Thank You Note to Congressional Offices
Please thank the Congressional staff that you met with during the Hill Day! You may find a draft thank you note below for guidance. Customize the thank you email by adding any relevant information and/or details from your Capitol Hill meetings, and then send to the Congressional staffer you met with. Their emails can be found in your meeting schedules. This will show appreciation and reinforce your advocacy. If you were on a team, the team leader may send one thank you note on behalf of the group. If you are the sender, please cc the other members of the team on the email.
Sample Subject Line: Thank You and Follow Up from 2/20 Meeting
Dear [Name of Staffer/Representative/Senator]:
Thank you so much for taking the time to meet with me [and additionalparticipants] on February 20th regarding critical actions to strengthen the psychology workforce, invest in the National Institutes of Health, and protect access to behavioral health services in Medicaid. We hope Congress will continue supporting mental health efforts it prioritized in recent years, and that your office will lend support to the proposals we discussed, listed below.
Finalize FY25 appropriations and support $30 million in FY26 for the Graduate Psychology Education (GPE) Program. Increasing funding for GPE would train more psychologists to work in integrated care settings and expand access to mental and behavioral health services in underserved and rural communities. Mental health services are needed now more than ever, especially given the shortage of psychologists in [STATE].
Finalize FY25 NIH appropriations at no less than the Senate level of $50.3 billion and support robust, sustained funding for NIH in FY26. Protecting and supporting robust funding for NIH is critical as NIH investment takes place in every state and nearly every congressional district, including [X dollars] in [STATE]. This investment leads to longer, healthier lives by supporting critical research which serves as the foundation for nearly every preventive intervention, diagnostic, treatment, and cure in practice today.
Protect access to behavioral health services in Medicaid. Medicaid is the single largest source of coverage for behavioral health services. Without Medicaid, many low-income children, adults, and families would lose access to life-saving mental, behavioral, and substance use disorder treatment. A reduction in coverage for behavioral health services would also result in overall higher costs to the state, as many people experiencing a behavioral health crisis would instead rely on obtaining care in inappropriate settings like emergency rooms or jails/prisons.
[Please add in any additional information regarding local needs that you may have mentioned in your meeting.]
Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any additional questions or require more information. We look forward to continuing to work with you to invest in critical research and improve equitable access to mental and behavioral health services for those who need them most.
Again, thank you for the opportunity to meet with your office.
Sincerely,
[Name/Title]
[University/Institution]
[Address]
(Phone: XXXX)