Somebody needs to tell Larry Kotlikoff about the payment center backlogs. He can’t understand why a mildly complicated widows benefits situation can’t get straightened out in a timely way. There are hundreds of thousands of cases like the one he’s complaining about in many months long backlogs.The total payment center backlog is over four million! I’m sorry for the woman he’s writing about but I’ve got a few dozen clients with their own horrendous payment center backlog stories. These cases don’t get the media attention that used to go to the hearing backlog but they’re no less of an outrage. The payment centers will get more resources but these backlogs will be with us for some time to come.
The PSCs are a joke. I get a live answer less than 10% of the time. Otherwise I am continually leaving messages over the course of months regarding my clients' past-due benefits (and my fees). Calls are rarely returned.
ReplyDeleteShe should write her Congressman. Congressional inquiries get priority. If she were overpaid, SSA would be on it in a heartbeat.
ReplyDeleteFYI, Congressional inquiries don't get priority. They just get placed on a tracking list so staff remember to notify the congressional offices on a monthly basis that their constituents' cases are still languishing.
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