This one has not been reported in the newspapers, since no one is proud of it, but yesterday Congress finally passed and the President signed a continuing funding resolution that keeps the federal government operating through the end of September. This gives the Social Security Administration a budget that requires a near complete hiring freeze through the end of September, except for high priority jobs such as Federal Reviewing Officers.
2 comments:
I work at a SSA payment center. The Claims Authorizer overtime has been cut to zero since October. The problem is that we needed the OT just to tread water with our workload!
Now the CA backlog in our module has increased by over 50% since November.
Cases are sitting in the backlog for almost a year before getting worked. AERO underpayments, claims which should have WC offset removed or imposed. Overpayments and underpayments of thousands upon thousands of dollars being delayed. Claimants and attorneys not being paid.
And employee morale is terrible as a result of the impossible production asked of us.
Hopefully the new budget will allow the return of OT and/or hiring new Claims and Benefit Authorizers to help with this workload which is now out of control.
I worked as a BA for 24 years, including 6 months as a CA trainee.
For approximately the last ten years of that time, I was forced to take SPIKE calls, as were all of the BA's (and sometimes, the CA's) in my PSC. So I consider myself qualified to say that if authorizers were relieved of this onerous (not to mention degrading and unpleasant) duty, they would have the time they need to use the skills that only they possess to reduce the workload. Of course, since management is never held accountable for the size of the workload, it's unlikely that this beneficial step will ever be taken!
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