Newsletter: Getting Ahead of a Shutdown
Hello and welcome to another edition of the Casework Navigator Newsletter! If this is new in your inbox, here’s the TL;DR:
Casework Navigator is a project of the POPVOX Foundation, a 501c3 nonprofit working on government capacity, engagement, and innovation.
The Navigator program develops resources to support Congressional caseworkers, and explores the changing role of casework in legislative function. Resources include manual chapters, rapid-response support guides, and regular webinars.
This newsletter comes out biweekly, and is written by me (hi!), a former caseworker and casework manager. We focus on news about Congressional casework, news about casework-related agencies, and resources caseworkers can use or pass on to constituents.
Ultimately, we care about supporting caseworkers because casework is one of the best things Congress does, and we believe that leveraging the unique expertise and capacity of casework teams is going to be critical to the future of Congress. We’re in your corner, and I am always up for suggestions, ideas, or to just chat.
Feel free to drop me a line by replying to this email, or reach out at casework@popvox.org. Thanks!
Anne Meeker
Deputy Director
POPVOX Foundation
Preparing for Casework in a Shutdown
Signs point to the possibility of a government shutdown this fall. Depending on the nature of a shutdown, casework teams can expect a significant increase in inquiries from constituents facing delays from agencies operating on minimum capacity (if they’re unable to move funds from other purposes), and/or requests for assistance and information from federal employees furloughed.
This quick guide will help walk casework teams through what to expect, and some tips to help prepare for incoming casework.
Casework News
Congressional Hackathon
The Speaker of the House and the House Majority Leader hosted the fifth Congressional Hackathon Thursday Sept 14th. We were honored to talk about the need to innovate casework tools, and to participate in the breakout group on casework tech needs. We have to give a huge shoutout to the incredible caseworkers from the offices of Del. Eleanor Holmes-Norton [D, DC] and Rep. Glenn Ivey [D, MD] who shared their experiences and perceptive insights into casework capacity needs.
More coverage of casework in the wild
This might be the most human, positive coverage of an individual caseworker we’ve ever read. Congrats to Brenda and Team Duarte [R, CA]!
We also noted a short TV spot on Rep Marc Molinaro’s [R, NY] office hours.
News You Can Use
Student loan payments restarting
The New York Times has a quick guide on things borrowers should know about the restart to student loan payments, including the year-long “on ramp,” and the fresh start for defaulted borrowers.
Disaster relief best practices
The Conversation has a guide to making the most of disaster relief, including tips for residents in disaster-stricken areas on documenting property damage and navigating the landscape of benefits and insurance.
Verifying ID with the IRS
The Taxpayer Advocate has a blog post on the process for taxpayers to verify their identity when their tax return is flagged for possible ID theft.
Plan for constituent identity verification
And a quick reminder that ID verification is not only important to agencies, but increasingly for Congressional offices. A recent study from Cornell found that most lawmakers couldn’t tell the difference between AI-generated constituent outreach and the real thing. We don’t need to remind casework teams that they are potential security and fraud targets, in addition to potential political science research subjects.
What We’re Watching
VA is conducting a review after tech delays
The VA recently identified glitches that led to delays for veterans updating their dependent statuses or applying for benefits online. The VA estimates these glitches impacted 56,000 veterans, and committed to making sure that impacted veterans receive their full backdated benefits.
Rural mail carriers experiencing payroll glitch
A glitch in the payroll system for rural mail carriers with the USPS on September 1st and 15th caused issues with payments for 45,000 carriers. The USPS issued salary advances to cover a portion of the missing salaries, which employees will have to pay back when their salaries are re-issued in the correct amounts.
Details and context around Afghanistan
This book excerpt from the Atlantic has detailed reporting around the minute-by-minute decisions in the withdrawal from Afghanistan that may be of interest to casework teams who actively responded to requests for help.
As a reminder, we are also still working on our project on how caseworkers handled the Afghanistan withdrawal. If you would like to share your insights and experiences, please drop me an email to find time to talk, or complete this form. All responses will be kept anonymous.
Agencies up against cybersecurity deadline
September 30th is the deadline for federal agencies to have 80% of their IT equipment sending data to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s (CISA) Continuous Diagnostic and Mitigation (CDM) program. The CDM allows for real-time monitoring and information sharing on active cybersecurity threats. The article mentions that past shutdowns have seen increased cybercriminal activity as criminal actors (rightly!) guess that many IT and security employees are furloughed.
FEMA rolling out program for underserved communities
FEMA announced a new program to provide disaster mitigation grants for disaster resilience programs for local and tribal communities. The funds are issued to states, who can then issue grants to smaller communities, making the process less onerous for smaller applicants.
Challenges to emergency messaging
Changes to X (FKA Twitter), including limiting access to posts for people without accounts, have shifted how agencies keep constituents informed on fast-moving situations.
Have you ever referred to local legal aid providers?
You may not have been aware of the uniqueness of their federal funding structure. This interview with the Legal Services Corporation’s new IG is fascinating.
Mobile ID catch-22
Legislation that would make TSA accept mobile drivers’ licenses is running up against the beginning of REAL ID enforcement in 2025—mobile drivers licenses are not currently REAL ID compliant. To fix this, TSA has proposed a temporary waiver to the requirement that mobile drivers’ licenses be REAL ID compliant.
“Eye-watering kind of fraud”
Labor estimates that up to 36% of payments made in the first year of the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program were fraudulent.
FEMA taking volunteers from other agencies for disaster relief
A FEMA program set up after Hurricane Katrina allows employees at other federal agencies to volunteer for disaster relief efforts. The Surge Capacity Force is currently up to 9,000 volunteers deployed in the aftermath of the Hawaii wildfires and Hurricane Idalia.
Economic indicators on the move
The overall health of the economy always has a big impact on demand for government benefits, and in turn, casework services. Delinquencies on car and credit card payments, an important indicator of consumer financial wellbeing, are on the rise.
Whip out your credit card
The IRS just awarded a $2 billion contract to make it easier for constituents to pay the IRS using credit or debit cards, including mobile payments. No word yet on when this change is expected to roll out.
Event: the Service Organization
The Georgetown Beck Center is hosting an event 12pm Sept 27th on centering people in government service. The event mostly targets agency staff, but caseworkers may find some insights helpful.
What’s On Your Wishlist For Agencies?
The Georgetown Digital Benefits network hosted a workshop for people working on digital benefits at the federal, state, and local levels to create a “benefits wishlist” for tools, resources, policy changes, data, and more. As caseworkers, what would be on YOUR wishlist? You can add your ideas to the Georgetown list here, or tell us about it by emailing casework@popvox.org.
