The People’s Staffer Hunt

A Veteran & Patient Guide to Getting Heard in Congress

Developed by the International Veterans Leadership Committee (IVLC) – August 2025

Why This Exists

Congress has 535 Members — but the people you actually need to reach aren’t the ones on C-SPAN. They’re the staffers.

Staffers decide what makes it to the boss’s desk. They draft the memos, prep the talking points, and screen the mail. Most public outreach never makes it past the front desk because it’s too vague, too emotional without facts, or aimed at the wrong person.

This playbook teaches you how to find the right staffers, get your message read, and make follow-up impossible to ignore. It’s written for veterans, patients, caregivers, and anyone fighting for change on Capitol Hill — with cannabis reform as the prime example, but the same tactics work for any cause.

Step 1 – Know Your Allies

Start with Members most likely to care about your cause:

Veterans in Congress – They share part of your lived experience.

Relevant Committees – These Members have direct influence:

• House & Senate Veterans’ Affairs – Veteran policy oversight.

• Appropriations (MilCon-VA Subcommittees) – Controls VA funding.

• Judiciary – Can address the Controlled Substances Act and sentencing reform.

• Armed Services – Covers military medicine and DOD-to-VA transition care.

• Energy & Commerce – Oversees FDA, NIH, and public health.

Pro Tip: A Member who’s both a veteran and on one of these committees is Tier 1 gold.

Step 2 – Find the Real Gatekeepers

The Member’s name might be on the door, but it’s the staffers who decide whether your materials get inside.

Target these roles:

• Legislative Director (LD) – Sets office policy priorities.

• Legislative Assistant (LA) for your issue – Researches, drafts memos, briefs the boss. This is your prime target.

• Communications Director (Comms) – Shapes public statements and media.

• Committee Staffer – Works for the committee as a whole; can slip info into hearing packets and legislation.

How to find them:

• Member’s official House/Senate webpage (sometimes lists staff).

• Committee websites.

• LinkedIn search: “Legislative Assistant” + Member name.

• LegiStorm.com – Staff names, job titles, and issue portfolios.

Step 3 – Sort by Priority (Tier System)

Tier 1:
Veterans in Congress on Veterans’ Affairs, MilCon-VA Appropriations, Armed Services, Judiciary, or Energy & Commerce.
→ They have both personal connection and legislative power.

Tier 2:
Veterans in Congress on committees with indirect influence — Public Health, Oversight, Foreign Affairs, Budget.
→ Can reframe your cause in terms they can act on.

Tier 3:
Non-veterans outside your core issue but with a record of supporting related causes — e.g., criminal justice reform, opioid crisis response, suicide prevention.

Step 4 – Build Your Contact Grid

Don’t just collect names — organize them so you can track progress and follow up.

Fill staffer names as you find them. Keep the table format consistent.

Step 5 – Deploy in Waves

Wave 1 – Soft Entry

• Short intro email to the correct staffer.

• Lead with your strongest fact or story.

• Attach or link your most credible material (research, historical docs).

Wave 2 – Follow-Up

• Call the office asking for the staffer by name.

• Add one new piece of information — ideally local relevance.

Wave 3 – Cross-Pollinate

• Share your materials with staff in other offices.

• If two staffers from different offices discuss your issue, momentum builds.

Wave 4 – Go Public (if ignored)

• Local op-eds, media outreach, or social media posts tagging the Member.

• Make ignoring you more costly than taking a meeting.

Pro Tips

• Always get the staffer’s name before sending anything.

• Lead with district/state relevance — how it impacts their voters.

• Keep emails short, link to longer materials online.

• Be respectful — staffers move up fast; today’s LA could be tomorrow’s Member.

• Track every contact: date, response, next step.

Starter Target Grid – IVLC Seed List

Public starting point: veterans currently serving in Congress, pre-sorted by committee power.
→ Fill in staff names and emails as you find them.

Resources

• House Committees: house.gov/committees

• Senate Committees: senate.gov/committees

• LegiStorm Staff Search: legistorm.com

• LinkedIn Search: “Legislative Assistant” + Member name

• GovTrack: govtrack.us – Bill sponsorship & voting records

Version: 1.0 – August 2025
Note: This is a living document. Share it, add to it, and send updates to IVLC so the network grows.
Mission: Make sure every veteran and patient knows how to get past the front desk and into the conversation.