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Feb 18, 2010

Concerns From The Field

From the minutes of a conference call of the Executive Committee of the National Council of Social Security Management Associations (NCSSMA), an organization of Social Security management personnel:
  • FO [Field Office] phones are still a problem and we need additional staffing for that.
  • DDSs [Disability Determination Services] are releasing a lot of appeals to the FO which require back-end work.
  • RZ/LI [two different types of post-eligibility reviews of Supplemental Security Income non-medical factors] goals difficult to meet.
  • Walk-in visitors are very high. Waiting times are also up because resources are going to answering the phones.
  • The Field is the “start and finish” of all processes, yet other components seem to be getting the staffing.
  • iClaims [claims filed over the Internet] have significantly increased.
  • Overall quality is a concern.
  • Employees are stressed out, burned out, and in some cases don’t want to work any more OT.
  • Concerns that SDW [Special Decisional Workload, a project to clear up errors in payments of benefits that have resulted in huge underpayments of benefits to claimants; SDW cases are extraordinarily complicated and time consuming and can only be undertaken by the most experienced employees and they must have extensive training] workloads will be farmed back out to the FOs.
  • Cannot keep up with all the ePath [a web-based application that assists employees in completing certain SSA transactions, such as changes in mailing address, residence address, telephone number, and direct deposit] stand alone events coming from the TSCs [TeleService Centers].
  • Martinez [class action lawsuit on fugitive felons] settlement and ACB [American Council of the Blind -- a class action requiring Social Security to prepare Braille notices] special notices require FO resources.
  • Work CDR [Continuing Disability Review] goals and Internet goals difficult to meet.
  • Staffing increases at the TSCs should focus on areas that help the Field.

5 comments:

  1. •Employees are stressed out, burned out, and in some cases don’t want to work any more OT.

    Sounds like termination to me

    ReplyDelete
  2. Or, INCREASE STAFFING?

    ReplyDelete
  3. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  4. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  5. Anon #2,

    Will you please stop posting a perfectly logical solution. It seems to have the natives' panties in a twist.

    ReplyDelete