public address book group used in @DBlookup

I have an application tht contains an approval and rejected button.  In the hide logic I used to reference a forms field called CMapp_email which contained peoples email addresses.  These address names were used to determine who had access to approve or reject requests.
The admin that supports that form containing the referenced CMapp_email field wanted to put group names in there instead of peoples email addresses so that they only had to change the names in the address book groups.  the problem is there is a DBlookup to that CMapp_email field where the addresses used to be, now the DBlookup is still accessing that field but now that field has public address book group lists in it.  The problem is now no one is seeing the approve or reject buttons.  (CMapp_email contains muti use group names from the public address book)
Here is the logic in the hide for those buttons:
key := CMsub_sys + "PkgApprovals" + @Middle(CMpkgID;2;2) + CMpkg_status;
temp := @DbLookup(""; ""; "CMapprovals";key; "CMapp_email");
@IsNotMember(@Name([Abbreviate];@UserName);@Name([Abbreviate];temp))  | CMpkg_status = "Closed"

I'm wondering if DBlookup is taking the groupnames in that field as literal actual values instead of cross referencing the address book group names.  This is my belief on what is happening.
Is there a straight forward enough way to get around this where the dblookup knows that those are group names and goes the extra mile to check the names in those groups ???

Thank You !
Paul