[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 110 (Wednesday, July 24, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1362-E1363]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                CASEWORK

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. LEE H. HAMILTON

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 24, 1996

  Mr. HAMILTON. Mr. Speaker, I would like to insert my Washington 
Report for Wednesday, July 24, 1996, into the Congressional Record:

                     Helping Hoosiers With Casework

       A large part of my work involves helping Hoosiers who are 
     caught up in federal red tape or who feel lost in trying to 
     deal with the government bureaucracy. Although not the kind 
     of thing that gets a lot of public attention, working daily 
     to help individual Hoosiers is one of my most important roles 
     as a Member of Congress.


                               Background

       Individuals contact my office looking for a wide range of 
     assistance. Sometimes it is an older person whose Medicare 
     claim was incorrectly denied, a farmer who needs help with a 
     government loan, a family that has not received its tax 
     refund, or someone travelling abroad who needs an emergency 
     passport. Other times it could be someone with a specific 
     question, but just doesn't know where to go or whom to 
     contact.
       The variety of individual casework can be enormous. In 
     recent weeks I have worked on everything from getting stalled 
     benefit checks started for recent retirees to helping needy 
     people get into affordable housing to getting assistance for 
     dislocated defense workers. My most frequent contacts are to 
     Medicare, Social Security, Veterans Affairs, the military, 
     and the IRS. Sometimes I contact state agencies, for example, 
     when helping a local family receive child support from a 
     father who has left the state.
       Many of my efforts also involve helping local businesses. I 
     recently assisted a local doctor who couldn't get payment 
     from Medicare for services he provided in 1992, a medical 
     center whose reimbursement for care was being held up because 
     the federal agency was misreading the regulations, and 
     businesses prevented by bureaucratic roadblocks from getting 
     start-up funds and needed permits to be able to sell their 
     products. At times I may even need to contact foreign 
     governments, recently helping a local company receive 
     payments for business it did with India.
       My office also assist 9th District communities in a variety 
     of ways--from getting assistance for communities damaged by 
     natural disasters to cutting through red tape in 
     redevelopment of closed military bases, such as Jefferson 
     Proving Ground. Often communities have applied for federal 
     grants, which my office can help move along. For example, I 
     helped a local community get a small business revolving loan 
     fund that a federal agency incorrectly thought should be 
     taken away, and recently stepped in when a government agency 
     simply lost a local application for community development 
     assistance. Since the beginning of last year I have supported 
     more than 100 projects bringing in over $62 million to the 
     District. My office frequently checks with local government 
     officials, asking if they are experiencing difficulties with 
     Washington.


                              The Process

       Requests for casework come by letter, phone, and personal 
     contracts. After someone signs a consent form allowing me to 
     review their file and contact a federal agency on their 
     behalf, my office will then contact the relevant agency to 
     ask that the constituent's problems be given full, prompt, 
     and fair considerations. After the agency has acted on the 
     request, the constituent is informed about the outcome. Most 
     of the casework my office handles is resolved favorably, but 
     if a particular case is not, the constituent is usually given 
     information about appeal rights or any alternative 
     opportunities for assistance.
       Each week my office receives some 80 new requests for help. 
     Some may be resolved quickly, while others involving benefit 
     claims can take longer. At any one time my office may have up 
     to 400 cases pending with federal agencies and departments.


                              limitations

       Various limitations are placed on what Members of Congress 
     can do on behalf of constituents. Federal law prohibits 
     Members from accepting compensation for government services, 
     and there are restrictions on contacts in formal agency 
     proceedings that resemble court proceedings. But Members can 
     contact agencies and departments about normal regulatory 
     proceedings, such as when a department issues regulations on 
     a new law. On typical contacts by Members on behalf of their 
     constituents, federal law and the courts have generally 
     granted Members broad leeway, based in large part on the view 
     that allowing Congress to communicate as freely as possible 
     is essential to oversight of the unelected bureaucracy.
       Congressional ethics guidelines recommend that Members not 
     exert ``undue influence'' upon an agency through threats or 
     promises of rewards. But arguing a matter on the merits, 
     expressing an opinion on an agency matter, or asking for 
     reconsideration of a past decision all have been considered 
     permissible conduct by Members.
       My view is that Members should not be trying to secure 
     benefits for their constituents that they don't deserve. The 
     main emphasis should be on providing information and 
     facilitating communication between constituents and the 
     bureaucracy. Constituents should receive exactly what they 
     deserve under law--no more and no less.


                               importance

       Casework is important, first, because people need help 
     dealing with the large government bureaucracy. The ways the 
     government

[[Page E1363]]

     affects citizens--both favorably and unfavorably--are 
     numerous. Many of the cases brought to my attention are 
     severe. Casework is crucial because it addresses the real 
     needs of people.
       Second, members of the bureaucracy can make mistakes. A few 
     years ago, for example, I helped an older man who needed 
     kidney dialysis, but whose Medicare coverage was being cut 
     off because the Social Security Administration thought he was 
     dead. Casework helps reduce the frustration people feel 
     toward what appears to be a massive, impersonal government.
       Third, constituent service often alerts Congress to 
     limitations in a law. For instance, farmer contacts about 
     crop insurance regulations led to my pushing a measure which 
     changed the law to allow individual waivers. Many programs, 
     ranging from veterans benefits to regulatory policy, have 
     been amended by Congress because of problems first brought to 
     our attention by constituents asking for help.


                               conclusion

       Constituent service can be tough work for Members of 
     Congress, and an unrelenting demand on our time. But in many 
     ways casework is one of the most rewarding parts of the job. 
     Passing legislation often requires difficult compromise and 
     can take years. With casework, Members can see the impact of 
     their work on the daily lives of individual citizens. Nothing 
     gives more satisfaction than to see that my efforts made a 
     difference and improved the quality of life for a 
     constituent.

                          ____________________