ADVOCACYVA program
Congressional Casework Assistance
Caseworkers for U.S. Representatives and Senators can send VA an inquiry about a constituent's VA issue, such as compensation, pension, survivor benefits, or medical care, once the veteran signs a privacy release. An inquiry does not take the place of a claim or a decision review.
Step-by-step guide
What you get
The office of your U.S. Representative or Senator can ask VA about your claim, benefits, or VA care for you. VA answers that office.
What a casework inquiry needs
- A privacy release you signVA does not share information from your VA file with a third party without your consent. Your signed privacy release lets VA give information about your file to the Member of Congress.
- Details that point VA to your fileYour full name and your VA claim number or Social Security number. If the inquiry is about care, the name of the VA medical center. If those numbers are not at hand, details like your date of birth, branch, and dates of service.
Source: VA Congressional Liaison Service: Casework Guide (2019) (opens in new tab)
What to gather, and what it shows VA
| Document | What it shows | How VA gets it | Have it? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Privacy release for the congressional office A release you sign that lets VA share information from your VA file with your Member of Congress. | That you agree to VA answering the office about your file | The office can tell you what release it needs. You sign it and give it to that office, which sends it to VA with the inquiry. It does not go to BeneVets. | |
| Your VA decision letter The letter VA sent about your claim or appeal. It carries your VA file details. | Which claim the inquiry is about, and what VA decided | VA mails it to you. You can also download some decision letters by signing in on VA.gov. | Yes |
The privacy release goes to the congressional office, and your claim papers stay with you and VA. BeneVets does not ask you to send records or sign releases here.
Steps, in order
- Check your claim status first
Sign in on VA.gov to see where your claim, decision review, or appeal is, and evidence you filed online or VA asked for. That tells you, and the caseworker, what is open.
Source: VA.gov: check your claim, decision review, or appeal status (opens in new tab)
- Gather what identifies your file
Have your full name, your VA claim number, and your decision letter ready. If the problem is about care, note the VA medical center.
Source: VA Congressional Liaison Service: Casework Guide (2019) (opens in new tab); VA.gov: check your claim, decision review, or appeal status (opens in new tab)
- Contact your Representative's or Senator's office
Ask the office for help with a VA issue. Its caseworker contacts VA through the liaison offices VA keeps for congressional inquiries.
Source: VA Office of Congressional and Legislative Affairs (opens in new tab); VA Congressional Liaison Service: Casework Guide (2019) (opens in new tab)
- Sign the privacy release
VA needs your signed privacy release before it can share information from your file with the office. Give it to the caseworker, not to BeneVets.
Source: VA Congressional Liaison Service: Casework Guide (2019) (opens in new tab)
- For a claim or decision review, work with a VSO
An inquiry does not replace a claim or a decision review. Free help: an accredited VSO can file this with you. Find one near you in the BeneVets VSO directory at Find an accredited VSO near you.
Source: VA.gov: accredited representatives (opens in new tab); VA.gov: decision reviews and appeals (opens in new tab)
Good to know
VA's liaison office sends the inquiry to the VA office that handles your issue. That office's answer goes to the Member of Congress, or to you when the caseworker asks for that and VA finds it appropriate.
Source: VA Congressional Liaison Service: Casework Guide (2019) (opens in new tab)
If you disagree with a VA benefit decision, VA lists three review options: a Supplemental Claim, a Higher-Level Review, and a Board Appeal. A congressional inquiry is not one of them, so it does not take the place of a review request.
Source: VA.gov: decision reviews and appeals (opens in new tab)
VA's Casework Guide lists issues VA does not handle, such as discharge upgrades, military records and DD214 copies, TRICARE, and Combat-Related Special Compensation. Those go to the Department of Defense, the service branch, or the National Personnel Records Center.
Source: VA Congressional Liaison Service: Casework Guide (2019) (opens in new tab)
BeneVets is informational and is not an accredited representative. Free help: an accredited VSO can work through VA benefits with you at no cost. Find an accredited VSO near you
Sources checked October 8, 2026: VA Office of Congressional and Legislative Affairs (opens in new tab), VA Congressional Liaison Service: Casework Guide (2019) (opens in new tab), VA.gov: check your claim, decision review, or appeal status (opens in new tab), VA.gov: decision reviews and appeals (opens in new tab), VA.gov: Patient Advocacy Program (opens in new tab), VA.gov: contact us (opens in new tab), VA.gov: accredited representatives (opens in new tab)