Billy Long: How my office can assist you in navigating federal agencies

(From Seventh District Congressman Billy Long)

Have you ever been trying to order at a fast-food restaurant at one of their kiosks as your blood pressure rises in frustration? What about trying to check yourself out at the grocery store with little success?

You have two choices if things aren’t going well: you can walk out in frustration or look for an employee that can either ring up your order or assist with a code for bananas. 

As your representative in Congress, my job is not only to be your voice in Washington but to assist you in navigating the red tape that exists within federal agencies. 

If you hit a blood-boiling frustrating roadblock in dealing with a federal agency, I am the store employee you can turn to for assistance. 

Unfortunately, when most people think of their Member of Congress, they think of the person they see at the local airport flying to and from Washington weekly or the person they see on CSPAN voting on the House floor, and they pretty much think that’s their main job. 

However, the most important part of the job is helping constituents with Constituent Services also known as “Casework.” Members of Congress can assist constituents encountering roadblocks within agencies such as Veterans Affairs (VA), Social Security, IRS or the Corps of Engineers and others. 

We are glad to assist you with casework-related issues whenever necessary. I can’t always guarantee a good result but I can guarantee a good effort by our staff to assist you. Below I have outlined examples of some of the issues we can assist you with.

I am fortunate to have an incredible team in both my Springfield and Joplin offices who are dedicated to helping constituents navigate administrative agencies. 

Acting as a liaison between constituents and the federal government, my staff works with a large number of federal agencies on a host of issues ranging from the Department of State on immigration cases, passport-related issues or offering support for U.S. Citizens experiencing issues abroad, and Social Security-related issues such as pending social disability claims or collecting a deceased spouse’s benefits. 

 Many constituents would be surprised to know that we can sometimes assist in expediting the delivery of a passport or help U.S. Citizens get a meeting at the U.S. Embassy in the event that their passport is lost or stolen overseas. My team also works in tandem with the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) with coverage processing and billing-based issues.

While my office can assist constituents with many federal agencies, the bulk of our casework requests come from veterans who need assistance getting the vital resources they deserve, be it back-pay or seeing a physician in a timely manner.

For many veterans, navigating the complex web of Veterans Affairs programs can be difficult, which is why my office is here to help. 

 While my office does not file claims on someone’s behalf and is limited in the ways we can assist, we are able to follow-up on claims that have been filed and encourage agencies to revisit specific cases. 

We can be a valuable resource for local homeless veteran organizations who need help assisting a veteran in obtaining their discharge papers, a requirement for those seeking stable housing. 

My team is also able to assist family members of veterans who need help obtaining benefits or receiving expedited discharge papers needed for a military burial. 

I have a deep appreciation for the servicemen and women who have sacrificed so much for this nation, which is why I am dedicated to assisting veterans in my district who are struggling to obtain service-related benefits.

The most important message I can share with you is that I am here to help. Many people don’t realize that their representatives offer these services, let alone have a full understanding of what constitutes casework. 

If you believe that you have an issue with a federal agency that my team can assist you with, please do not hesitate to contact my Springfield office at (417) 889-1800. While my team may not be able to assist every constituent or achieve the desired outcome, they are an invaluable resource and can offer guidance on what your particular options may be. 

I am honored to serve you in Washington and look forward to assisting you with federal-based issues in any way that I can. Don’t have the code for bananas? Before you storm out in frustration please call us and see if we can’t find it for you.