Assistance/Casework
How Senator Webb can help:
As a United States Senator, helping citizens who have questions or difficulties with issues relating to the federal government is among my highest priorities. My state offices are staffed by experienced professionals who are eager to help. Some of the issues we work on include difficulties with Social Security and Medicare; veterans' benefits; legal immigration; federal student loans; and military service, just to name a few. We can also help answer citizen questions or obtain government publications.
In short, no federal government problem is too big or too small to bring to our attention. We are here to help!
In order to respond to the diverse needs of our Commonwealth, I have established offices across Virginia where my staff stands ready to assist you. If your concern or case requires immediate attention, please call the office nearest you (see sidebar) for assistance or appointments.
To determine whether the difficulty you are experiencing is one which I can assist with, please read carefully through the information below. I can help you if:
- 1) You are a resident of Virginia
Respecting time-honored Congressional courtesy, if you reside in a state other than Virginia, my office will forward your inquiry to a Senator of your state, who can be found at http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm.
I have every confidence that your home state Senator will provide appropriate advice and assistance.
AND
- 2) Your problem involves a federal agency
If you are unsure if your issue involves a federal agency, please visit the U.S Government's Official Web Portal at http://www.usa.gov for a complete listing.
While I am happy to work on your behalf, as a matter of Congressional courtesy, my general policy is to avoid working on constituent cases currently being handled by other Senators or House members from Virginia. Having multiple offices working on the same matter may cause delays in the resolution of your case, thus I encourage you to continue working with that member.
What my office needs to begin work on your case:
Due to the necessity of having your signature to comply with the Privacy Act, my office is no longer accepting casework inquiries by e-mail. Please mail or fax your request to my Richmond office or to the office nearest you (see sidebar).
Very specific information is required. Please carefully follow the instructions below to avoid unnecessary delays.
- Under federal law, I must have a request in writing before my office can take any action on your behalf. Additionally, The Privacy Act of 1974 requires that we have a signed privacy release form before federal agencies can release information on your case to my staff. This law was enacted to protect individuals from unauthorized disclosure of personal information without their consent. If you are writing on behalf of a friend or family member, the privacy release form must be signed by the person who needs assistance. This written request and privacy release may be made in the form of a letter or by using our Constituent Service Inquiry & Privacy Release form, which can be downloaded below:
- Your correspondence should detail the problem you are experiencing, what you have tried to do to resolve it, and what you are asking my office to do to assist you. Please include your full name, address, telephone number, Social Security number, and any other identifying information that may be appropriate (VA claim number, USCIS receipt number, Alien number, etc.). Additionally, please provide copies of any documentation or correspondence that relates to your case. The more information we have, the better we will be able to serve you.
In addition, if your case involves the Internal Revenue Service, you must provide a signed Tax Information Authorization form available here »
Submitting your request for assistance:
Please send the above information by mail or fax to my Richmond office or the office nearest you so that my staff can begin working on your case. Casework is handled by the staff in my regional offices, thus you should not send casework inquiries to my Washington office.
Though response times vary with federal agencies, many respond within 45 days. After our inquiry on your behalf has begun, we will provide you with any interim information we receive on your case. Once the agency's final response is received, we will send it to you immediately. Should you have questions or disagree with the response, it will be necessary for you to detail those concerns in writing so that we may follow up with the agency involved.
I am pleased to advocate on your behalf. However, my intervention does not guarantee a successful resolution. A member of the United States Senate can only ask that an agency review a decision or expedite the decision-making process. The power to change decisions made by a government agency lies within the executive branch of our government.
State Issues:
If your problem concerns an agency of the Commonwealth of Virginia (child support, insurance regulation, state prison system issues, Medicaid, tenant/landlord issues, utility regulation), it would be most appropriate for you to contact the Governor's office at http://www.governor.virginia.gov or your General Assembly representatives at http://conview.state.va.us/whosmy.nsf/main?openform for assistance.
Local Issues:
If your issue pertains to a county, city or town matter, a listing of localities is available at http://www.virginia.gov/community/all.html
Legal Issues:
The rules of the Senate prohibit me from intervening in any legal matter, as these activities fall under the judicial branch of our government.
Should you have legal issues to resolve, please contact the Virginia Lawyer Referral Service at http://www.vsb.org/docs/VLRS_app.pdf, the Virginia State Bar at http://www.vsb.org/, or the Virginia Legal Aid Society at http://www.vlas.org/.
