Casework , in a congressional office, refers to the response or services that Members of Congress provide to constituents who request assistance. As part of the process of determining how to carry out their congressional duties, Members of Congress largely determine the scope of casework and their other constituent service activities. Typically with casework, Members and their staffs help individual constituents deal with federal administrative agencies by acting as facilitators, ombudsmen, and, in some cases, advocates. Some congressional offices may consider their liaison activities between the federal government and local governments or businesses concerned with the effects of federal legislation or regulation to be casework. Other offices may include interactions with communities and nonprofit organizations seeking federal grants or other assistance as casework. Common congressional casework requests include tracking a misdirected benefits payment; helping to fill out a government form; applying for Social Security, veterans', education, and other federal benefits; explaining government activities or decisions; applying to a military service academy; seeking relief from a federal administrative decision; and immigrating to the United States or applying for U.S. citizenship. Contrary to the widely held public perception that Members of Congress can initiate a broad array of actions resulting in a speedy, favorable outcome, there are significant limitations on the degree of permissible intervention from a Member office. More of these restrictions are described later in this report: see " 3. What rules govern casework? ". Casework is not required of Members of Congress, but it is commonly expected by constituents. Some constituents may view a Member's office as the best point of a contact for assistance with the federal government. It appears that each Member office today provides some type of casework, reflecting a broadly held understanding among Members and their staff that casework is integral to the representational duties of a Member of Congress. Some also believe that casework activities can be part of an outreach strategy to build political support among constituents. Casework may also be viewed as an evaluative stage of the legislative process. Some observers suggest that casework inquiries afford Members the opportunity to evaluate whether a program is functioning as Congress intended. Constituent inquiries about specific policies, programs, or benefits may also suggest areas in which programs or policies require additional oversight, or further legislative consideration. Federal statute prohibits Members of Congress, chamber officers, and congressional staff from representing anyone before the federal government, except in the performance of their official duties. House and Senate rules and federal law also prohibit ex parte , or off-the-record, communications with agency employees reasonably expected to be involved in case adjudication. Generally, a Member of Congress may do the following on behalf of eligible individuals seeking their assistance, under House and Senate guidelines: request information or a status report; urge prompt consideration; arrange for interviews or appointments; express judgments; call for reconsideration of an administrative response that the Member believes is not reasonably supported by statutes, regulations, or considerations of equity or public policy; or perform any other service of a similar nature consistent with the provisions of the rules of the House or Senate. Under the Privacy Act of 1974, executive branch agencies cannot share records containing an individual's personally identifiable information with any outside entity unless that individual has authorized the release of that information. Agencies may request a particular format or types of information on a Privacy Act release. Requests involving medical information might require an additional waiver, pursuant to rules promulgated under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). House rules regarding casework services are discussed in the House Ethics Manual . Guidelines in the House Ethics Manual say that when contacting a federal agency on behalf of a constituent, a Member, officer, or employee of the House should not make prohibited, off-the-record comments, receive things of value for providing casework assistance, or improperly pressure agency officials. Casework requests typically do not involve the courts, but guidelines in the House Ethics Manual Â provide a range of options to Members who might choose to participate in judicial proceedings. Senate Rule XLIII and the Senate Ethics Manual establish parameters for casework services in that chamber. Senate Rule XLIII (3) prohibits the provision of casework assistance on the basis of contributions or services to organizations in which the Senator has a political, personal, or financial interest. The Senate Ethics Manual describes constituent service as something that occurs with respect to the executive branch and is silent on service before the courts. Because casework is often viewed as a representational activity, the primary recipients of an office's casework services are usually considered to be individual constituents residing within a House Member's district, or a Senator's state. Yet there are reasons why other persons or entities might seek assistance from a Member's office. For example, foreign-born individuals seeking to immigrate to the United States may contact a Member of Congress for assistance. A family member or other concerned party outside of a Member's district may contact an office on behalf of a resident constituent. Strict definitions of who is eligible for casework assistance are not provided by the House or Senate; however, other guidelines may imply certain parameters. Senate Rule XLIII recognizes that not everyone who seeks assistance from a Senator will be a constituent of the state the Senator represents, and uses the term "petitioner" to refer to the casework requester. No such distinction is drawn in the House Ethics Manual , which uses the term "constituents" to refer to the recipients of Members' casework services. In the House, guidance issued by the Committee on Ethics suggests that "particular care should be exercised when providing assistance to individuals who are not from the Member's congressional district." The guidance also indicates that a Member should not use official resources to provide casework for individuals who live outside the district the Member represents. When a Member of the House is unable to assist a non-constituent, the Member may refer the person to his or her own House Member or Senators. Matters regarding the management of casework activities are at the discretion of individual congressional offices, subject to the rules of their respective chambers, relevant law, and the priorities of that office. The number and type of constituent requests, how an office defines casework, Member priorities, and the distribution of responsibilities among office locations and staff are some of the factors that can affect a congressional office's casework policies and procedures. Most casework is conducted by staff in state or district offices, and staff are commonly hired in these locations to work on casework or other constituent services. Offices often establish and document procedures for how they handle casework; this is not required, but some offices find it useful to specify casework goals, management procedures, or expectations of staff. This can help ensure that all cases are addressed in a similar manner, and that all appropriate staff can process new casework requests and access casework records if needed. Offices sometimes create their own forms to serve as Privacy Act waivers or to gather necessary case-related information from constituents. Most constituents expect that offices will handle their personal information carefully and discreetly. Casework and other records created in a congressional office are considered to be the personal property of the Member; the House and Senate provide guidance for managing these materials. Many state or district offices have enough constituent requests to assign at least one staff member to work specifically on casework. Congressional staff serving as caseworkers typically act as liaisons between constituents and federal agencies. The decision to hire a caseworker, the specific qualifications for that role, and job responsibilities, however, are left to each Member office to determine. In some offices, certain caseworkers work with particular agencies or on certain types of cases; in other offices, all caseworkers work on all types of cases. For some staff, casework is their primary job responsibility; others perform casework alongside another role in the office. Caseworkers generally first obtain information about the constituent's situation from the person requesting assistance. This often involves understanding the problem presented by, or on behalf of, the constituent. Caseworkers may need to establish what services or benefits the constituent may be eligible for. They may also need to request documentation, like copies of birth certificates or military service or other records, to provide to the agency in support of a case. Caseworkers also identify the appropriate way to address the constituent's concerns. Often, this involves contacting a federal agency's congressional liaison. To receive any information from federal agencies about a constituent, caseworkers must provide a Privacy Act waiver, signed by the constituent, which allows the agency to share the constituent's personal information with a Member. Throughout the process, caseworkers try to communicate with the constituent about realistic expectations. While many congressional offices focus on national agencies, some issues presented by constituents may lead caseworkers to contact state or local governments, or nonprofit or community organizations; in some instances, these entities may be able to provide intermediary or alternative assistance to constituents. Caseworkers also determine when a case may require additional support from a Member of Congress, other officials, or other staff. Additional information for caseworkers on working with constituents is available on the CRS casework resources website ( http://www.crs.gov/resources/casework ) or by contacting CRS. Often, federal agencies have designated legislative affairs or congressional relations staff assigned as general points of contact for congressional caseworkers. Many of these contacts are listed in CRS Report 98-446, Congressional Liaison Offices of Selected Federal Agencies . Congressional liaisons generally are not agency decisionmakers, and essentially serve as a resource available to assist Members and congressional staff on legislative and constituent service matters. Individuals serving in this capacity commonly work in an agency's legislative or intergovernmental affairs office. Although most of these congressional liaisons are located in Washington, DC, agency locations, they can refer caseworkers to the appropriate local or regional office staff members, if needed, for further assistance. Caseworkers may also need to identify other sources of assistance for constituents. Frequently, caseworkers can utilize contacts known to their offices.