From the Washington Post:
The Social Security Administration — already reeling from plunging customer service following a rapid downsizing under the Trump administration — is drafting plans to begin layoffs of potentially thousands more employees as soon as next week. The cuts have been ordered by leaders of Elon Musk’s cost-cutting team, the U.S. DOGE Service …
The DOGE team did not provide a specific number of jobs that must be eliminated, officials said, but asked for staff reductions to broad areas of operation, including communications, personnel, legislative and congressional affairs, retirement and disability policy, and other “support components.” Also on the list is the information technology department of about 4,000 employees, which is confronting a flurry of website crashes that has shut out customers from accessing their benefit information. Up to 800 people could be laid off in that department, according to one senior official. …
And from CNN:
The Social Security Administration plans to slash its technology team by nearly one-third at a time when the agency’s complex and fragile computer systems are crashing more often. Top executives in the agency’s Office of the Chief Information Officer, known as OCIO, have been tasked with cutting 30% of its staff as part of a large-scale reduction-in-force being implemented across the federal government, according to two former employees with direct knowledge of the plan. The office had about 3,200 employees, though it has already lost hundreds of experienced workers due to retirement and separation incentives. (It has also gained some staffers after the agency shuttered other divisions and transferred the functions to OCIO.) …
If you were trying to crash the agency, this would be how you would do it. I’m not sure that’s the intent. It really doesn’t matter. That’s the effect.
67 comments:
The fix is in to kill Social Security and here come the Wall Street pallbearers...
No worries - the wolfs on Wall Street will save us! Just look how great the Stock Market is doing under Trump! Oh wait, . . .
“ I’m not sure it’s the intent.”
Charles, are you joking? The Republicans have wanted to privatize Social Security for decades especially now that the market is crashing. Wall Street is salivating at the thought.
I am looking at all the changes and one has to wonder how long until they come after direct payment to reps. Cost saving in not processing and all that and make reps get payment directly from the claimant. You know it has to be on the radar now and it is going to have dramatic impact on the viability of third party representation.
Privatization sounds great. Planned retirement is a pre-existing condition, but thanks for your lifelong contributions.....
From reading the Post Article and comments there:
SSA employees can avoid being subjected to a possible RIF by agreeing to go on the list to accept a transfer to a front line position. In a FO or PSC.
SSA has far too many employees in unnecessary support roles with high salaries, GS-12 to GS-14. They should consider going on the list to accept a transfer to a front line position. This would better serve the public and help SSA address the front line staffing shortages.
Their GS12-14 salary would be protected for two years, and they won't have to worry about being on the layoff list if they accept the transfer.
There are a lot of high pay positions. The hundreds of attorneys in OGC are GS-14s and GS-15s mostly, and most have never bust tail.
RIFs coming to OGC. I wonder if Program Litigation will be handled by AI or go back to DOJ.
Nobody likes you, Leland. Resign.
You first, Leland
Says a GS-7 with barely any knowledge of the agency and little education or ambition, but a huge amount of jealousy.
You have no idea what support those GS-12 to GS-14 provide. You sound like a tool who believes complex legal issues are resolved by the FO's. If you were a real SSA'er, you would know the FO does not and can not handle a multitude of complex cases. FO's and the employees are more that just form takers and someone must have extensive training on SSA law - something those higher grades would need to have!
The Appeals Council will definitely be reduced if not eliminated.
Does the witholding fee not cover the cost? We are paying this witholding. They cant argue eliminating it would cut costs when the cost is paid by the rep.
Why do you say that?
Please don’t fire us
Source?
@12:42. I’m one of those “High paying” HQ jobs coming to your FO. I’ve got years of operations experience as well as HQ experience and I’m coming in with all of that background into a management role. There are a 1,000 more just like me coming and you better believe we will be holding everyone to a higher standard. We aren’t as lazy as you think and come from positions that require constant problem solving, unchanging hard deadlines, and a culture where “no it’s not possible” isn’t an option. We will be passing that along.
Probably DOJ. They'll do a much better job than the lazy SSA OGC nags and geldings.
Glad to hear you are happy losing your grade and eventually your pay.
I can appreciate the position you're in.
However, I'm skeptical of having *more* management at the FO level. Technicians capable of completing A101s, 450s, etc... are in short supply. Targeted reassignments to the CS role would go a long way, eventually (after re -training), in alleviating FO production backlogs.
You mean like how lawyers get paid in every other area of legal practice where they charge whatever billable hour the market would support without any arbitrary cap? The whole point of agency control of direct payment is to keep legal fees to a minimum and protect claimants from being fleeced. But, hey, once the trust fund is handed over to Wall Street, that won’t be an issue anymore, right?
They’re looking to cut/eliminate the appeals council? Isn’t that mission critical? Seems like they would need to eliminate an entire level of the appeals process.
1:25 PM - DOJ doesn’t have the staff to take over program litigation. Probably lose some staff there but my money says the biggest OGC cuts are their layers of management and all of the employment law, FOIA, and other stuff that matters less to the new administration.
3:55 PM - Spoken like someone in OHO that writes or issues decisions that say “this person isn’t disabled because I said so” and the whines when no one will defend it in court.
1:17 you’re nuts. If we don’t have enough litigators for federal court, claimants will be waiting even longer to have their case heard. Culling OGC helps no one.
There are people in OGC that applied for the reassignment already and were told no. Others were told yes and have reassignment dates. I don’t know what to make of that. Maybe they only needed a certain number of reassignments before they were left with a good number of “mission critical” people left. Or maybe it’s all just the inconsistent way the current “leadership” does things.
3:38 The last thing the FO needs is new "get tough" managers, coming in to crack the whip. What is needed are technicians, Claims Specialists who can help with the claimants and the workload.
@3:56 I’m also one of those people being mocked. Trust me, nobody is happy about losing grade or pay. I’m lucky enough that I won’t cap out at the position I’m coming to under pay retention, but it doesn’t make sense for me to be paid as a GS-13 to be doing GS-12 work in the field. Sure I’ve got the technical knowledge to be a TE and I’ll be watching everyone work and doing QR like a hawk, but I’m not happy about it. You should appreciate the help. Last time I checked the backlogs aren’t getting smaller.
@3:38 you'll be too busy trying to hold your high standards on your own work to bother anybody else with your nonsense. Enjoy getting buried under claims because you're wasting time trying to be perfect and annoying your coworkers. Personally, if you come in telling me to do the impossible, I'll be telling you to do it yourself if it's so easy. Your attitude is why the field hates HQ, and has little sympathy for most of you. And if you think you're going to get to just sit in an office and micromanage, you're already not understanding the assignment. I sincerely hope you don't get put into a management position because you'll just be one more reason that good people leave.
Guess we'll see hotshot from HQ. If there are a 1000 others that talk just like you we are truly doomed. I'd probably recommend you show up and get a feel for the place before you start with that "no it's not possible talk".
I'm an FO manager, and that hot talker bothers even me. I hope they are going someplace far away from me.
You'll be watching everyone work? That's not the job. You're being sent to the field to DO work, not watch it.
If you're just going to watch over people's shoulders and breath down their necks, just do everyone a favor and quit instead, because that's not helping, and it will not be appreciated.
If you think current FO work as a TE is merely QR and workload management, the office you are heading to will be comprehensively ****ed.
As a manager, I would never toletate someone such as you. I can imagine how lousy you would treat our claimants.
@2:35 according to who? OAO was deemed mission critical
Calm down clown shoe. Your first mistake is thinking FO employees don’t have high standards and 100 if you were so great you wouldn’t be getting reassigned. So enjoy putting on your Ronald McDonald face bc I’m sure where ever you’re headed it’s sure to be a circus.
Aww you think you’ll be watching and doing QR. You may want to talk with a CTE in the field. Buckle up.
@6:49 So was OGC Program Litigation (according to the list of mission critical components provided to the unions) but they have been told they are getting RIFs.
In many offices including my own most CTEs get phone and front desk shifts to go along with the miriad of other duties. It's just part of the expectation necessary to get the job done. We simply don't have enough CSRs to handle all the calls and serve the walk in needs. I hope those getting CTE positions are coming in with realistic expectations. It's a very demanding position. I also hope you are highly skilled or the CSs in your office will resent you. Many CSs want the job you are downgrading or shifting in to. If they realize you don't know crap, it's going to get fun in your office. If you don't have the right stuff, you should have come in as a CS. Then at least you could grow into the position.
Looks like some HQ jealousy on this thread. Lol. Don’t blame the people coming from HQ it isn’t their fault. If you want to be mad they are gonna get paid a lot more than you for the same work then blame the administration, not them.
Former FO and HQ employee here - it makes me sad to seeing this unkind dialogue between future colleagues. Our colleagues are not the enemy - we need to support each other no matter where we work. Employees are being treated horribly by this administration and need to stick together and do what we took an oath to do - serve the American public. I do understand how hard it will be to stand together in all this chaos, but we need to do the best we can.
That's not the issue. Mainly one person from HQ came in here popping off about how they were going to roll into a field office job and use all their amazing experience and shake the place up effectively. That's not HQ jealousy. That's HQ ignorance of the reality of the field. HQ white collar elitism isn't going to work in a blue collar field office.
Maybe someone could help me understand this. I just saw the initials in another post. I’m leaving outstationed HQ on reassignment in the Dallas region. . I’ve never been in the field before and was given an offer as a CTE-16. What is that gonna be? I’ve dealt only with budget items before now.
Who said anything about more money? Nobody cares some folks are going to make more money doing lower graded work. We only care that you are ready to go to work, because there is more to do than you might remember if you've been here before. You can park that Bentley wherever you want, but make sure you are ready to deal with some folks in need when you walk in the door.
Title 16 Claims Technical Expert
@5:13. I’m horrified at your comment. If you’re not an SSA employee, it’s confusing. If you are .. … we’re on the same team. Pull it together.
That one guy isn't a colleague and doesn't deserve solidarity. He's just another Leland but lacking the foresight to suck up to Musk and save his job.
The rift between the field and HQ goes back years, and people like that are just one of the many reasons why.
SSI technical expert. You'd be doing SSI claims specialist work.
Claims Technical Expert Title 16 - an SSI TE. I hope you are somehow kidding. If you've ONLY worked with budget items, you have no place taking a job as a technical expert. By definition that means you are expected to process the most difficult SSI work and you need to be good enough to train others and critique the work of others. Your new office is going to love you. It'll take a minimum of five years to be good enough for anyone to think you deserve that title, and that's if you are a genius who learns extremely quickly. Also, it will require others to want to train you which any Claims Specialist your new position bypassed will think you are worthless. Claims Technical Expert is the one field office position nobody should have unless they are truly excellent at processing work and have the ability to teach others to do the same. That's a very bad joke if you truly only have budget experience.
Take a Claims Specialist position, work hard, then promote into the CTE positions. That's the only way it'll work out.
I think that is the issue with this entire thing. You have accountants, licensed lawyers, researchers (with doctorates) being shoved into FO roles and just put at the highest grade available (non-management) in a FO. Although not front facing, this work is essential, including defending the agency in district court, analyzing budgets, and researching what programs actually yield desired results.SSA paid a premium to these people for that skillset. Now they are paying a premium for folks to do FO work. Maybe it’ll lead to higher pay in the FOs eventually.
Fine, reclassify all claims specialists as CTEs and create a super CTE position. That'll work. Having people in CTE positions that aren't CTE skilled will only cause conflict.
HQ person here who applied for reassignment. I am hoping to go where I can use my past experience but if not, I’ll be like a fish out of water. I’m under no assumption that I will be welcomed into the fold of wherever I go. I fully expect to have to earn respect and that I won’t have it on day one. Also to anyone in a support role that’s applied for reassignment and thinks you’re going to “save the day”, look at the folks processing claims in the Ball building and the Annex. I’m not seeing people goofing off. I’m sure there are some as there are in any component but the majority are hard at work. They need us to come in, learn quickly and get to work. That’s it.
That attitude will work. Welcome aboard.
Thank you. Here’s someone who gets it. With that attitude you will be welcomed. FO staffs are some hardcore bunch. They will help you learn at every step. The goal is to help the public.
It seems as if people think we are given a choice in our reassignments. We are not. While I don’t appreciate or approve of the unwarranted arrogance and rudeness of the HQ person above, the one being reassigned from finance into a TE role did not make that selection. They place them there. I would not be surprised to learn that they placed people in positions they cannot perform at so they can create infighting and hostility along with ineffectiveness to sink us further. I would suggest everyone come into these changes with humility and willingness to help each other. Not to bully, pretend to be better than, or be an arrogant QR for others. I would also encourage the incredible and unbelievably hard working FO heroes to fight for these reassigned people to be successful if for no other reason than spite. This administration wants us to fail. We are one. The reassigned people are hurting. Loss of a dream job, fear of where they are going, or just the change we all face with telework and job security. So don’t give these people any more wins. Stand in solidarity with each other. HQ eat your humble pie without being condescending and FO step up to try to imagine their hurt and keep being the incredible workers that you are. I have never met such hard workers.
Everyone needs to pull together and stop all this BS. They are tearing us apart so we turn around and fight each other? HQ employees, you are special! FO or front line employees you are special too! Everyone does a job that is important and difficult in its own way. As a former FO employee and now HQ employee, I can say without a doubt, everyone can do both jobs. HQ employees you absolutely can do the job, it’s not going to be easy, it’s going to take time for you to learn, and you are going to get beat up by the public. You are not too good to do the job, get that chip off your shoulder. If you don’t want to do it, take the risk of getting rif’d. It’s not the FO employees fault you’re in this position, they aren’t the enemy. For FO employees, you can do the HQ job but likely didn’t get the opportunity. With that said, have some compassion. Help these people coming to your office, teach them how to do the job and work with the public. They likely are taking this reassignment because they have families to support just like you. Everyone is scared and uncomfortable. Don’t think your job might not be at risk next. We all need support each other until we can figure out how to get rid of the people who are truly at fault for causing this pain.
Eliminating the AC could serve the interests of the Dogettes - clog up the federal courts with SS disability appeals.
Reading through this thread shows me that Doge has won by getting you all to turn on each other. Sad to see. I have chosen to not put in for reassignment and am hoping to get a RIF along with my year of free pay.
If you think these will be the only RIFs, you're in for a surprise. By the end of this administration, no one will be left.
I’m also one of those who took reassignment. I had no say in when or where. I had 8 hrs to decide. I was an analyst and am coming as an MSS. I hope to not face all this resentment I see. I know how to work and hard work got me to HQ. I just hope people will have some compassion for us. We are all in this together.
I know there are a few negative comments, but I don't think there will be any resentment as long as people come in with a positive attitude and want to make the best of things. I suspect most will be welcomed with open arms so long as you come in ready to go to work. We're a starving agency. Offices lucky enough to get some help should generally feel fortunate. I know I was personally bothered by the person with all the hotshot HQ comments, but I'm guessing that is just one person and not representative of what to expect.
@3:37 before you hope for a RIF be sure you understand how it works. If they offer you a reasonable reassignment, which can basically be any job anywhere at their expense (Say an FO in Arkansas or a TSC) and you decline, you won’t get that severance because they satisfied their obligation to attempt to relocate and retain you. Additionally, if it’s a straight RIF with severance and you need insurance, you have to pay both the govt share and your own to keep yours, which really cuts into the severance if you need all of it. Just want to make sure that hoping for a RIF isn’t something you should be asking for unless you are retirement eligible, at which point you can decline but only be forced to walk into retirement in lieu of severance
The fact that people believe that some of these comments come from agency employees is laughable. These commenters are almost certainly from outsiders who admire DOGE and who are trying to stir up crap at the agency. Don’t let them.
An offer outside the local commuting area even if you decline still gets you severance. Just want to clear that up.
@8:06 make sure you are not confusing commuting area and competitive area. Depending on how the RIF is used the agency doesn’t have to offer you Bump or Retreat rights. It can also direct a reassignment or relocation without directing a RIF. Additionally, we have no idea how they are going to define the competitive area, which could be a whole region, the whole country, a state, a component etc. OPM doesn’t define mileage in a commuting area decision, but that local commuting area is only one stage of one part of a broader RIF. If you are banking on a RIF, make sure you talk to an attorney just to be sure you know the rules and that the agency actually follows them. If they screw it up (intentional or not) you are gonna have to pay to fight it.
That's nutty. You think agency employees aren't capable of an opinion?
I have represented disability claimants for many years. I respect SSA's employees. Remember - DOGE/Musk/Trump are the enemy. It hurts me to see SSA employees turn on each other.
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