Helping Constituents Across Maine

                                
                          



     What do you do when you need medication to treat a life-threatening
illness, but Medicare denies your claim?  Imagine the frustration you would
endure if the Social Security Administration suspended your benefits after
someone fraudulently stole your identity.
How do you explain to an immovable Internal Revenue Service that it's
impossible to have earned income from a state in which you've never lived,
worked, or even visited?


     It's as simple as the old phrase: you write your Member of Congress.  Of
course, these days you are also welcome to phone, fax, or e-mail as well. 
All of the cases mentioned above are real.  And in each case,  Maine citizens
were helped by my dedicated staff in one of the six offices I maintain in the
various parts of our state.  Looking back over the thousands of cases we've
handled in just the last year, I'm very proud of the personal assistance that
my talented staff has given to Mainers in need.  It can be frustrating for
people to try to navigate the often muddy waters of federal regulations. 
Trying for months, as one woman did, to convince the Social Security
Administration and the FBI that her benefits had been erroneously suspended
because her identity was stolen is a perfect illustration of why some people
consider their government to be a faceless, unreasonable monolith.

     Over the last year, my state staff has been able to help many Mainers,
one person at a time, in their dealings with various federal agencies.   A
couple from Owls Head contacted my Augusta office in October; they were
hoping to adopt a little girl from South Africa and bring her home for the
holidays.  But the family had become extremely frustrated by the endless
paperwork and staffing shortages that slowed an already tedious process.
My staff immediately made inquiries with the Department of State and the
Embassy in South Africa.  Soon, the necessary paperwork was completed, and
the family was able to return to Maine in time to spend Thanksgiving, at
home, with a new baby.

     In another case, my Portland office received a desperate plea from the
family of an elderly evacuee from Louisiana.  The woman was being cared for
by relatives near New Orleans before Hurricane Katrina struck.  After its
home was destroyed in the resulting floods, the family had no choice but to
send the elderly woman to live with other relatives in Maine.  My staff was
able to contact the appropriate state and federal agencies who promptly
provided essential medical services and financial assistance to help the
family care for their loved one.

     Staff in my Aroostook County office was able to expedite the immigration
process to help a local hospital get a medical doctor from the African
Republic of Cameroon into a rural outreach clinic in Northern Maine that had
been without a full-time medical doctor for nearly a year.  Today, he is a
valued member of the community.




     I'm proud of my state office staff, which acts as an important liaison
between federal agencies and the people of our state.  They understand the
cares and concerns of the local areas in which they work because that's where
they live, and they have the expertise to investigate and resolve problems.

     My website, http://www.collins.senate.gov, has more information on my
state offices and some of the frequently requested help my office provides. 
You are always welcome to contact me or to walk into any of my state offices
where my staff will be glad to greet you.  Their addresses and phone numbers
are:

                           Aroostook County Office
                          25 Sweden Street, Suite A
                                   Caribou
                                   493-7873
                                493-7810 (fax)

                                Bangor Office
                    Margaret Chase Smith Federal Building
                         202 Harlow Street, Room 204
                                   945-0417
                                990-4604 (fax)

                                Augusta Office
                      Edmund S. Muskie Federal Building
                     40 Western Avenue, Room 507622-8414
                                622-5884 (fax)

                               Lewiston Office
                               11 Lisbon Street
                                   784-6969
                                782-6475 (fax)

                               Portland Office
                               One City Center
                                  Suite 100
                                   780-3575
                                828-0380 (fax)

                              York County Office
                               160 Main Street
                                  Biddeford
                                   283-1101
                                283-4054 (fax)





     I hope you'll contact my staff with your concerns.  They're talented,
compassionate people who are available to help you.  It may seem strange to
think of asking one arm of the government to help clear up a problem with
another, but it's important to remember why we're here -- to serve the people
of Maine.