You Knew The Stories Were Coming -- Waiting In High Heat Outside SSA Office -- Note That The Reporter Doesn't Quite Get That The Lines Are A National Problem
25 comments:
Anonymous
said...
They just need to pen up the lobbies again to full capacity.
COVID is not a good enough reason for this type of situation.
Make people mask up and if they get I’ll, they get I’ll. It is what it is. Most people fully recover from COVID anyway.
We had lines outside before covid. Our office served 300 people a day but had a small lobby. Why? When it was built a decade ago SSA figured in office visits would be much less due to internet. Granted waiting in the heat is terrible but what's a good solution? Sitting in one's air conditioned car burning $6 per gallon gas for hours?
If service was more dependable and better overall, there would be less need to come to the office. Some will need to no matter what but in my experience, a sizable portion of those who thinks they need to come in don't really need to do so. But that's only if the office can do its work well. Granted a big IF.
Online appointment calendars only go out 8 weeks so not sure where November appointment would come from.
Currently 99 degrees with a heat index of 108 in good old smelly St Louis.
But what are the choices? Die of heat exhaustion trying to get a problem fixed with SSA or die of lack of payment or services because of a problem with SSA.
This is disgusting. I have been with this Agency a long time and I have never seen such poor treatment of the claimants that we serve. Here is a suggestion, rent one of those open air tents and chairs. Get a ticket machine. Problem solved. Third world service at its best. Shameful.
The worst part is the 60 day calendar limitation is an artificial one that management purposely implemented. The reason they did it is stupid -- i.e. the adverse affects of protective filing dates on processing time.
Why? Well, the can't have a RIB or DIB or survivor claim with a protective filing date of over 60 days as it makes it impossible to meet their arbitrrary "processing time" goals on their little checklists. So, they purposely limit the calendar and then brow-beat the employees into taking on extra appointments as needed. Win-win for them, sucks for the people that actually have to do the extra work.
I find this failure even more confusing than most of the failures of the agency. I mean millions of offices in the country see tens of millions of customers every day, every area of business, every area of services seems to be able to handle business pretty much as usual but this agency just continues to falter. I do not stand outside any other office to do business. There is absolutely nothing unique about the setting or the work, interviews and business are conducted face to face in countless thousands of offices every day without this type of disruption. Sure you can blame congress and management and the workers they do all play a role for sure as well as the people that use the services, but this level of disfunction is not sustainable.
Maybe the agency needs to be broken down into smaller components to handle the day to day stuff and other offices that just do DIB/SSI, I dont know but i do know this is an utter and total failure to everyone. From the agency staff to the people in dire need of the services, they are all being failed by a totally broken and now nearly useless government bureaucracy and control.
I am beginning to get onboard with privatization of some of these benefits as it is increasingly clear the agency cannot do it.
@141 the appointment calendars used to be 4 weeks. 8 weeks is plenty. The problem is not enough people to take those appointments. Extending the calendar isn't going to help that.
The Union has refused to budge on the Workplace Safety Plan the was negotiated prior to the return to office. In this plan, social distancing and masks were required to enter an office. Despite the CDC's relaxed guidance on both of these matters, the Union still refuses to relent. Their goal is increased telework, not public service. The current MOU regarding the WSP expires September 30. It will be interesting to see what happens after that.
It's for their own good. It is better for the public to wait outside, rather than crowd into the lobby and quite possibly catch COVID19.
Also this may help persuade some who can accomplish their SSA task online, or by telephone, or by making an appointment, to do so. Rather than just show up at the SSA office without an appointment.
Worked today the agency for 20 years. This is failure from our executive- clear and cut. Unrealistic expectations from our ACOSS to the lackluster people that lead us in Baltimore. 2 years to plan during the pandemic and Covid money and they came up with nothing. It’s not leadership or no one follows
This SSA office with the long lines, is likely an anomaly.
When SSA offices reopened a couple of months ago , I read that the long lines which were expected at field offices, did not materialize. There were several newspaper articles about this: No lines. I have not read differently since, except for this story.
The long wait there at this one office could be caused by several factors. It could have been several employees had to take off leave the same week, due to emergency or illness.. Or that an unusually high number of claimants showed up for several days in a row.
Maybe we ought to let the public decide what is best for them... That's what they do at every other place at this time. If this was done to appease the union in an effort to show the agency is committed to safety, shame on the agency for thinking that way. The union doesn't represent the public and should have no concern with the public's health. The agency knows that and should make their own decision with concern with the public. With that said, the way this was rolled out to the staff would suggest there was some concern with appeasing the union and the staff.
We need to let our customers decide if the risk of catching COVID is a greater risk than having to wait outside. We look pathetic when seats sit available inside and customers are having to sit on the ground, in the weather, in the heat. Those people people we are treating like neglected cattle are somebody's family. I'd chose personal choice over big brother we know what's best for people kind of thinking. They showed up. It's clear what their choice is.
Exactly! I really though that the Agency would change the way we did business when we re-opened. I am not one that says everyone should work at home or offices should still be closed, but I thought this was the chance to radically transform the Agency. We are still doing too many ss-5s and benefit verifications. With the number of employees working at home it doesn't seem like the Agency is using it's resources well when GS-11, 12, 13 and 14s are doing this work. Yes, management is having to work the front because not enough people are in the office.
3:51 sure thats the whole reason. What an unabashedly entitled comment.
I bet most people on SSI are better at money management than most people. They have to be to survive. Just try living on that amount for a couple months and report back your findings.
@851 Do you have any experience with SSI claimants? Not all are bad at managing money many are, if they ever come into any. Can't tell you how many SSI claimants inherited or won a substantial amount of money and rather than buy a house so they never have to pay rent, they went out and blew 100s of thousands of dollars in just a few months.
Gamine the system and managing money are two different things. I will give you that many are good at the first, but few at the second.
303 I have seen the exact same thing with office workers so I guess it depends on if you want to hammer one group or another. You choose to pick on one group because it fits your personal narrative and prejudices.
25 comments:
They just need to pen up the lobbies again to full capacity.
COVID is not a good enough reason for this type of situation.
Make people mask up and if they get I’ll, they get I’ll. It is what it is. Most people fully recover from COVID anyway.
We had lines outside before covid. Our office served 300 people a day but had a small lobby. Why? When it was built a decade ago SSA figured in office visits would be much less due to internet. Granted waiting in the heat is terrible but what's a good solution? Sitting in one's air conditioned car burning $6 per gallon gas for hours?
If service was more dependable and better overall, there would be less need to come to the office. Some will need to no matter what but in my experience, a sizable portion of those who thinks they need to come in don't really need to do so. But that's only if the office can do its work well. Granted a big IF.
Online appointment calendars only go out 8 weeks so not sure where November appointment would come from.
Currently 99 degrees with a heat index of 108 in good old smelly St Louis.
But what are the choices? Die of heat exhaustion trying to get a problem fixed with SSA or die of lack of payment or services because of a problem with SSA.
This is disgusting. I have been with this Agency a long time and I have never seen such poor treatment of the claimants that we serve. Here is a suggestion, rent one of those open air tents and chairs. Get a ticket machine. Problem solved. Third world service at its best. Shameful.
@4:03:
No!
The public needs to suffer. Just as those poor SSA employees who have been forced by the evil management to return to the office are suffering.
Freedom!
Being back in the office is actually much easier than working from home.
The problem is we just don’t have anyone to do the work.
I gave up my option to telework to be in the FO daily. We usually have 2 people physically in the FO.
I get absolutely none of my actual cases done because I’m working the front all day but someone has to do it.
SSA is just overwhelmed. We had 31 spots and 2 people to take them. Answer the phones…who’s gonna do that?
We’re doing the best we can with what we have.
Also agree with the previous poster…our calendars only go out 60 days…period. We couldn’t make an appt for November if we wanted to.
The worst part is the 60 day calendar limitation is an artificial one that management purposely implemented. The reason they did it is stupid -- i.e. the adverse affects of protective filing dates on processing time.
Why? Well, the can't have a RIB or DIB or survivor claim with a protective filing date of over 60 days as it makes it impossible to meet their arbitrrary "processing time" goals on their little checklists. So, they purposely limit the calendar and then brow-beat the employees into taking on extra appointments as needed. Win-win for them, sucks for the people that actually have to do the extra work.
Perhaps put up canopy for shade, and folding chairs outside for people to sit.
Having that long line of people crowd into the office lobby would increase their chances of getting COVID.
Some of them look like it could be fatal if they got Covid.
I find this failure even more confusing than most of the failures of the agency. I mean millions of offices in the country see tens of millions of customers every day, every area of business, every area of services seems to be able to handle business pretty much as usual but this agency just continues to falter. I do not stand outside any other office to do business. There is absolutely nothing unique about the setting or the work, interviews and business are conducted face to face in countless thousands of offices every day without this type of disruption. Sure you can blame congress and management and the workers they do all play a role for sure as well as the people that use the services, but this level of disfunction is not sustainable.
Maybe the agency needs to be broken down into smaller components to handle the day to day stuff and other offices that just do DIB/SSI, I dont know but i do know this is an utter and total failure to everyone. From the agency staff to the people in dire need of the services, they are all being failed by a totally broken and now nearly useless government bureaucracy and control.
I am beginning to get onboard with privatization of some of these benefits as it is increasingly clear the agency cannot do it.
@141 the appointment calendars used to be 4 weeks. 8 weeks is plenty. The problem is not enough people to take those appointments. Extending the calendar isn't going to help that.
The Union has refused to budge on the Workplace Safety Plan the was negotiated prior to the return to office. In this plan, social distancing and masks were required to enter an office. Despite the CDC's relaxed guidance on both of these matters, the Union still refuses to relent. Their goal is increased telework, not public service. The current MOU regarding the WSP expires September 30. It will be interesting to see what happens after that.
I thought masks and social distancing was mandated in ALL federal facilities, not just SSA?
It's for their own good. It is better for the public to wait outside, rather than crowd into the lobby and quite possibly catch COVID19.
Also this may help persuade some who can accomplish their SSA task online, or by telephone, or by making an appointment, to do so. Rather than just show up at the SSA office without an appointment.
Worked today the agency for 20 years. This is failure from our executive- clear and cut. Unrealistic expectations from our ACOSS to the lackluster people that lead us in Baltimore. 2 years to plan during the pandemic and Covid money and they came up with nothing. It’s not leadership or no one follows
This SSA office with the long lines, is likely an anomaly.
When SSA offices reopened a couple of months ago , I read that the long lines which were expected at field offices, did not materialize. There were several newspaper articles about this: No lines. I have not read differently since, except for this story.
The long wait there at this one office could be caused by several factors. It could have been several employees had to take off leave the same week, due to emergency or illness.. Or that an unusually high number of claimants showed up for several days in a row.
Maybe we ought to let the public decide what is best for them... That's what they do at every other place at this time. If this was done to appease the union in an effort to show the agency is committed to safety, shame on the agency for thinking that way. The union doesn't represent the public and should have no concern with the public's health. The agency knows that and should make their own decision with concern with the public. With that said, the way this was rolled out to the staff would suggest there was some concern with appeasing the union and the staff.
We need to let our customers decide if the risk of catching COVID is a greater risk than having to wait outside. We look pathetic when seats sit available inside and customers are having to sit on the ground, in the weather, in the heat. Those people people we are treating like neglected cattle are somebody's family. I'd chose personal choice over big brother we know what's best for people kind of thinking. They showed up. It's clear what their choice is.
@7:20
Exactly! I really though that the Agency would change the way we did business when we re-opened. I am not one that says everyone should work at home or offices should still be closed, but I thought this was the chance to radically transform the Agency. We are still doing too many ss-5s and benefit verifications. With the number of employees working at home it doesn't seem like the Agency is using it's resources well when GS-11, 12, 13 and 14s are doing this work. Yes, management is having to work the front because not enough people are in the office.
Nope. In the federal building where I work, masks are required in SSA controlled areas but not in the rest of the building.
While in theory I agree, if you’ve ever worked for SSA, you know that the people that generally come in make poor life choices.
12:58 is that the claimants or the staff?
The claimants mainly. But most of the staff isn’t lagging far behind.
@1258 There's a reason that people are on SSI and good money management was not one of them.
3:51 sure thats the whole reason. What an unabashedly entitled comment.
I bet most people on SSI are better at money management than most people. They have to be to survive. Just try living on that amount for a couple months and report back your findings.
@851 Do you have any experience with SSI claimants? Not all are bad at managing money many are, if they ever come into any. Can't tell you how many SSI claimants inherited or won a substantial amount of money and rather than buy a house so they never have to pay rent, they went out and blew 100s of thousands of dollars in just a few months.
Gamine the system and managing money are two different things. I will give you that many are good at the first, but few at the second.
303 I have seen the exact same thing with office workers so I guess it depends on if you want to hammer one group or another. You choose to pick on one group because it fits your personal narrative and prejudices.
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