Social Security Administration (SSA): The bill includes nearly $12 billion, an increase of $534 million, for SSA’s administrative expenses. This includes a $441 million increase for program integrity activities and a $93 million increase in core administrative expenses for SSA to keep pace with an aging population and record-high workloads.This bill was marked up in Subcommittee yesterday. It will now go to the full committee.
The House of Representatives has yet to produce a draft appropriations bill covering Social Security. However, the House's budget plan for the Labor-HHS appropriations, the one that covers Social Security, is 25.9% lower than the Senate Labor-HHS appropriation bill.
The Senate bill would worsen service at Social Security. A 25.9% decrease in Social Security's operating budget would lead to unimaginable consequences.
7 comments:
I think there is a typo in this story. The House bill "would worsen services" - not the Senate bill.
Perhaps there is another typo. "Unimaginable" Through the cuts, hiring freeze, and drama SSA continues to perform at a very high level. Vast majority of claims cleared timely, backlogs manageable, (ODAR aside which was long a problem when things were flush). Fraud, waste and exec spending still needs attention and control.
Sure, claims are cleared "timely"--which means as quickly as possible, regardless of quality or accuracy. Oversight is virtually non-existent. "Backlogs manageable"?? In what parallel universe? I guess if drawers full of unworked post-entitlement work is the definition of "manageable", then it's being "managed", okay.
yeah, not to mention that the poor field office employees are so frazzled and overworked...
I work in ODAR, and I have people close to me who work in the field. The difference between the two is almost indescribable. We still are hiring (somewhat), and they aren't. ODAR is much better suited to do its work short-staffed than the field offices are, and yet the field is the one bleeding employees without reinforcements. The field is keeping up for now, but these boomers (at least the ones that are competent) are overworked and getting tired of it.
I worry there will be a noticeable increase in retirements once that FERS provision regarding unused sick leave (counting 100% towards time in service for pension calculations as of 1/1/14) kicks in. That change will instantly give retirees the extra year or more of service time they previously planned on earning/could only earn by staying on the job.
I guess some would not be content until every aspect of spending by recipients is questioned and either authorized or said to be unauthorized and not allowed and for no reason at all outside of being mean spirited and hateful of those, who Conservatards view as worthless if disabled people and seniors are unable to work.
The dire projections won't be as bad as they seem. That being said, the agency needs more funding and manpower. Can you imagine what would be accomplished if you gave SSA 10-20 more thousand employees??? The backlogs could be wiped out and accuracy would almost certainly go up. Think about it - the civilian staff of the defense department has hundreds of thousands of workers. I don't want to bash defense but SSA is a huge undertaking and to think what the agency could do with more staff makes me wonder...
I know, I can hardly wait for the IRS to get another 16,000 workers. It will be wonderful, no one ever said.
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