Social Security beneficiaries at risk of delays amid GOP funding fight

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: The Hill

12/09/24 6:00 AM ET


Social Security beneficiaries could face longer wait times for service next year unless Congress agrees to the White House budget office’s request to increase funding for the Social Security Administration (SSA), the administration that runs the program is warning. House Republicans balked at increasing funding for the SSA in the continuing resolution passed in September, which forced the agency to implement a hiring freeze last month.

As a result, the SSA will soon reach a 50-year low in staffing despite having to provide service to a record number of beneficiaries, which means customers will experience longer wait times on the phone or online when trying to resolve problems. While the funding freeze will not result in a cut in benefits, it will take the agency longer to process claims and to otherwise address customers’ problems.

“If SSA does not receive increased appropriation through March, over 2,000 additional employees will be lost through attrition in the next three months, including experienced staff,” the SSA said in a statement to The Hill. “Customer service will decline as wait times in our field offices and on the 800 Number increase, backlogs grow, and customers experience further delays in waiting for their claims to be processed,” a spokesperson for the agency warned.

The SSA, under the leadership of former Commissioner Martin O’Malley, increased its productivity this year, clearing more initial disability cases than it had received for the first time in many years, and lowering wait times on its toll-free number. But those gains in efficiency are likely to slip if Congress keeps funding flat.

Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5027226-social-security-funding-cuts/

[BoRaGard]

1. Repubes been drooling for chances to piss on Social Security

Looks like they will get their chance to screw Americans over again,
and to improve conditions for their elite Band of Billionaire Bros (R)

[Raven123]

2. I do wish there were more details

How does failure to increase funding lead to declining staff numbers? Should be made crystal clear.

[CousinIT]

4. When gov't isn't funded, shutdowns ensue - full or partial

meaning fewer or no workers to do the work such as getting those payments out.

[Raven123]

7. Not increasing funding does not equal not funding. Am I correct?

[Raven123]

28. Not increasing funding does not equal not funding

[BumRushDaShow]

5. There are a couple issues

You have the regular civil service employees - many who would be due a pay increase (through GSA pay "steps" depending on what grade they are, with step ranges varying on how many years must accrue between steps) and then any COLA.

Then I believe they may have contract staff who operate the call centers and those contracts would need need funding for task order renewal (if funding was not already obligated for multiple years) and if enough isn't available, they would have to either mod the contract to drop tasks/staff, or cancel the contract.

[Raven123]

8. These are the type of details I believe should have been in the article

The writers should have answered the obvious question of why that increase is necessary to staffing. Logically the two could be unrelated. Making the connection rock solid is essential for readers’ understanding.

[BumRushDaShow]

10. When news sites start getting into the "weeds" of the civil service system

(and it can be clumsy) they end up getting trashed from one side with an exasperated "tldr;" and pointed at by RW loons as justification for their desire to eliminate the entire civil service system to go back to patronage jobs, and then privatize the rest.

[ShazzieB]

13. You are so right!

[Raven123]

19. Perhaps. Seems to me the RW loons will make that argument regardless

[BumRushDaShow]

21. Well their mantra is to cut cut cut

(except military) so it doesn't just affect HHS (and its SSA component) but pretty much everyone in the federal government. We certainly have heard all the hullaboo about the lack of border agents.

Part of the (natural) "problem" is that you have a massive baby boomer group aging out in the system so the system is burdened with that. You also have what I call the WWII babies (the octogenerians), many who we know are alive and kicking and even in elective office. Once that "bubble" moves through over the next decade or two, then there would be less needing the services.

[SpikeDash]

23. What?

I'm a Baby Boomer, we have Social Security because we earned it. I worked for 21 years in my first job,18 in my second, and 10 in my last. I worked 49 years contributing to S.S. No one gave us anything we didn't earn.

[BumRushDaShow]

25. I am talking about the sheer NUMBERS of individuals from a specific generation

and naturally, they are taxing the system when there is not enough funding allocated to the agency to provide commensurate service.

Most of DU is comprised of boomers and GenX and I am a tail-end boomer currently getting SS as part of my federal CSRS-Offset retirement. I have decades of SS payroll tax contributions.

Once the boomers move through, the generational numbers will wane until the Millennials and GenZ come of age for retirement.

[Puppyjive]

6. Workers are fed up

The stress from staffing shortages is pushing the employees over a cliff. Many will retire. You can't train someone overnight. Even if something is passed, it will take years to get the workers proficient. They also have stopped paying overtime.

[Raven123]

9. Such details would connect two issues. Should have been in the article

[Karma13612]

27. Vacant Position's aren't filled..

they are in a hiring freeze, so it means that those vacant positions would not be filled. This leads to lower staffing.

[CousinIT]

3. . . .

[ShazzieB]

11. What I need to know is...

Will this affect my monthly check landing in the bank on time every month? Customer service is important, but those checks are what keep a lot of us alive!

[LisaM]

12. So a MAGA from my home town was complaining recently about wait time calling the SSA.

His absolutely laughable comment was that once Trump got into office, this would miraculously change and there would be no wait time to get through on the phone. Just wait till his Social Security is cut.

[Random Boomer]

17. This seems to be a common weird and totally groundless fantasy

Each Trump voter has their own set of issues that will be magically resolved once Trump is president. It appears born of the especially bizarre delusion that Trump cares about them and will see to it that (insert issue) is not allowed to happen anymore.

This, despite the clear and obvious evidence that Trump doesn't care about anyone but himself. And that Trump is openly planning policies that will make (insert issue) far worse for that voter.

[Bengus81]

14. Aw hell...the Goopers want to kill it off for good anyway....

This is just a back door way to toss SS in the dumpster

[Autumn]

15. Oh well. That's become a political feature every year. Scare the old people to give corporations and

the pentagon more of what they want. That schtick is getting old, I think it's beginning not to work.

[Marcuse]

16. The deconstruction of the administrative state.

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/oet6vAkC7Cxjyuf3/?mibextid=UalRPS

[bluestarone]

18. I bet these yahoos won't cut funding to

Any of the assholes (TFG's) programs.

[The Madcap]

20. You want to eliminate Social Security and Medicare? Here's what you'll get:

1. Millions of impoverished seniors
2. Significantly lower life expectancy
3. Mass suicides among the elderly
4. Young people deciding to flee the country since there will be no future for them when they get old.
5. Housing market crash since the elderly won't even be able to pay property taxes
6. Medical crash since the elderly won't be able to go see a doctor due to having no/little insurance
7. Senior centers crash and burn since no one will be able to afford them
8. Older workers desperately trying to cling to jobs way beyond our current retirement age.
9. Millions of people living in the streets
10. Reaction from the Republicans to try to clear out the "deadwood"
11. Crimes against Humanity
12. Stock Market crash

And probably much, much more.

Since these same people are the ones who gutted/eliminated pensions for so many workers, they are going to be 100% responsible for the results if they kill off SS/Medicare too.

The young will at least have the escape option. No wonder they question the future.

[raccoon]

26. Great post. This post should be its own thread.

[SpikeDash]

22. dumb ass right

Usually, politicians fear being primaried. After Maga constituents discovered cuts to S.S. would harm their way of life. I'm just kidding, They're frogs in hot water.

[elleng]

24. The SSA, under the leadership of former Commissioner Martin O'Malley, increased its productivity this year,

clearing more initial disability cases than it had received for the first time in many years, and lowering wait times on its toll-free number. But those gains in efficiency are likely to slip if Congress keeps funding flat.'

I suspected O'Malley would improve things; that's what he DOES!