By Representative Morgan Griffith
Some of my columns this summer focused on recent legislative victories in DC.
As your representative, it is equally important to highlight the casework wins of my office and detail some of the valuable constituent services we provide.
In December, I wrote a newsletter about the dual roles of a member of Congress: the legislator and the ombudsman.
Today, I highlight my role as your ombudsman to the federal government and the hard work of members of my staff in trying to solve problems.
Since May 19, my offices received over 17,000 messages through phone calls, emails and physical mail. Our office then responded to a variety of the roughly 100 topics covered by these messages!
My offices help manage many issues, which can include passport applications, Internal Revenue Service (IRS) case inquiries, and claims for social security benefits.
According to the U.S. State Department, the agency issued more than 24.5 million passports in 2024. That number is the most in the Department’s history.
Given that avalanche of demand, processing delays sometimes are expected. There are urgent situations which require immediate attention.
In such situations, you can contact my office for help.
A lot of our work involves communication with federal agencies. One notable agency is the IRS.
This year, my office has handled close to 100 cases pertaining to the IRS and tax refunds. On average for these cases, we secured roughly $12,000 in refunds per case!
My office is committed to trying to cut through bureaucratic red tape and working with relevant authorities to find solutions for constituents.
Another constituent group we support is the veteran community. Virginia’s Ninth District is home to tens of thousands of veterans.
Accordingly, my district offices assist with Veterans Affairs cases helping with issues related to benefits or recognition for military service.
Recently we have seen accounting errors which attribute the wrong retirement rank for some Ninth District military veterans. As a result, these veterans could not receive the retirement pay that corresponds with their rank.
My district staff worked with the relevant military authorities and the Defense Finance Accounting Service to fix the problem and ensure these veterans received backpay.
Recently in Smyth County, I also awarded multiple replacement medals to a Korean War Veteran who served in five different campaigns. Through diligent record requests and communication with executive officials, my team helped secure these medals.
American veterans have given a great deal to this country. Helping them with a constituent matter is one way for me to give back to them.
Bringing the above issues to the attention of my offices may be conducted over the phone. You can call my Abingdon office or Christiansburg office (see below).
You are also welcome to visit either of my district offices in-person. However, given the size of the Ninth District, traveling to one of my offices can be an issue.
That is why I host monthly traveling staff office hours in every Ninth District locality where I do not have a satellite office.
I post news of these traveling staff office hours every month. If you miss news coverage of it, you can visit my website and go to the “Newsroom” section to view the staff schedule.
You can also go to Facebook and follow my profile, Congressman Morgan Griffith, to check for the monthly traveling staff office hours schedule as well as other updates on my activities.
My staff in DC also help facilitate some constituent services.
One of the things my DC office does is reserve tours of the United States Capitol.
The U.S. Capitol is home to some of the finest works of art and architecture. Either a person from the visitor center or a member of my DC office can walk you through the Crypt, the old Supreme Court Chamber, the old Senate Chamber, the House and Senate Galleries, and of course, the Capitol Rotunda!
Just this summer, we coordinated Capitol tour opportunities for more than 50 groups from the Ninth!
My DC office does not lead tours of the White House or Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) headquarters. But with significant advanced notice and some luck, we can also try to arrange these tours.
