Did you know that one of the essential jobs of a Congressional Office is to provide assistance to constituents in their interactions with federal agencies? This function of Congress dates all the way back to the founding fathers, and is such an important part of the job for Members of Congress, they employ multiple caseworkers to handle this assistance.  

Casework frequently involves such issues as delayed passports, veteran's claims, or social security checks. According to the Congressional Research Service, casework can be opened on behalf of an individual or group with a common concern, and usually relates to an issue with a federal rule, regulation, or decision made by a federal agency when they are implementing a public law. The casework request can be to resolve a problem, ask for expedited handling, or to request information. 

You can use AOTA's legislative action center (www.aota.org/takeaction) to identify your elected officials and submit a request for casework using the following steps:

1) Enter your zip code in the "View Your Election Center" box, followed by your street address:

2) On the next page, choose to "View Officials" under My Elected Officials:

3) Chose one of your 3 Federal elected officials. Do not submit a casework request to all three, choose only one, unless you do not hear back from the original office. Newly elected officials sometimes take a little while to set up their office, so I recommend choosing an official who has been in office for at least a year. Some offices have a strong reputation for constituent casework, which makes them a strong first choice. 

4) Once you choose an elected official, you will see a link to their webpage. On that page you will see a tab that says "services" or "casework" where you can submit a request for "help with a federal agency". 

You can also scroll to the bottom of the homepage and find the location and phone numbers of their district offices. Choose the office closest to you, and call them to request "assistance with a federal agency". Do not call their DC office, as that office is focused on Congressional policy work. The vast majority of Congressional caseworkers work out of the district offices.  

Whether your issue relates to your job as an occupational therapy practitioner, or it is related to more personal issues, your Congressional offices are there to help you navigate federal agencies and to intervene on your behalf.