The Arlington, VA Social Security field office is still closing despite Congressional pressure. It's in an area whose population is rapidly increasing. Social Security tried to blame the closing on a lack of rentable office space in the area but local leaders say that's ridiculous. The agency failed to follow its own protocols for closing a field office, blindsiding local leaders.
underfunded agency = office closings + less service
ReplyDeleteCongress underfunds agency
Congress complains about office closings and less service
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Do they even read what is on the signs they are holding? Like the gentleman with the AFGE shirt saying "Hands off our benefits". How does closing an office equal a change in benefits? If anything, it might lower the amount of money SSA gets reimbursed to administer the program by doing it more efficiently!
ReplyDeleteAnd yet the car dealership-level sales pressure is on FO employees to register people for online services.
ReplyDeleteI told a co-worker who was excited about getting a high number of sign-ups one day "you realize you're basically training your f***ing replacement, right?"
If you're an SSA employee in a small office outside a metro area, you better be dusting off your resume. In our state, there have been about 50 jobs announced since the budget was passed. I'd say about 40 are at the PSC/regional headquarters. There'll be a day where you'll have to travel four hours to the nearest city over 200,000 people to actually step foot in an FO.