years, we’d love to hear from you on what was helpful and what you wish you’d had. Your responses will not be attributed to you by name or office.
Mobile Office Hours Guide
Running a mobile office hours program can be a huge way to reach new constituents and boost a team’s reach, but it takes a lot of logistical planning to pull off. Senator Pete Ricketts’ [R, NE] team was kind enough to share some reflections on how they get it done.
Anatomy of a Mobile Office Hours Program
A deep dive with the office of Senator Pete Ricketts [R, NE] on their mobile office hours program, including thoughts on managing the program, gathering data to support their decision-making, and evolving in response to feedback.
ICYMI: Agency Responsiveness to Congressional Casework (Video)
We had a great conversation with Boston University’s Sean Kealy on his study of agency responsiveness to Congressional casework.
Webinar: Agency Responsiveness to Congress
In this webinar, Boston University law professor Sean Kealy, author of the ACUS report, shared 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.
Agency News
Shoutout to Georgetown’s Digital Benefits Network for a wonderful roundup of disaster benefit-related articles this week!
Great roundup of available benefits
Marketplace has a great quick guide to available benefits from FEMA, SBA, IRS, and unemployment.
USDA announces disaster SNAP for Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee
D-SNAP is an expanded disaster SNAP benefit that may be available to people who would not meet the criteria for SNAP under normal circumstances. Full information on county-level availability here.
Disaster Unemployment Assistance for hospitality workers
After Hurricane Helene hit, thousands of Asheville, North Carolina’s jobless hospitality workers are finding a critical lifeline in federal Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA). This aid offers up to 26 weeks of payments — vital for those affected in states like North Carolina where state benefits last only 12 weeks.
South Carolina’s WIC Program offers food replacement aid
Families in the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Nutrition Program affected by Hurricane Helene can now seek immediate assistance to replace lost food. Governor Henry McMaster and Interim Public Health Director Dr. Edward Swimmer urged residents to reach out to their local health departments for support in restoring WIC benefits.
Georgia SNAP recipients to get automatic food benefit replacements after Hurricane Helene
Georgia SNAP recipients impacted by Hurricane Helene will automatically receive 75% reimbursement of their September benefits, thanks to a new USDA waiver. This assistance covers 58 counties and is aimed at families who lost food during power outages. No action is needed—funds will be uploaded directly to recipients’ EBT cards. For more details on timing and additional support resources, recipients can monitor updates on the Georgia DHS website and social media.
Boosted benefits in NC for Hurricane Helene recovery
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper has raised the maximum weekly unemployment payment from $350 to $600 for those impacted by Hurricane Helene. Extended federal benefits are available for the hardest-hit areas, qualifying some for up to 26 weeks of payments. For caseworkers addressing these areas – these increased benefits could take two to three weeks to reach recipients, so early outreach is key.
FEMA is back to work after pausing operations under threat
FEMA announced that it has resumed door-to-door canvassing after a security threat paused some outreach activities. Again: if your office is in the impacted area, it may be helpful to share some myth-busting information on FEMA.
USPS has resumed normal operations after both hurricanes
However, the agency notes that it is still holding mail to areas where mail carriers are unable to safely access mailboxes or post office boxes. USPS is working with secretaries of state to ensure that hurricane-related delays do not impact mail-in ballots.
Fascinating look at rising numbers of Americans dependent on federal benefits
ABC News has a look at the rising numbers of Americans reliant on federal benefits to make ends meet, especially the growing number of US seniors. More benefit recipients = more casework.
Watch out for ghost tax preparers
TAS has a warning to taxpayers about “ghost preparers” who promise big refunds but avoid identifying themselves in IRS paperwork to evade accountability for mistakes (if not outright fraud).
Fa la la it’s almost open enrollment season la la la la
This is a great explainer on some common Medicare terms, eligibility, etc. Worth queueing up some PSA materials for the end of the year!
Revamped White House tours
For your tour coordinators — the White House tour experience may be different this year. First Lady Jill Biden recently unveiled a new tour experience, with additional digital exhibits.
FTC’s new rules banning fake online review comes into effect
The FTC is taking action against fake online reviews and testimonials. Constituents can report these practices here.
Now THIS is casework expertise for policymaking
We’ve talked a lot about how caseworkers’ cross-agency expertise can lead to some innovative policy solutions, and this is a great example: Rep. Rudy Yakym [R, IN] just introduced a bill to create a Taxpayer Advocate-style office within the VA to improve veteran services.
Interesting tidbit on IRS direct file
Several Senators are asking the IRS for more information about its ID verification processes for DirectFile — including a reference to the fact that only 62% of taxpayers who completed the eligibility checker went on to make an account, possibly indicating an overly-burdensome ID verification process (over and above private sector standards).
Three VA staff win OSC award for whistleblowing
VA staff who blew the whistle on unprotected personal information in VA systems were honored by the Office of Special Counsel for their work.
USDA closer to moving EBT to chip cards
Making EBT cards more secure may help mitigate the large annual amounts of stolen benefits. USDA is reimbursing states for half the cost of moving to more secure cards; however, an uneven transition may make states slower to upgrade more vulnerable to theft.
TSA will allow mobile drivers licenses after REAL ID goes into effect
After several delays, enforcement of REAL ID standards will begin in March 2025. TSA announced that it would allow states to apply for waivers to permit the use of mobile drivers licenses after that date.
