AI Tools for Casework: A Guide for Congressional Staff
AI Tools for Casework: A Guide for Congressional Staff, shares a few starting points for caseworkers to use tools like ChatGPT in casework, including sample prompts.
The Lawfare Podcast: How Congressional Staffers Helped Our Afghan Allies
Anne Meeker, POPVOX Foundation’s Deputy Director, appeared on The Lawfare Podcast to discuss American Ingenuity: Congressional Casework in the Afghanistan Withdrawal.
Congressional Hackathon 5.0 Recap
A recap of Congressional Hackathon 5.0, co-hosted by the Speaker of the House, Minority Leader of the House, and the CAO.
POPVOX Foundation and #AfghanEvac announce award for Congressional caseworkers
POPVOX Foundation and #AfghanEvac have created a one-time special award to recognize the heroic efforts of Congressional caseworkers, volunteers, and federal employees involved in the relocation and resettlement efforts of Americans and American allies from Afghanistan.
POPVOX Foundation releases report on Congressional casework during Afghanistan withdrawal
“American Ingenuity: Congressional Casework in the Afghanistan Withdrawal,” a new report from the nonpartisan POPVOX Foundation, details the extraordinary efforts of Congressional caseworkers working in collaboration with federal agency staff and non-governmental organizations to facilitate the evacuation of thousands of Americans and American allies during the chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan.
POPVOX Foundation hosts casework history webinar with Senate Historical Office’s Associate Historian
On January 17, 2024, POPVOX Foundation kicked off the Casework Navigator webinar series with special guest Daniel Holt, Associate Historian from the Senate Historical Office. This event put modern casework in context, exploring how we got here, and what we can learn from previous iterations of casework to chart the future of democratic representation in America.
POPVOX Foundation hosts webinar on diagnosing problems with Congressional casework
Don Moynihan, McCourt Chair at the Georgetown McCourt School of Public Policy, has pioneered the study of administrative burden, including new language and frameworks to understand the types of costs associated with navigating complex bureaucracies. This webinar offered caseworkers a deeper understanding of the root problems behind common casework inquiries, and ideas for tracking types of casework and articulating casework challenges to policy staff.
POPVOX Foundation hosts webinar on championing implementation vs. policy
Every government program starts with good intentions—it’s how they’re carried out that can make them fail in big ways or in small ways that add up. In this webinar, Jennifer Pahlka discussed how caseworkers and other frontline implementation experts can and must leverage that expertise to reimagine government service for the 21st century.
POPVOX Foundation hosts webinar on what happens when federal benefits programs collide
In this Casework Navigator webinar, Max Ghenis discussed the nuances of navigating the complex web of interacting federal benefits programs and the experience of building PolicyEngine.
POPVOX Foundation hosts webinar on burnout and care for congressional caseworkers
Caseworkers' willingness to go above and beyond to help constituents in distress can easily cross over into burnout and compassion fatigue. In this webinar, experts from the Schwartz Center for Compassion in Healthcare shared their innovative approaches to supporting caregivers facing burnout and trauma in the medical field. Caseworkers explored ways these lessons may be applied to Congressional contexts.
POPVOX Foundation Shares a Roadmap for Congressional Casework Data
POPVOX Foundation has issued guidance on the implementation of “Recommendation 172,” drawing upon the POPVOX Foundation team’s technical expertise, personal experience as caseworkers, and ongoing interactions with district staff through the Casework Navigator program.
POPVOX Foundation hosts webinar on incorporating interns into congressional casework
District and state offices well know that interns are invaluable for handling typical tasks like answering phones, opening mail, and staffing the front desk. But it can be hard in the constant churn of three new classes a year to find appropriate tasks for interns in a casework program.
POPVOX Foundation hosts webinar on Legislation & Oversight for congressional caseworkers
Caseworkers' authority to help constituents comes from Congress's oversight responsibility. But what does that mean beyond writing bills and letters? This crash course will help caseworkers understand and be an asset to their teams' legislative work, from appropriations to NDAA.
POPVOX Foundation hosts introductory webinar on Data for Congressional Caseworkers
Casework data is so much more than just your year-end case-closed numbers. In this overview session, learn how tracking casework data can be a tool to help your team improve your casework process, better serve your constituents, and make the most of the resources your team invests in casework.
POPVOX Foundation launches Casework Navigator Professional Development Program
The subscription-based Casework Navigator Professional Development program gives Congressional casework teams the tools and support they need to take casework to the next level.
POPVOX Foundation hosts webinar on Appropriations for Congressional Caseworkers
Member-Directed Spending (aka Community Project Funding or Earmarks) can be an effective tool for caseworkers to strengthen relationships with local programs and stakeholders. This webinar covered an introduction to MDS for caseworkers unfamiliar with appropriations, and tips on talking to community members about what to expect in the process.
POPVOX Foundation hosts webinar on the Year Ahead in Casework
Experienced caseworkers know that the best resources for casework teams are other caseworkers. In this session, veteran caseworker Katherine Long, who spent fifteen years as a caseworker in the office of former Senator Patrick Leahy, shared insights from her casework career and answered questions about all things casework, from staff retention to agency relationships and more.
Announcing the Casework Navigator program
POPVOX Foundation’s Casework Navigator program offers resources for Congressional offices that support constituent-first, efficient, effective casework.
20 ModCom recommendations to strengthen casework
One group that received unaccustomed attention from the Select Committee is Congressional caseworkers — those professional staff, mostly in district offices, who do some of the most direct, accountable work in Congress to solve constituent problems with the federal bureaucracy.
Recommendations for a more constituent-friendly Congress
Earlier this month, I had the top-of-the-bucket-list chance to testify at a House Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress on constituent services, and building a more customer-friendly Congress (video and transcript available here). As a former caseworker, it meant so much to be asked to come to DC to talk about casework, and share a starting-point vision for how Congress can capture the potential inherent in casework, and the expertise and talents of caseworkers across the country. The hearing covered so much ground, and it still only managed to scratch the surface of what’s possible and needed to push casework into the 21st century.