Acting Social Security Commissioner Leland Dudek this month instructed staff to prepare to convert wide swathes of his agency to the revamped Schedule F, a move that experts say would stretch even the Trump administration’s wide definition of “policy-related” jobs “beyond all recognition.”
The Trump administration last week began moving forward with implementation of the newly-renamed Schedule Policy/Career, a new job classification within the federal government’s excepted service for career federal workers in “policy-related” positions. Employees reclassified into the new job category would be stripped of their civil service protections.
In an April 7 internal email obtained by Government Executive, the acting commissioner took a sweeping view of the role of policy at the independent agency.
“For SSA, policy-making positions encompass a wide range of responsibilities, including shaping regulations and sub-regulatory guidance, overseeing administrative law, managing contracts, guiding information resources management, and integrating research into decision-making,” he wrote. “Individuals in these roles often develop and implement both formal rules and informal policies, interpret and apply laws, and influence how SSA operates.” …
Employee groups and Social Security experts were taken aback by Dudek’s maximalist approach to implementing the new job category. Reclassifying the Office of Hearing Operations entirely into Schedule Policy/Career would impact upwards of 20% of the workforce represented by the American Federation of Government Employees, including jobs that start at as little as $40,000 per year.
“If this email constitutes SSA’s full decision, then the agency has contorted the term ‘policy-influencing’ beyond all recognition,” said Rich Couture, a spokesman for AFGE’s Social Security Administration general committee. “AFGE bargaining unit employees at SSA dutifully apply policies and procedures, established by agency leadership, in the performance of their duties for the American people every day. The employees are not policy-makers . . . The agency cannot take a chainsaw to necessary civil service protections to thousands of SSA workers in an attempt to solve a problem Employee groups and Social Security experts were taken aback by Dudek’s maximalist approach to implementing the new job category. Reclassifying the Office of Hearing Operations entirely into Schedule Policy/Career would impact upwards of 20% of the workforce represented by the American Federation of Government Employees, including jobs that start at as little as $40,000 per year.
“If this email constitutes SSA’s full decision, then the agency has contorted the term ‘policy-influencing’ beyond all recognition,” said Rich Couture, a spokesman for AFGE’s Social Security Administration general committee. “AFGE bargaining unit employees at SSA dutifully apply policies and procedures, established by agency leadership, in the performance of their duties for the American people every day. The employees are not policy-makers . . . The agency cannot take a chainsaw to necessary civil service protections to thousands of SSA workers in an attempt to solve a problem that doesn’t exist.” doesn’t exist.”
Sorry about the weird typography. Some weirdness in the original that I can’t undo.
20 comments:
According to a source familiar with Musk's thinking who spoke to the Washington Post on condition of anonymity, the unelected billionaire is ready to leave Donald Trump's administration because he's grown weary of "attacks" from the "left."
The multi-hyphenate business owner believes, per WaPo's insider, that his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) will continue to do its important "work" gutting federal agencies, and won't be harmed by his exit. Whether or not that's true remains to be seen, though as another anonymous insider told the newspaper, the "results speak for themselves."
"No one can say DOGE has not achieved a historic amount of success," said the senior White House official — conveniently ignoring the fact that Musk retreated from his promise to excise $2 trillion from the budget to a borderline-meaningless $150 billion.
An "acting" is only a place-holder position and he has no power to make the draconian changes he has made. The agency is ceasing to function and it will not be long before payments are affected.
“I used to think that my life was a tragedy. But now I realize, it’s a comedy.” The clown show rolls on can’t wait to see the nonsense coming next week.
It goes well beyond the actual guidance from OPM regarding the revamped Schedule F. Did the ACOSS receive this memo? https://www.chcoc.gov/sites/default/files/OPM%20Memorandum%20re%20Schedule%20Policy%20Career%20Guidance%20FINAL.pdf
Dudek must be replaced with someone who has an intelligent cell in his brain. An "acting" is just a place-holder position and they are not supposed to make major changes to the organization. He has personally destroyed a once vaulted and admired SSA. He believes everyone who makes a decision to go to the bathroom should be a schedule F.
All of OHO? Yikes.
Former Social Security Commissioner Martin O'Malley is warning that benefit payments could soon be delayed for millions of Americans, citing deep staffing cuts and internal chaos at the Social Security Administration (SSA) under the Trump administration.
Speaking at a public forum in Long Island on Monday, O'Malley said he believes an interruption in payments could be imminent.
"I truly believe there's going to be some interruption of benefits for some period of time, and I believe that will probably happen in the very near future," O'Malley said, according to Long Island Press. "I've never hoped I was wrong so much in my life."
He’s a puppet for DOGE and incoming COSS is pro-DOGE and probably telling him what to do.
I don’t know that anyone has actually said there’s a plan to reschedule all of OHO.
And Stephen “the racist ghoul” Miller has admitted that the white house has studied lists of campaign donations to identify civil servants who donated to Biden’s campaign in 2020 and Harris‘ in 2024. So we’re probably about to see tens of thousands of blatant First Amendment violations once the rescheduling is done.
Enjoy your s**t-hole third-world fascist state, people! I hope it’s everything you dreamt it would be when you voted for this!
Yes, removing the one thing (job security) that makes the government a mote attractive employer than other s**tty low-paying employers will certainly make your government great again!
@7:10 from the article, “ on track for reclassification are… the offices of Appellate Operations, Disability Determinations, Hearings Operations and Quality Review within the Office of Disability Adjudication”
An acting Commissioner indeed has the authority to make draconian changes, esp one with WH support. It's not an "honorary" position, who ever is in the spot is the Commissioner in the sense of having all the authority.
DOGE Plan
Schedule F Office of Disability Adjudication / OHO
Send Final Disability decision making to state DDS's who can stretch the allocated funding from OASDI taxes farther without having to foot the bill for ALJ salaries.
Eliminating OHO makes the privatization of Social Security then access to the 2.7 trillion Social Security Trust Fund a simpler process.
Are the State DDSes still open, then? Didn't Dudek gut their funding? In our State most DDS denials are for "insufficient evidence" so they're not even adjudicating anything until it gets to OHO...
Is this what you think will happen or this is what you heard?
what do you think Hearings Operations is?
SSA is an independent agency! It was made an independent agency in order to avoid political influences and the political debacles going on now. SSA has a Board of Governors that oversee the Trust Funds and the CoSSA is approved by Senate for a 6 year term not concurrent with a presidential election. The approved CoSSA has the authority to run operations and make changes to its operations. An "acting" can not legally make the drastic changes being done over the past few weeks.
Source?
I second this part of the observation, "DS denials are for "insufficient evidence" so they're not even adjudicating anything until it gets to OHO..." submitted everything, 2800 pages of medical, medical source statements, statement from previous employer, age 60 high school ed, medically compliant, using a prescribed rollator, prior work light no transferable skills and denied at recon.
Post a Comment