Sample Constituent Services Manual - Congressional Management ...

An Introduction to Casework
Most people think of Members of Congress
as lawmakers, first and foremost. But equally
important is the help that Congressional offices give
to constituents who have problems with federal
departments and agencies.
A Congressional office
is essentially the
Customer Service
Department for the
federal government
Casework – or Constituent Service, as it is often
called – is one of the most valuable functions of a Congressional office. It fills
an important humanitarian need and gives the Member of Congress a direct
line to the needs and concerns of his or her constituents.
You might think of it as the Customer Service Department for the federal
government.
Each Member of Congress has several staff members, called caseworkers,
who handle constituent service inquiries, typically in the District Offices. A
case is the documentation of that problem, including everything from notes
about conversations to copies of responses from federal agencies.
Cases will vary from call-to-call, from the routine to the complicated to the
bizarre. However, the caseworker can follow some general principles which will
apply to each case.
Identifying the real
problem is not always
an easy task. Get all
the information you
can without prying.
First, the caseworker should not try to judge
the validity of a constituent’s claim. Your duty
is to record a constituent’s concerns and contact the
appropriate agency for action. There will be times
when you will know that the constituent’s case is
hopeless. However, your job is to allow those most
qualified to make that determination. The obligation
of the caseworker, as the local arm of the Member, is to be helpful to all.
Remember, your attitude reflects on the Member.
A caseworker must be able to identify the real problem to be effective.
This can be a difficult task, as the constituent is not always certain of the
problem himself. Gather as much information from the constituent as possible.
Think of yourself as a newspaper reporter who must have all the facts before
you can produce an article. You must develop a clear understanding of the
situation.
A helpful tool is to ask the constituent what outcome he or she would like to
see. If that outcome is impossible to achieve, look for alternate solutions and
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