NASHVILLE, TN—United States Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) today highlighted several of the many successes helping Tennesseans across the state during his second year in office.
“I came to the Senate two years ago with a staunch commitment to best represent and serve the interests of Tennesseans, not just through policy in Washington but in meeting the individual needs of Tennesseans across the Volunteer State,” said Senator Hagerty. “Reflecting on the thousands of cases where my exceptional staff and I have delivered results for our constituents in 2022, I’m confident that we have fulfilled this purpose. I look forward to building on this success and continuing to serve the people of our great state in the 118th Congress.”
2022 in Review
As 2022 comes to a close, Hagerty released the following information:
In the Washington, D.C. office, Hagerty’s office has received hundreds of thousands of letters from Tennessee citizens in 2022 expressing their views on current events, legislation, and actions taken by the Biden Administration. As of this week:
- Received 298,191 unique pieces of mail from Tennesseans
- Responded to 289,247 individual letters from Tennesseans
Hagerty’s staff throughout the seven state offices—Nashville, Chattanooga, Cookeville, Jackson, Knoxville, Memphis, and Tri-Cities—worked to help Tennesseans and resolve various casework issues, such as assisting veterans with claims, resolving IRS disputes, aiding with passport and visa requests, and more. Since January:
- Opened 561 constituent cases
- Closed 1,643 constituent cases
Below are examples of the many success stories helping Tennesseans:
Nashville
Rachel Jones, a caseworker in the Nashville office, successfully was able to get a Veteran constituent admitted into a rehab facility. The Veteran was initially denied rehab because he had been treated previously. He told his sister he was going to take his own life, and she called the Nashville office seeking help. Rachel was able to reach both the Veteran and the rehab facility and have him admitted into treatment. The sister has credited the swift action taken by Senator Hagerty’s office to resolve this, with saving her brother’s life.
Chattanooga
Laken Shattuck, a Field Representative in the Chattanooga office, reached out to a constituent that had submitted a request for help with a federal issue through Senator Hagerty’s website. The constituent had submitted her passport renewal application so that she would be able to travel this holiday season. Her travel plans were to see her husband, who is active duty military and is working at a U.S. Embassy abroad. After contacting the National Passport Center, Laken was able to expedite the processing and shipping at no cost to the constituent. After one day, her passport was already in the mail, in plenty of time for her to make her flight to see her husband for Christmas.
Cookeville
Bonny Warren, a caseworker in the Cookeville office, worked on a case where a constituent’s worker’s compensation claim for a critical surgery was denied. After intervening, Bonny was able to connect the Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs (OWCP) to the constituent’s doctor’s office, where a basis for the claim was established and the surgery was approved.
Jackson
Amy Winstead, a caseworker in the Jackson office, was contacted by a constituent that had returned to the United States from Brazil without his wife due to her visa being denied. Amy attempted to contact the Embassy in Rio several times without success. After making contact, the Embassy in Rio explained that their approval process was backlogged and other obstacles that were in the way of getting the visa approval. After multiple mishaps with paperwork, Amy persistently stayed in contact with the Embassy advocating to bring the constituent home in time for the couple’s 33rd wedding anniversary and their son’s citizenship ceremony. After several months, the Visa was approved, and the couple was reunited in Tennessee in March in time for both their wedding anniversary and their son’s citizenship ceremony.
Memphis
Mary Wooldridge, a caseworker in the Memphis office, received a call from a constituent having issues receiving her lump sum from a Cancer Only insurance policy. The Vice President of the insurance company told the constituent that her claim had been approved, but the constituent had not received the payment. Mary called the insurance company as a representative of Senator Hagerty’s office, and they told her they could not disclose any information since she is not the claimant. Mary immediately facilitated a call connecting the constituent and insurance company, so they could speak to each other. The constituent received the lump sum two days later.
Knoxville
Keith Abraham, a caseworker in the Knoxville office, received a call from a large employer in Clinton, TN. The company had not received their tax refunds from both 2018 and 2019. Keith sent the inquiry to the Taxpayer Advocate Service, but it appeared that little to no action was being taken. Senator Hagerty’s Washington, D.C. office connected Keith with the head of Legislative Affairs for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Keith worked directly with the head, and within two weeks, the refund for 2019 was processed for nearly $8 million. Shortly after, the 2018 refund processed for over $3 million, totaling to over $11 million in tax refunds over the two-year period for the company.
Tri-Cities
Tracie O’Hara, a caseworker in the Tri-Cities office, received a call from a constituent looking for help with Social Security Disability. He was told that he would get his backpay in August. He contacted the Tri-Cities office again in October, stating that he still had not received it. Tracie reached out to the SSA office many times until they finally released his backpay in late November. This totaled to about $37,000, and he will also now be getting about $2,000 monthly.
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