	Introduction

Casework in a congressional office refers to the response or services that Members of Congress provide to constituents who request assistance. In contemporary times, thousands of constituents seek assistance annually from Members of Congress, with requests ranging from the simple to the complex. Members and their staffs help individual constituents deal with administrative agencies by acting as facilitators, ombudsmen, and, in some cases, advocates. In addition to providing services to individual constituents, some congressional offices also consider their liaison activities between the federal government and local governments or businesses concerned about the effects of federal legislation or regulation to be casework. As part of the process of determining how to carry out their congressional duties, Members of Congress determine the scope of their constituent service activities. Casework is conducted for various reasons, including constituent demand and a broadly held understanding among Members and their staff that casework is integral to the representational duties of a Member of Congress. Others believe that casework activities can be part of an outreach strategy to build political support among constituents. Casework might also be seen by some as an evaluative stage of the legislative process. Constituent inquiries about specific policies, programs, or benefits may also suggest areas in which programmatic or policy changes require additional institutional oversight, or further legislative consideration. One challenge to congressional casework is the widely held public perception that Members of Congress can initiate a broad array of actions resulting in a speedy, favorable outcome. The rules of the House and Senate, and laws and regulations governing federal executive agency activities, however, closely limit the extent of an intervention made on behalf of a constituent. When conducting casework, congressional staff cannot force an agency to expedite a case or act in favor of a constituent. Congressional staff may intervene to facilitate the appropriate administrative processes involved, encourage an agency to give a case consideration, and sometimes advocate for a favorable outcome. Subsequent sections of this report discuss House and Senate rules and guidelines, laws, and regulations affecting congressional casework, as well as the role of caseworkers. This report also provides sample outlines and document templates for establishing and managing congressional casework. Further casework materials are available at the CRS Casework Resources web page at http://crs.gov/resources/Pages/CS-Casework.aspx . Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS) U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Unemployment United States Forest Service Veterans' Clinic Veterans' Hospitals Veterans' Services Veterans' Service Organizations (VSO) Visas/Entry Permits, Education Visas/Entry Permits, Emergency Visas/Entry Permits, Work Washington Visitors 

	CRS Resources

CRS In Focus IF10503, Constituent Services: Overview and Resources
Congressi onal Liaison Offices , at http://www.crs.gov/resources/liaisonoffices
CRS Video WVB00093, Introduction to Congressional Casework
CRS Report RL33209, Casework in a Congressional Office: Background, Rules, Laws, and Resources
CRS Report R44696, Casework in Congressional Offices: Frequently Asked Questions
CRS Report CASEWORK, Constituent Services: Casework , Webpage, available at http://www.crs.gov
CRS Report RL32113, Congressional Intervention in the Administrative Process: Legal and Ethical Considerations 
CRS Report RL33213, Congressional Nominations to U.S. Service Academies: An Overview and Resources for Outreach and Management
CRS Report RS20500, Medical Records Privacy: Questions and Answers on the HIPAA Rule 
CRS Report RS22450, Procedural Analysis of Private Laws Enacted: 1986-2015

	Sample Documents and Release Forms

Sample Constituent Guide/Newsletter Piece/Outreach Handout
Initial Correspondence with Constituents Opening a Case
Simple Privacy Act Release Form
Sample Privacy Act and HIPAA Release Form
Case Information and Privacy Act Release Form
Response Correspondence 1: Completed Response from Agency 
Response Correspondence 2: Partial/Interim Response from Agency
In a congressional office, the term casework refers to the response or services that Members of Congress provide to constituents who request assistance. Each year, thousands of constituents turn to Members of Congress with a wide range of requests, from the simple to the complex. Members and their staffs help constituents deal with administrative agencies by acting as facilitators, ombudsmen, and, in some cases, advocates. In addition to serving individual constituents, some congressional offices also consider as casework liaison activities between the federal government and local governments, businesses, communities, and nonprofit organizations.
Members of Congress determine the scope of their constituent service activities. Casework is conducted for various reasons, including a broadly held understanding among Members and staff that casework is integral to the representational duties of a Member of Congress. Casework activities may also be viewed as part of an outreach strategy to build political support, or as an evaluative stage of the legislative process. Constituent inquiries about specific policies, programs, or benefits may suggest areas where government programs or policies require institutional oversight or legislative consideration.
One challenge to congressional casework is the widely held public perception that Members of Congress can initiate a broad array of actions resulting in a speedy, favorable outcome. The rules of the House and Senate, and laws and regulations governing federal executive agency activities, however, closely limit interventions made on the behalf of constituents. When performing casework, congressional staff cannot force an agency to expedite a case or act in favor of a constituent. However, congressional staff can intervene to facilitate the appropriate administrative processes, encourage an agency to give a case consideration, and sometimes advocate for a favorable outcome.
This report discusses House and Senate rules and guidelines, laws, and regulations affecting congressional casework, as well as the role of caseworkers. It also provides sample outlines and document templates for implementing and managing congressional casework. Further casework materials are available at the CRS Casework Resources web page at http://crs.gov/resources/Pages/CS-Casework.aspx.