Federal Times On Senate Finance Hearing

Some excerpts from an article in the Federal Times:

... [E]xperts warned that unless Congress appropriates more funds to increase field office staff, dire consequences would follow. “We could be going down a cliff if things continue,” [Richard] Warsinskey [of the National Council of Social Security Management Associations] said in an interview after the hearing. “It’s been a steady slide downward. We’re entering a fragile period.”

Added GAO’s [Government Accountability Office's Barbara] Bovbjerg: “Hope for the future is running out.” ...

Pressed by Baucus, McMahon promised to finalize the agency’s annual strategic plan to Congress by July 4.

A goal of the plan is to reduce wait times for visitors to field offices by five minutes to 10 minutes for those with appointments and 10 minutes to 15 minutes for those without them.