{"id":7080,"date":"2015-11-04T07:24:55","date_gmt":"2015-11-04T13:24:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.senioradvisor.com\/blog\/?p=7080"},"modified":"2015-10-01T16:44:22","modified_gmt":"2015-10-01T21:44:22","slug":"how-to-contact-elected-officials-for-senior-assistance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/d30braiqprupoq.cloudfront.net\/blog\/2015\/11\/how-to-contact-elected-officials-for-senior-assistance\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Contact Elected Officials for Senior Assistance"},"content":{"rendered":"

How to Contact Elected Officials for Senior Assistance\"How<\/h1>\n

For seniors who rely on benefits, Social Security snafus, Medicaid mix-ups, and frustrations with the VA can be time-consuming and confusing to sort out. You may be able to resolve some problems on your own with good recordkeeping, persistence, and maybe the patience of Job, but if those don\u2019t do the trick, remember that you also have well-connected, free resources for help. Your US Senator and Congressional Representative have staff members dedicated to solving problems for constituents\u2014in particular, issues with federal agencies.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what you need to know about enlisting help from your elected officials.<\/span><\/p>\n

Your issue must be something your Senator or Representative has the authority to work on<\/h2>\n

This includes federal programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, veterans benefits, and Social Security. State and local-level programs are outside their scope, and you\u2019ll need to contact the appropriate state or city government officials. And your Representative or Senator can\u2019t overturn a federal agency\u2019s decision on a constituent\u2019s request, although their staffers can inquire with the agency about why a particular decision was made. For more examples, California Senator Diane Feinstein\u2019s website has a list of frequently asked <\/strong><\/a><\/span>questions<\/strong><\/a> that show what her staff can (and can\u2019t) help with.<\/span><\/p>\n

You\u2019ll need to follow their procedure to submit a request for help<\/h2>\n

Each elected official has a slightly different way of handling help requests. Some elected officials prefer to hear from their constituents by phone. For example, Maine Senator Susan Collins maintains half a dozen constituent service <\/span>centers<\/span> across the state that residents can call to talk with a staff member or leave a voice message for a return call. Representatives Mark <\/span>Takai<\/span> of Hawaii\u2019s 1<\/span>st<\/span> District, Xavier <\/span>Becerra<\/span> of California\u2019s 34<\/span>th<\/span> District, and many other Representatives have forms on their websites that constituents can fill out to submit a help request and authorize staffers to work on the problem. These forms are designed to be printed out, signed, and then mailed, faxed, or hand-delivered to the office.<\/span><\/p>\n

To find out who your elected officials are, check <\/span>here<\/a><\/strong>. Each member of Congress has a website where you\u2019ll find information in a section that\u2019s usually labelled \u201cservices,\u201d \u201chelp with a federal agency,\u201d \u201ccasework,\u201d or \u201cconstituent services.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Be clear when you describe your problem and have realistic expectations<\/h2>\n

Spell out the problem as clearly and accurately as possible, with all the relevant information included. The caseworkers who take up your problem will only address what you\u2019ve described to them, so stay focused on the central problem. And understand that while your elected representative may be able to get an answer for you or solve a problem\u2014and more quickly than you could on your own\u2014they can\u2019t guarantee you a particular result.<\/span><\/p>\n

Your party affiliation doesn\u2019t matter<\/h2>\n

Some people mistakenly think they can\u2019t appeal to their elected officials for assistance if they didn\u2019t vote for them or if they belong to a different political party. You won\u2019t be asked about your voting history or party affiliation when you make a request. Public officials serve all their constituents while they\u2019re in office, so if you\u2019ve run into a federal benefits program issue you can\u2019t solve on your own, give your elected officials a call or drop them a line. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

How to Contact Elected Officials for Senior Assistance For seniors who rely on benefits, Social Security snafus, Medicaid mix-ups, and frustrations with the VA can be time-consuming and confusing to sort out. You may be able to resolve some problems on your own with good recordkeeping, persistence, and maybe the patience of Job, but if those don\u2019t do the trick, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2198,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[200,29,162,234],"tags":[287,438],"class_list":{"0":"post-7080","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-families-caregivers","7":"category-caregiving","8":"category-retirement-planning","9":"category-senior-services","10":"tag-financial-assistance","11":"tag-senior-advocate"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHow to Contact Elected Officials for Senior Assistance<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Your elected officials can help seniors get their benefits, Social Security, Medicaid, and the veteran's pension. 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