They’re Not Funding Better Service And Staffing But They Do Want To Hear About The Service Snd Staffing, Such As It Is

      From the report by the House Appropriations Committee on its bill to fund Social Security. The agency’s appropriation is technically referred to as Limitation on Administrative Expenses or LAE (highlighting added):

LIMITATION ON ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES 

 

FY 26 Passed Appropriation $14,841,978,000 

Budget Requests: FY 27: 14,867,978,000 

Committee Recommendation: 14,867,978,000 

Amount above FY 26: $26,000,000

Hiring and Retention.—The Committee continues to direct SSA to provide a quarterly staffing report to the Committee detailing full-time permanent staff and new hires by component and the attrition percentage by component.

 

Improved Delivery of Social Security Survivor Benefits.—The Committee urges SSA to improve the accuracy and timeliness of processing survivor benefit claims of eligible children and requests an update in the fiscal year 2028 congressional justification on steps the agency has taken to reduce errors and processing delays.

 

Report on LAE Expenditures.—The Committee continues to request that the data referenced under this heading in House Report 114–699 be included in future congressional justifications. In addition, the Committee requests the fiscal year 2028 congressional justification include a historical table of costs and fiscal year 2028 requests for personnel and benefits, by major SSA component.

 

Social Security Administration Service Delivery.—The Committee notes that millions of Americans count on consistent and reliable delivery of critical services from SSA and is concerned by any reductions in direct-service operations, including staff at field offices and processing and teleservice centers. Performance related to disability claim processing times, timely processing of retirement claims, administration of SSA’s field offices and 1–800 number, and overall customer service are all integral to the public’s interaction with SSA. As such, the Committee directs SSA to take steps to avoid field office closures, reduced office hours, and increased delays to appointments for beneficiaries seeking in-person support. 

 

The Committee also directs SSA to provide a monthly report of performance metrics that measure SSA’s progress on addressing key service delivery functions, including staff levels and appointment waiting times by field office, as well as the average time that 1– 800 number callers wait to receive a callback. Additionally, the Committee urges SSA to seek public and stakeholder input in advance of policy and operations changes when appropriate.

 

SSA Administrative or Applicant Errors.—The Committee notes that the maintenance of accurate records is critical for SSA to deliver timely and accurate benefits to those who qualify. The Committee is concerned about the prolonged timeline associated with an administrative or applicant error, which oftentimes results in delayed benefits. The Committee requests an update in the fiscal year 2028 congressional justification detailing the steps the agency is taking to improve the timeliness and efficiency of its error correction processes. The update should describe the agency’s internal review systems, how the agency informs an applicant of an error, relevant staffing and training initiatives, and what improvements the agency has taken or plans to take to avoid prolonged delays in resolving such errors.