Back to business, now that the dust has (mostly) settled after the election. I tell people all the time that caseworkers model the type of constituent-focused, bipartisan cooperation that I wish we saw more of in Congress as a whole, and that set of superpowers will be more important than ever going into the new term.

Our next few newsletters are going to focus on preparing for the new year and new Congress. Today, we’ll highlight resources for teams closing out casework operations or preparing year-end reports; next week, we’ll take a look into the crystal ball to anticipate which projected agency changes may result in additional casework; finally, we’ll have some resources for taking care of yourselves, and thinking about professional development and goal-setting for casework.

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

Your End-of-Congress Checklist

Departing offices

If your boss is leaving office at the end of the year, we have a guide to winding down your casework operation. The most important part is to make sure your Member signs paperwork with CAO/SAA about how they want to transfer constituent data.

Redistricting states

For offices in states that redrew their Congressional districts this year, we have a guide to handling redistricting.

Incumbent offices

End of year is a great time to take stock of your casework operation and decide what (if anything) you’d like to do differently for the next Congress. Here are some starting points:

Think about your team’s processes, and identify if there are any problem points that you can try to address in the new year. A handy tool for this kind of assessment is a journey map, and a deliberate approach to data-driven decision-making; it’s also always a good idea to talk to other offices about their best practices for programs like mobile office hours.
We recommend a regular audit of your team’s open cases to make sure that your team is focused where you can be most helpful. Here’s our guide to closing cases to help that audit process.
It’s also a great time to think about your physical space and how it serves your staff and constituents. We have a guide to safety for district staff, and a guide to safeguarding constituent info for some starting points.
How’s your relationship with the rest of your team? Especially if you’re seeing some end-of-year staff turnover, this can be a great opportunity for a jump-start. We have guides to working with your legislative and comms colleagues.
Speaking of important relationships — take a second to show your agency liaisons some love!

There’s lots more at popvox.org/casework — and if you’re looking for something specific, feel free to shoot me a note at anne@popvox.org.

Agency News

Open season for federal employee benefits

Federal employees can make decisions on their health benefits, retirement benefits, and more. If your district or state has a large number of federal employees, it may be worth scheduling some reminder PSAs!

DED status for Lebanese constituents

DHS published a notice that Lebanese constituents currently covered by Deferred Enforced Departure are eligible for employment authorization.

Changes to available state-level household hardship data

The Census Bureau announced this week that it is starting to wind down the Household Pulse Survey, a pandemic-era program that surveyed households about their financial hardships. The Census bureau will now issue this survey less frequently and use a smaller sample size, meaning it will no longer have the numbers to issue anonymized state-level data. It’s a fascinating data set, if you haven’t looked through it previously.

WEP/GPO vote this week

After discharge petition drama, it looks like the House will finally vote on the Social Security Fairness Act to repeal the Windfall Elimination Provision and Government Pension Offset.

AEI conference on marriage/work penalties in benefit programs

Discussion on programs where beneficiaries face penalties for increasing work hours and/or getting married, from the American Enterprise Institute.

Newsletter: Preparing for the End of the Term