Acting Commissioner's Message On Hurricane Maria

From: ^Commissioner Broadcast 

Sent: Tuesday, September 26, 2017 3:15 PM
Subject: Hurricane Maria Update

A Message to All SSA and DDS Employees

Subject: Hurricane Maria Update

When Hurricane Maria swept across the Caribbean, it devastated Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.  We continue to work to account for our hundreds of employees in more than a dozen offices on these islands.  However, because communications are an ongoing issue, we still cannot reach about half of our offices or managers.  Please keep our colleagues in Operations, ODAR, the Puerto Rico DDS, OIG, and OGC in your thoughts and prayers.

All of our offices remain closed, severely impairing our ability to deliver service.  Limited power, spotty telecommunications, and extreme gas shortages will further impair recovery efforts.

On Friday, we put our Cycle 4 payments in the mail.  In Puerto Rico, the postal offices remain closed.  All payments destined for Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands will be sent via express mail as soon as the United States Postal Service can get a plane into San Juan.  The New York Region is prepared to send a team to Puerto Rico when it is safe to do so.

I will keep you updated on the status of our employees and offices in the affected areas.  Recovery efforts are just beginning, but know that we are doing everything possible to reach and account for all SSA staff and restore our critical services to those in need.

Nancy A. Berryhill

Acting Commissioner