When Carolyn Colvin testified recently before the House Appropriations Committee her prepared remarks included a photo of a line outside her agency's field office in Miami. I posted that photo on this blog. However, there was an
appendix to her prepared remarks that I hadn't seen. That appendix has been posted at a Social Security website. It contains the following additional photos:
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| The public waits outside the Queens Card Center in New York, New York on February 19, 2013. | | | | |
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| The public waits outside our Anaheim, California office on January 17, 2013. |
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| The public waits for service in our Perrine, Florida office on January 8, 2013. |
That's a daily thing in most of the busier field offices. Wait times are getting longer, as there are fewer employees to serve the public. One office I worked in has lost about 25% of their employees.
ReplyDeleteI've had to visit the local office outside Baltimore a few times for issues related to a relations SSI and the outdoor line started about 1/2 hour before opening and, rain or shine, quickly ran to 40 or so before they opened the door. Then there was the delay caused by using the VIP program to give out numbers. I will say that people with SS-5 issues were seen pretty quickly while SSI without an appointment? Always an hour wait till someone freed up. A few times after that hour, was interviewed by someone to get gist of issue and then sent back out to waiting room (where there is now no more open chairs) to wait a bit longer. No such thing as seeing someone without running that gauntlet it seems.
ReplyDeleteHealth insurance companies are smart, they do not have buildings where those who are paying high premiums can line up daily to complain or get service or file appeals. State and local governments are smart, just try to go to some office to complain or get service or file appeals concerning your state or local taxes such as sales, income, or property tax. Or just go into an emergency room at a hospital when you are in pain and learn a new appreciation concerning waiting times. Should we be surprised that people line up to get money? Should we be surprised of the impact SSI has on SSA operations? Should we be surprised that a poor economy and high unemployment impact SSA? Can we agree that eServices and online claims have greatly helped reduce the impact of the baby boomers in regards to retirement workloads? Will we let photos without details determine actions without consideration of unintended consequences?
ReplyDeleteAstrue's legacy: underfunding the local FOs throughout the country.
ReplyDeleteService in FOs began deteriorating long before Astrue walked through the door. The past business model doesn't make sense given the limited resources available to the agency. The overhead alone (rents, utilities, security, furnishings, etc.) is a major budget buster.
ReplyDeleteThere are no Medicare offices open to the public. None. Everything still gets done.
ReplyDeleteThe photo of the Queens office is VERY misleading. The Addabbo Building in Queens houses the Jamaica District Office, the Social Security Card Center, AND the Queens Hearing Office. That photo was clearly taken in the early morning BEFORE the building is open to the public. Once inside the threshold, the queue is routed to the respective floor(s) housing the offices they are visiting. Many of those waiting have scheduled hearings that they have chosen to conduct in person rather than video. Many of those waiting have scheduled appointments to apply for benefits despite the availability of internet applications as well as the option of having teleclaims. I think the photos don't provide the full story and should be accompanied by average wait time statistics for the respective offices.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you mean, people have chosen to conduct hearings in person rather than by video? It is the ALJ's who appear on video. The claimant still has to show up in the office. And very little of SSI-related contacts can be done on the internet, and SSI is the major issue affecting staffing.
ReplyDeleteWhy do so many people need to go to their social security office?
ReplyDelete