Oct 9, 2007

SSA Press Release On Backlog

The Social Security Administration has issued a press release touting its efforts to reduce its backlog in adjudicating disability claims.

Here is one interesting sentence: "The Social Security Administration also virtually eliminated its backlog of FY 2007 “aged” disability hearings cases." That is wonderful. The backlog has been eliminated! But wait, the next sentence tells us that the term "aged" cases is now defined as cases pending 1,000 days or more. Talk about setting the bar low! As long as it takes Social Security less than 32 months to give you a hearing, your case cannot be considered "aged." The press release also touts the fact that the agency has "slowed the growth" in its pending disabliity hearings case backlog. Of course, "slowed the growth" means that the backlog is continuing to get worse. It is just not getting worse at quite as fast a clip as before.

Read the press release closely and it shows that things are getting worse, but the Social Security Administration is working harder at pretending otherwise.

Note the timing, with Social Security's operating budget possibly coming up for a vote next week in the Senate. Am I being too cynical when I say that this press release looks like a deliberate effort to talk down the agency's need for additional funding?

What is particularly sad about this press release is that many Social Security employees have worked very hard to achieve the "progress" that they have achieved, but the "progress" is trivial and is being used as an excuse to avoid hiring enough people to really get the work done.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

The last 2 paragraphs of the press release strongly suggest Congress needs to increase its funding of Social Security: "The agency also plans to hire about 150 ALJs and some additional hearing office support staff in the spring of 2008 – the only new hiring in FY 2008 as the agency continues to contract through attrition due to many years of congressional budget cuts far below what the President has requested.
“Our goal is to build upon this year’s achievements and, with the support of Congress, continue to improve the service we provide to millions of disabled Americans,” said Commissioner Astrue. “Without adequate support from Congress, however, we will not be able to make further progress – and we may even lose ground.”
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