Submit Your Problem for Consideration by Civic Helpers
Do you or your organization have a problem involving government in New York State that you have tried to solve? Have you run into a roadblock and think that Civic Helpers might be able to make progress, and not just solve the problem for you, but also help other people by doing so? If so, let us know about the help you need by submitting this form.
Two things Civic Helpers doesn’t get involved in are litigation and legislation. There are legal assistance and advocacy groups that do great work. For these and many issues (including ideas for where to go first to tackle more routine problems), please take a look at our Resource Library.
See below for examples of some of the problems we've worked on already.
Submit Your Problem
Examples of problems previously submitted to Civic Helpers
If you are wondering what types of problems have been submitted to Civic Helpers in the past, here are some we’ve tackled. As you’ll see, we handle problems both big and small. Sometimes a small problem sheds light on a big issue
Example 1: Missing State Grant
Our non-profit child care center was awarded a $30,000 New York State grant, but the grant payment was never made to us. We’ve tried contacting lots of officials, but have made no progress. Can you please help us?
Example 2: Improperly Charged Co-Pay
I recently had a medically-recommended cancer screening (which thankfully had a good result), and then I received a bill for the screening, which surprised me because I had read that this cancer screening was supposed to be free. I know it’s just $25, but if I am being billed a co-pay, lots of other people are too. Worse, some people won't get their needed cancer screenings if charged for them. Can Civic Helpers look into this?
Example 3: Trouble Purchasing Health Insurance
Childcare providers in Westchester County have been told for years that they are legally prohibited from jointly purchasing health insurance for their employees. You helped us understand that there isn’t a law in the way of expanding our health insurance offerings and reducing costs, but can you look into whether it is practically feasible for us to create a health insurance consortium?
As you can see from these examples, people bring us their problems (either involving a government entity itself or a regulated establishment, such as a utility or health insurance company) that affect more than just one person. Any information you can provide to help us understand the problem and its implications is much appreciated.