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Constituent Services

  • Constituent Services

    Step 1 -- Introduction to Casework
    How Can I Help You?

    Providing assistance to my constituents is one of my most important duties as your representative in Congress, and I am always happy to provide you with casework service. Typical requests for casework involve lost documents or a federal agency dragging its feet in getting you the help you need.

    Before contacting me for aid, it is important that you first try to work with the federal agency you are having trouble with. These agencies are helpful and responsive, and most issues can be solved by contacting them in writing. However, if you find that contacting them does not yield results, I would be happy to advocate on your behalf.

    To determine whether I can help you with your situation or if you need to find assistance elsewhere, please proceed to the next step "Casework Determination."

    As always, if you have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to contact my office.

    Step 2 -- Determining How I Can Help
    Is this casework or not?

    I am able to assist you with a casework request as long as it deals with a federal agency, or one that reports to the executive branch. Some examples of federal agencies:

    • Social Security Administration
    • Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
    • Department of Homeland Security
    • Department of Veteran's Affairs (VA)
    • U.S. Postal Service

    I am only authorized to help you with issues involving these federal agencies after you have tried handling the issue through the agency first. Most federal agencies are helpful and responsive and would be happy to provide the aid you need. However, if after you have contacted them in writing you still do not get results, I would be glad to provide the help you need.

    And although I will try my best to help you in any way I can, the federal agency with whom you are dealing always has the final say in the matter. Please also keep in mind that I am unable to provide you with legal assistance or act as your legal counselor or representative. Because of the constitutional separation of powers, I do not have the authority to intervene in judicial matters such as criminal court proceedings, civil disputes, or deportation hearings.

    Local and State Issues

    There are many issues affecting constituents that cannot be solved at the national level, but can be solved at the local level. If you are having trouble with a state agency, you should contact your representative in the New York State Senate or Assembly or your local representative. Some examples of local or state issues:

    • Child support
    • Criminal and police investigations
    • Worker's compensation
    • Housing or rent issues
    • Lost or stolen driver's licenses or other important state documentation

    To find your State Senator by ZIP code, click here. To find your State Assembly member by ZIP code, click here.

    Step 3 -- How to Open a Case
    Once you contact me, I can begin to assist you

    After you have determined that your request is something we can help you with, fill out a request form and fax or mail it to one of my district offices, or deliver it in person. The Privacy Act of 1974 does not allow our office to assist you until you have filled out this form which releases information to our office from the agency with which you are having trouble. Be sure to attach a brief description of the problem and any documents you have pertaining to your case. This may include medical documentation, financial records, letters of support, and recent correspondence with the agency. Click here for a PDF version of the casework request and authorization form.

    Casework is typically handled at my district offices in the Bronx, Westchester, or Rockland. To put in a casework request, contact the district office that is closest to you and be sure to provide as much information as possible so we can help you as quickly and as effectively as we can. You can do this by either calling the office or filling out the Casework Authorization Form and faxing it or bringing it into one of my offices.

    Bronx District Office
    3655 Johnson Ave.
    Bronx, NY 10463
    Phone: (718) 769-9700
    Fax: (718) 796-5134

    Rockland District Office
    261 West Nyack Road
    West Nyack, NY 10994
    Phone: (845) 735-1000
    Fax: (845) 735-1963

    Westchester District Office
    6 Gramatan Ave., Suite 205
    Mount Vernon, NY 10550
    Phone: (914) 699-4100
    Fax: (914) 699-3646

    It is a privilege to serve you and help you get the federal aid you need. Once we receive the document, please allow a few days for my office to contact you about your request, and we can begin addressing your concern as quickly as possible.

    Sincerely,

    Congressman Eliot L. Engel

Amy Fisher's Internship Experience

Four weeks after I graduated college, I began an internship in the office of a fellow New Yorker, Congressman Engel . I thought it would be an interesting learning experience while I looked for a permanent job in the foreign policy world.  After all, the Congressman serves on the House International Relations Committee.  It wasn't too long, however, before I, like so many others, quickly fell in love with working on Capitol Hill and knew that I would start my career here.

During my internship, I was fortunate to have been warmly welcomed by both the Congressman and his staff. I was given the opportunity to work on important legislative tasks and meaningful projects.  Of course there were also the routine responsibilities of tours of the Capitol and answering the phones, but interacting with constituents was a very educational part of the process. I was able to relate the work that was being done in the Washington office to how it was felt on the ground of the district. I also had the opportunity to meet several interesting and prominent people, as foreign dignitaries would come in for a meeting with the Congressman.  As someone sitting the front office, I had the opportunity to shake hands or even chat with them while they waited. 

Although drafting responses to constituent mail is something that staffers often procrastinate or try to pawn off on to others, that aspect of my internship was probably the most beneficial.  I had never understood in college why my professors always insisted that writing skills would be essential in the "real world," but I soon learned. Three months of drafting constituent responses, press releases, recommendations for grants and other projects that required writing was crucial to my developing greater confidence in my writing. The feedback from the staffers greatly helped me improve those skills.

When I began my search for permanent employment on the Hill, Congressman Engel and his staff were extremely helpful in helping me spruce up my resume and serve as references.  I soon went on to work as a staff assistant for another Member of Congress and from there went on to work for my current boss, Congresswoman Lois Capps (CA-23), who sits on the Energy and Commerce Committee with Congressman Engel.  Now, instead of transferring calls to his aides, I am one of the people calling them to discuss relevant issues.  And although my time in the Engel office was only 3 months long, 3 years later I still value that experience and will know that my career began right in his Rayburn office.