NASHVILLE, TN—United States Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) today highlighted several of his office’s many successes helping Tennesseans across the Volunteer State during 2024.
“It is the honor of my life to serve the Volunteer State and advocate for Tennesseans in Washington another year,” said Senator Hagerty. “My exceptional staff continued helping me fight for the best interests of Tennessee every day, and 2024 brought much success. I look forward to continue serving as the voice of Tennesseans and to all of the positive change that we will bring in 2025 for both the Volunteer State and the rest of the nation.”
2024 in Review
As 2024 comes to a close, Hagerty released the following information:
In 2024, Hagerty’s Washington, D.C. office received hundreds of thousands of letters from Tennessee citizens expressing their views on current events, legislation, and actions taken by the Biden Administration. As of this week:
- Received 450,132 unique pieces of mail from Tennesseans
- Responded to 401,323 individual letters from Tennesseans
Hagerty’s staff throughout the seven state offices—Memphis, Jackson, Nashville, Chattanooga, Cookeville, Knoxville, and Tri-Cities—worked to help Tennesseans resolve various casework issues, such as assisting veterans with claims, resolving IRS disputes, aiding with passport and visa requests, and more. Since January:
- Opened 1,613 constituent cases
- Closed 1,108 constituent cases
Below are examples of the many success stories helping Tennesseans across the state:
Memphis
Mary, a caseworker in our Memphis office, was contacted by a constituent who had tried unsuccessfully to contact theIRS about a refund that was three years overdue. She even went to a local IRS office, but she was told they could not help her, even though she had a letter from the IRS stating they owed her the refund plus interest. The constituent said she was homeless with two small children. Mary contacted the Taxpayer Advocate Service on her behalf, and, less than six weeks later, the constituent received her refund of $11,879.68, which included $1,698.00 interest. When she received her refund, she called and thanked Mary, saying it would not have happened without the assistance of Hagerty’s office.
Jackson
Amy, a caseworker in our Jackson office, received a referral from the Madison County Veteran Service Office to assist the son of a veteran who was struggling to get his recently deceased father’s pension for his mother, who was in a nursing facility in declining health. After requesting the status of the pension, Amy was told that the case was still being processed. The constituent contacted our office two weeks later stating his mother had not only received back pay, but also the monthly assistance, which will help with the declining health of the constituent’s mother.
Nashville
Rachel, a caseworker in our Nashville office, received a case in June from a constituent in Clarksville whose son was backpacking in Africa. He stated his son had some physical disabilities from birth but has been traveling the world alone for the last six years. He had not heard from his son since May, despite always being in regular contact. His son had been in the Democratic Republic of the Congo during the attempted recent coup, and he reported his son missing to the Department of State. By this time, he feared the worst— he was certain his son was killed and was just seeking answers and closure. Rachel was able to work with the father, a reporter in Congo, and the DRC Embassy and was able to locate the son and facilitate his release and return home to the U.S. to be reunited with his father.
Chattanooga
Lauren, a caseworker in our Chattanooga office, was contacted by a university that was on the verge of losing their tax-exempt status for the year due to a clerical error. If the university lost their status, it would be devastating to their next fiscal year. After Lauren contacted the Taxpayer Advocate Service, they were able to reestablish the tax-exempt status for the university within the month.
Cookeville
Bonny, a caseworker in our Cookeville office, was contacted in August by a local medical provider for assistance. The provider had seen a major insurance company’s insured patients since the provider’s founding in 1977. The insurance company removed them as a provider and would not take any new Tennessee providers. This resulted in the provider’s patients having to pay out-of-network costs from their pockets. Bonny submitted an inquiry to CMS, and in three months the issue was resolved in the medical provider’s favor.
Knoxville
Keith, a caseworker in our Knoxville office, was contacted by a constituent whose veteran brother had passed away in early August. The family wanted military honors at his funeral service but needed to provide a copy of his DD-214, which they did not have. The funeral was scheduled four days from the date the constituent contacted Keith. The inquiry was sent to the National Archives, and Keith requested that the DD-214 be expedited to him. One day later, the National Archives sent Keith a copy of the veteran’s DD-214 and the family was able to get all the information to the funeral home. The funeral service had full military honors.
Tri-Cities
Tracie, a caseworker in our Tri-Cities office, was contacted by Southwest Radio Ministries. They had relocated from Oklahoma to Bluff City, TN, where they run multiple Christian radio stations. SWRM reached out with an issue that they were having with getting their PPP funding after failing to get the government to release the funding that they were promised for almost two years. After Tracie reached out on their behalf, the SBA and Treasury Department finally released their funds, which has kept the ministry afloat and saved 15 jobs in Tennessee, allowing SWRM to continue their ministry.
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