From a Social Security blog:
... Underpayments, typically back payments from the time of applying for SSI to the date the application is approved, represent money we owe for months past. People waiting on approval of SSI can experience economic insecurity while they wait for a decision.
In fiscal year 2024, our agency prioritized addressing the barriers that prevent timely payment of underpayments, not a large share of the total payments we administer under the SSI program (less than 1% annually). Overall, the SSI program has released $901 million in underpayments as of June 2024, which includes $209.1 million of our most complex and aged underpayments to roughly 81,000 people, who count on SSI as a vital lifeline. We are committed to finding solutions to challenges, such as peer reviews and installment and dedicated account processes, that have hindered timely payments.
This year we updated a policy that required underpayments over $5,000 to be reviewed by another employee – a peer review – before we released the underpayment. In March 2024, we increased the amount from $5,000 to $15,000. Underpayments less than $15,000 can now be released without peer review. This policy change means the time it takes for SSI recipients to receive their first installment is now dramatically reduced. ...
I wish I could say that I'm seeing improvement in this situation but I'm not. I've got a ton of backed up SSI cases awaiting payment and I see little movement. If your case gets even the least bit off the tracks, it's almost impossible to get it back on the tracks. We can't get the field offices to answer the phone. When they do answer the phone, we tell them about the problem but then nothing happens. It's a frustrating situation for us but horrific for the claimants. I'm sure it's discouraging for Social Security employees as well.
The claimant should contact their Congressional leader and make them aware of the lousy service their local field office is providing. While you are at it you should mention that they are partly responsible for the subpar service due to inadequate funding.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely - while they are at it the proposed cuts for next year will dramatically exacerbate the problem
DeleteOur field office does their part, and SSI payments go out okay. Social Security payments for the Payment Center is responsible is another matter.
ReplyDeleteOur field office does pretty well with getting out SSI payments, but the payment center does not do well with social security payments. I would like to know who I can contact to complain about this.
ReplyDeleteIf field offices were less bogged down with overpayments, they could be more efficient.
The underpayment level was $5000 in 1981 and remained that level until 2024? $5k in 1981 was a LOT of retro payments, look what an A FBR was then $264.70, so 18 months of payments. But now it's less than 6 months payments. $15,000 is even still less than what it was in 1981, as it's 16 months payments retro. But it needed updating really badly.
ReplyDeleteCharles - while this COSS is certainly moving the ground with quick and easy changes he is absolutely decimating the remaining morale in our offices . I’ve lost six employees in the last six months. The agency can’t keep up and instead of saying this to the public or giving employees time we simply are squeezed more .
ReplyDeleteI’m not even sure where to begin to rebuild the mess we have. We have employees leaving for other agencies due to opportunities with telework and remote work and SsA has only posted development positions in regional or central office. The result is lackluster employees filing leadership roles. So even our leaders are terrible .
This post is a 100% correct - if goes off the rail it’s impossible to find time to do it . But don’t worry there is no OT but the peers that be think we can find “adjudication” time from home. That was the last policy we were looking to implement.
Oh and if we get hires we lose them asap. No one wants the stress and best part - we have no one to train them . I’m not sure reps or the American public realize the dire situation this agency is in .
Part of the problem is that it's just O'Malley talking to Congress' Subcommittees trying to sway them.The agency should be reaching out to advocacy groups with money to buy commercials on TV for the public to tell their congressman to find the operations and why. The public has no awareness of why things are terrible. To them, it's just poor lackluster service. They think SSA staff do nothing. Maybe that's the case in the higher offices where they play round robin in their director roles, and need 18 people to review an email before they send it, and all the email is about is a reminder of how bad our numbers in every category look... Save your breath and man-hours. That's not they way it is in the FOs. Maybe O'Malley should have each regional office pushing meetings and charts and numbers to their respective US representatives in their territories.... So SSA can explain that hey.... Your constituents are suffering because we have no money. Help us. Why not post a sign in the lobby that says office serves 1. 70k-150k active recipients, 2. Takes this many calls a month. 3. See this many people in the office a month. 3. This many rzs a month, this many overpayment processes, waivers ,up, check issues, snnap cards, dib apps, rib apps. And finally... We do all of this with 10, 12, 20 staff. Our staffing need is 30 to enable us to provide fast, accurate service. Please call your congressman today and ask them to fund ssa.
ReplyDeleteEliminate the piecemeal three-installment delivery of SSI backpay. Pay the attorney their chunk, then pay the person theirs, and exempt that amount from the resource limit for a 18 months.
ReplyDeleteIt's paternalistic and a waste of man-hours to meter out backpay like this. Those recipients who are going to waste it will do it either way they get the money. SSA employees have more important things to do. Get rid of dedicated account tracking too.
Something else people need to talk to the congressman about.
DeleteIf the claim involves both SSI and SSDI it is an even bigger mess. The offset is difficult to calculate and my clients are being told it will take 3 to 6 months to process the back pay.
ReplyDelete11:12, SSA can't do what you suggest; Congress needs to act. Legislation is already drafted and scored--see sections 9 and 10 at https://www.ssa.gov/oact/solvency/SSIRestorationAct_20210716.pdf
ReplyDelete