The administration running the Social Security program warns that waiting times for Social Security benefits could increase next year if Congress does not agree to increase funding to the Social Security Administration.
House Republicans refused to increase funding for the Social Security Administration when the continuing resolution was passed in September. This forced the agency to implement a hiring freeze last week.
The agency’s staffing will be at a low point for 50 years, even though it is providing service to an unprecedented number of beneficiaries. This will mean longer waiting times when customers try to resolve issues over the phone or via the Internet.
The funding freeze won’t affect benefits but it will make the agency take longer to process customer claims and address other problems.
In a press release, the Social Security Administration stated that if the SSA doesn’t receive an increase in funding through March, it will lose over 2,000 employees, including experienced staff, in the next three-month period.
A spokesperson for the agency warned, “Customer service will decrease as waiting times increase in our field offices, on the 800 number, and backlogs continue to grow and customers experience more delays in the processing of their claims.”
Under the leadership of the former commissioner Martin O’Malley, the Social Security Administration increased its productivity this year. It cleared more initial disability claims than it received for the very first time in years and reduced wait times on the toll-free phone number.
These gains in efficiency will likely be lost if Congress maintains flat funding.
The spokesperson stated that “Under the current Continuing Resolution, which did not include Administration’s requested anomaly, the Social Security Administration had to implement a hiring freeze starting on November 21”
The spokesperson warned, “Many of the benefits we’ve enjoyed will be lost if funding is flattened.”
Other federal agencies have warned that they may have to freeze hiring in the future if Congress does not agree to increase funding for them as part of the next continuing resolution.
To avoid a shutdown of the government, lawmakers must pass a temporary spending measure before Dec. 20.
Furloughs of up to 10 working days could be imposed on agency staff if lawmakers decide to again keep Social Security Administration funding flat during the three-month funding stopgap measure they pass later this month. This could lead to offices closing and a reduction in service.
The spokesperson explained that “this would mean our field offices, cards centers, and national 800 number will have reduced service levels and further delays critical services which the public relies on.”
Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee warned that Social Security recipients will suffer if funding remains flat.
The Senate Appropriations Bill provided an increase. He said that the House Appropriations Bill cut them by a lot.
It would be a terrible thing if they had to lay off staff. We shouldn’t be cutting the Social Security Budget. “It makes it more difficult for Americans to receive their benefits,” said he.
It means the customer service is going to be drastically reduced. “I don’t understand why anyone would support this,” he said.
According to the website of the agency, it takes six to ten months for a claim to be heard.
The Social Security Administration has stated that the House’s proposed funding cuts would result in a reduction of its budget by $401 million, or $1.6 billion, below the fiscal 2024 operating levels and would have a significant impact on the quality of services provided to the public.
Furloughs of up to twenty business days for SSA workers before October could force us to close offices. The agency warned that backlogs and waiting times would increase dramatically. Customers could be forced to wait months for many services.
If funding is cut, people will be unable to access benefits and services that are not provided by the Social Security Administration, including the issuance of Social Security numbers and replacement cards, and Medicare benefits.
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said that he had not tracked the battle on spending. However, he acknowledged it was “generally a bad thing” for seniors and people with disabilities to have to wait longer before their claims are addressed.
He said, “I have to take a look.” “See what is minimally necessary.”
House Republicans have reacted to claims that the Social Security Administration faces a dire crisis.
The agency was given a $ 100 million increase for the fiscal year 2024, and the stopgap measure that passed at the end of September “continued this funding increase”.
They argue that the Biden-Harris Administration’s request for an increase in funding of the agency by more than one billion dollars going forward “is unsustainable and could result in significant reductions to other non-defense areas discretionary.”
A Republican aide, who was criticized for not increasing funding to the Social Security Administration budget by any amount beyond what is currently available for three more months, said that any increase “unsustainable” in the budget of this agency could hurt other priorities like child care and medical research.
When asked about the request for additional funding, a Republican senator said that the agency has too many employees working from home.
The senator asked, “Is this administration the one that just negotiated an agreement to allow 91 percent to remain out of office until 2029?”
House Republicans note that only 39 percent of Social Security Administration employees in Washington are present at the office for at least three full days each week.
They also note that O’Malley, before leaving his position at the agency, signed an agreement that locked in telework policies until 2029.
The Republican aide, who deemed the Biden administration’s request for more funding as “unsustainable,” stated that “they have the resources and they should responsibly use the increased funding that’s already been granted.”
As the Trump Transition Team and Republicans in Congress prepare to create President-elect Trump’s “Department of Government Efficiency,” led by Elon Musk, and Vivek Raaswamy, the battle over funding increases in the continuing resolution for the Social Security Administration (SSA) and other important agencies is raging.
Musk and Ramaswamy met with Republicans on Capitol Hill Thursday, and Musk stated that he wanted to cut $2 trillion off the federal budget.