$50 Million Returned to our Community!

Dear John,

This week, I announced that my office had reached an impressive milestone in the work we do on behalf of our community — $50 million in backlogged, contested, or lost benefits has been delivered back to PA-06.

I wanted to share how these funds were rightfully returned to veterans, seniors, small business owners and other folks in our community. To the very best of my ability, I want to make sure that our government is working for you, and if it isn’t, my team and I will do our very best to advocate on your behalf. This $50 million has been returned directly to community members and small businesses through my office’s award-winning constituent services — also known as casework — since I joined Congress in 2019.

As many of you know, my office can frequently help with issues that involve a federal agency. Each issue is a “case” and that’s where the term “casework” comes from! This includes assisting with a delayed passport for an upcoming trip, helping obtain money that was owed to a constituent by the IRS, streamlining relief to a small business, and so much more. My team in PA is on the ground each and every day helping our community with situations (or cases) just like these, and I couldn’t be more thankful for their hard work.

Breaking down the $50 million

The exact amount of money returned is $50,967,240, which comes from various federal agencies, here’s the top three agencies that constituents received money from:

Internal Revenue Service (IRS): $25,720,836
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS): $11,074,610
Small Business Administration (SBA): $5,518,949

Other federal agencies include the Social Security Administration, U.S. Department of Education, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), among others.

Please note that not all cases have a finite dollar amount associated with them – and we are proud and happy to handle those, too! While Pennsylvanians don’t get a “check” for successful passport cases, as an example, we know of the many weddings, funerals, vacations, and memories that our community members were able to participate in because of our advocacy.

Below are just some of the many testimonies from constituents who granted us permission to share their success stories, covering a range of federal matters with monetary and non-monetary outcomes:

“I tried for nine months to obtain medals due to me for service during the Cuban Missile Crisis but couldn't do it myself. That's why I called your office. Job well done (One happy veteran)! Thanks for helping veterans!”

William Corkadel, Sr., West Grove

“Three days before our flight, we discovered that our children’s passports were expired. Chrissy's staff not only immediately jumped in to help, but they also helped ease our family's anxiety.”

Joy and Peter Mooiweer, West Chester

“When the IRS sent me a bill for over $5,000 when I was owed a refund, Chrissy’s staff advocated for me tooth and nail. She cares, and that shows.”

Elizabeth Scheivert, Malvern

Here I am celebrating WWII veteran Bill Burns’ 100th birthday in 2021 (giving him a challenge coin). His son’s testimony is featured below.

“From the very first day that I contacted Rep. Houlahan's office, I was taken care of. I received an immediate phone call from the office and help throughout the entire process of obtaining benefits for my father who is a WWII Battle of the Bulge soldier. My father and I appreciate Rep. Houlahan's office tremendously and the work they do to help veterans.”

Donald Burns, Wyomissing

“Houlahan's staff kept me updated every step of the way for my refund on my prior year’s taxes. She explained the process and how we were going to fix it. Houlahan’s staff were exceptional – they understood the problem and were professional and easy to talk to.”

Victoria Foti, Malvern

. . .

If you need help with a federal agency, please do not hesitate to contact my office here or at (202) 225-4315 for assistance — we are happy to do everything in our power to help!

Serving as our community's representative is the honor of my lifetime, and I hope to hear from you soon about any issue that concerns you.

As always, please contact my office if you need assistance.

Be well and see you soon!

Chrissy Houlahan

U.S. Member of Congress