Jan's Plans & Pans - March 14, 2023

Dear John xxxxxx,

I am so glad to be back with you! In addition to votes and hearings in Washington, I recently attended the House Democratic Caucus Issues Conference where I was able to hear from Biden administration officials, I participated in the Progressive Caucus retreat where our members gathered to discuss our legislative priorities and the future of progressive policy, and I was fortunate enough to travel to Alabama with some of my colleagues to retrace the footsteps of the leaders of the civil rights movement in Montgomery and Selma. 

Thanks in large part to the tireless work of my staff, we are now getting settled at our new Skokie District Office at 4500 Oakton Street! While it was hard to say goodbye to our Chicago and Glenview offices, I am looking forward to welcoming constituents to our new Skokie office, which is accessible to the majority of district residents, includes ample parking, and is close to public transit via the Oakton Skokie Swift stop and several Pace bus routes. I am also pleased to announce that our neighborhood office hours in the 9th Congressional District have already kicked off. To see when my staff will be in your area, please click here.

Last week, President Biden released his proposed FY 2024 budget. The president's proposed budget would lower costs for working families, protect and strengthen Medicare and Social Security, cut wasteful spending on Big Pharma, Big Oil, and other special interests—all while ensuring the wealthiest pay their fair share. We must build the economy from the bottom up and the middle out.

If you are in my district and need help navigating the Social Security Administration, looking into an immigration case, obtaining a passport, or need assistance with the IRS, my office is here to help. Head to my website for further assistance and information.

Take care,

Community Project Funding 
Application Deadline - March 17th

Over the last two years, through a mechanism called Community Project Funding, I have had the opportunity to direct millions of dollars to projects throughout the 9th Congressional District.

With these dollars, we have enabled initiatives including major storm-water projects, the replacement of millions of dollars of lead service lines, the completion of the Skokie Valley Trail, and many other projects that directly benefits communities and residents within the 9th Congressional District.

The application period for FY2024 Community Project Funding Requests is open through close of business on March 17, 2023. If you are a government entity or non-profit, I encourage you to visit my Community Project Funding portal at https://schakowsky.house.gov/cpf for details about eligibility, guidance from the relevant subcommittee, and the application itself.

Beware of Scams and Frauds

This is just a friendly reminder to please report anything you think may be a fraud, scam, or bad business practice.

Reporting Medicare Fraud and Abuse

Medicare fraud and abuse can happen anywhere, and usually results in higher health care costs and taxes for everyone. One of the best ways to detect this type of fraud is to read your Medicare Summary Notice (MSN) or your insurance’s Explanation of Benefits (EOB). If you find a claim or charge for something that you did not receive, is different than what you received, or was not medically necessary, this may be a sign of potential fraud. Please call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) if you think you have experienced fraud.

Reporting Mail Fraud and Postal Fraud

If you are a victim of a stolen, forged, or altered check, you can report this to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service by filling out and submitting the Mail Fraud Complaint Form. You may also call the U.S. Postal Inspection Service hotline at 1-800-372-8347 to file a complaint about suspected mail fraud.

Reporting General Frauds, Scams, and Bad Business Practices

For ideas about what you might report to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), check out consumer.ftc.gov for more information and advice.

Free COVID-19 Tests Available

Thanks to the Biden administration, you can now get four more free Covid-19 at-home test kits delivered to your door. You can order online via the federally run website COVIDTests.gov. Orders will be mailed by USPS, starting this week.

To receive the kits, you only need to provide a U.S. residential address when ordering. You can register your email address for delivery updates, but that is optional.

If you cannot access the internet or need help placing an order, call 1-800-232-0233 to get help in English, Spanish and more than 150 other languages. Call between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. CT, Monday to Friday and between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. CT on weekends.