Stephen Barr writes the excellent Federal Diary column in the Washington Post. He writes today about Social Security's budget and staffing problems. The whole column is worth reading. Here are a few excerpts:
Staffing at the Social Security Administration will soon be at its lowest level since 1974. The number of disability claims waiting for hearing decisions is at an all-time high.
The drop in staffing and budget constraints have led to crowded waiting rooms and jammed telephone lines at many field offices. For every two field employees who retire or quit, Social Security replaces one.
"It is like a disaster here. We can't do the work we are getting," said WitoldSkwierczynski, an officer of the American Federation of Government Employees who specializes in Social Security field operations. ...
Richard E. Warsinskey, president of the National Council of Social Security Management Associations, said he appreciates that Congress is trying to help. But, he said, the proposed budget still means that Social Security will "be kind of treading water" next year. ...
Partly because of budget constraints, Social Security is closing field offices that serve areas with stable or shrinking populations. Offices are closing in California, Connecticut, New York, Texas and Pennsylvania, Skwierczynski said.
The obvious answer is to privatize the disability determination process.
ReplyDeleteHUH?
ReplyDeleteAnd to think I got my diversity pen and bookmark today and thought everything was going to be fine.
ReplyDeleteFolks,
ReplyDeleteThis is all part of the master plan put in place long ago during the Reagan/Hardy (Dorcas) years.
The last I heard was that the replacement rate in the field offices was one for eight and one for one in the big teleservice centers because Congress monitors the "busy rate" of the nationwide 800 number.
ReplyDeleteAs for privitization, nearly all attempts to privatize government services have ended up costing more. Because while the workers in such enterprises earn less and have fewer benefits that federal workers, the executives are usually paid more than federal executives and private businesses need to make a profit.