Even AEI Thinks Social Security Was Well Run — Until January 20, 2025

      From the right wing think tank American Enterprise Institute:

Here in the DOGE era, the specter of inefficient bureaucracy haunts many government agencies. Yet the Social Security Administration (SSA) offers a surprising counter-narrative—at least in parts. As civil servants go, those administering retirement benefits are a relatively efficient bunch, according to AEI scholar Mark Warshawsky, who until 2021 served as the agency’s deputy commissioner for retirement and disability policy. 

As he tells in a new podcast, “I would say, in terms of the retirement side, it is a well-run program.” The Internal Revenue Service efficiently collects payroll taxes and administers benefit taxation, while disbursements flow with minimal leakage through fraud or processing errors. This efficiency is all the more remarkable given the program’s gargantuan scale—some $1.3 trillion in annual benefits.

Less efficient, Warshawsky goes on to explain, is the Disability Insurance part of Social Security. It demands substantially more administrative resources, with means-testing, medical evaluations, and ongoing eligibility verification creating a bit of a bureaucratic morass. Likewise, the Supplemental Security Income program is also particularly cumbersome, requiring detailed scrutiny of both income and assets.

Recent criticisms of the agency seem overblown, however. Claims about payments to long-deceased beneficiaries are demonstrably false. The SSA employs robust verification mechanisms, including automatic investigation of nonagenarians without recent medical claims and outright benefit denial for anyone claiming to exceed 115 years of age. …

DOGE Strikes Again!

 

From the Washington Post

What Could Go Wrong?

     From Wired:

The so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is starting to put together a team to migrate the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) computer systems entirely off one of its oldest programming languages in a matter of months, potentially putting the integrity of the system—and the benefits on which tens of millions of Americans rely—at risk.

The project is being organized by Elon Musk lieutenant Steve Davis, multiple sources who were not given permission to talk to the media tell WIRED, and aims to migrate all SSA systems off COBOL, one of the first common business-oriented programming languages, and onto a more modern replacement like Java within a scheduled tight timeframe of a few months. ...

SSA’s core “logic” is also written largely in COBOL. This is the code that issues social security numbers, manages payments, and even calculates the total amount beneficiaries should receive for different services, a former senior SSA technologist who worked in the office of the chief information officer says. Even minor changes could result in cascading failures across programs.

“If you weren't worried about a whole bunch of people not getting benefits or getting the wrong benefits, or getting the wrong entitlements, or having to wait ages, then sure go ahead,” says Dan Hon, principal of Very Little Gravitas, a technology strategy consultancy that helps government modernize services, about completing such a migration in a short timeframe.

    You may recall that Frank Bisignano testified at his confirmation hearing that COBOL was still widely used in business and that its presence at Social Security was nothing to be too concerned about. 

Sure, No Problem

      From Forbes:

Elon Musk lauded his Department of Government Efficiency in a Thursday interview with Fox News, saying the work of the agency, which has drawn criticism over its sweeping and rapid layoffs to the federal workforce, will allow Social Security recipients to “receive more money.” …

Press Release Denying Field Office Closures

 

Press Release

Thursday, March 27, 2025

For Immediate Release

Mark Hinkle, Press Officer

press.office@ssa.gov

Correcting the Record about Social Security Office Closings

reports in the media that the Social Security Administration (SSA) is permanently closing local field offices are false. Since January 1, 2025, the agency has not permanently closed or announced the permanent closure of any local field office. From time to time, SSA must temporarily close a local field office for reasons such as weather, damage, or facilities issues, and it reopens when the issues are resolved. The agency has announced the permanent closure of one hearing office, in White Plains, NY.

SSA works closely with local congressional delegations before closing any office permanently. The agency also reassigns employees from an affected office to other locations to help communities access in-person services.

“SSA is committed to providing service where people need help and our local field offices are no exception,” said Lee Dudek, Acting Commissioner of Social Security. “We have not permanently closed any local field offices this year.”

SSA identified for the General Services Administration underutilized office space to ensure the government is spending taxpayer money as prudently as possible. The agency provided GSA a list of sites for termination. Most of these are small hearing rooms with no assigned employees. Since most hearings are held virtually, SSA no longer needs these underutilized rooms.

Dudek Walks Back Some Of What He Told The Court! (In Case Dudek Doesn't Know, That's Not Cool)

     Also, the Court was not impressed with the argument that DOGE needs access to non-anonymized data in order to find patterns of fraud when they have no evidence that a pattern of fraud exists. Find it first and then those involved can be identified. 

DOGE Trying To Get Back In Social Security Databases

     The Social Security Administration is asking Court approval to let DOGE team members back in to the agency's databases. If these DOGE employees employees actually do what they say they're going to do all but one of them, at best, will be engaged in a ridiculous waste of time. I thought they were trying to root out wasteful behavior, not engage in it. See below and, as always, click on the image to view full size:

 

Orthopedic Listing Interpretation Change Upcoming

      During the pandemic Social Security made the criteria for approval of a disability claim based upon some orthopedic conditions less onerous. Regulations adopted just before Joe Biden took office had required certain medical evidence within “a close proximity of time.” The Biden Administration interpreted the phrase in a less demanding way because of the difficulties that people had obtaining medical care during the pandemic. I think there was also a realization that the Trump Administration Listings were just too difficult to meet with or without a pandemic. This temporary change was later extended until May of this year but late in the Biden Administration it was extended until 2029.

     Social Security has now issued an Emergency Message saying that while the extension to 2029 remains in effect  “the agency will be revisiting its policy before then.”

     The moral of this story is that if a new Administration doesn’t like a regulation adopted during a prior Administration, it should change the regulation. Don’t just play games with how you interpret it. The Trump Administration would have far more trouble dealing with an actual change in a Listing than with a mere interpretation. The Listings should have been changed in other ways as well. It remains just too tough to meet. It’s the same problem as the changes in the treatment of overpayments introduced by Commmissioner O’Malley.  It took no effort for a shambling joke of an Acting Commissioner to reverse O’Malley’s changes even though what O’Malley had done was popular with Republicans as well as Democrats.

My Thoughts On The Bisignano Confirmation Hearing

     I have finally watched the Bisignano confirmation hearing. I found it tedious. For the most part, it wasn't a job interview. It was a performance by all parties. I understand that there are private meetings between nominees and Senators. I hope those are more substantive. 

    Anyway, here are a few thoughts:

• Bisignano said he would improve Social Security's technology generally and telephone answering. How can he possibly do this without a substantially higher appropriation? He wasn't asked about this. I wish he had been.
• Bisignano said he was committed to a six year term. I don't know but I'll be surprised if he's still there in December 2028 much less December 2030.
• Bisignano and Committee members repeatedly likened the work of the Social Security Administration to the work of the companies Bisignano has led. I don't have experience in those businesses but I just can't imagine the work of those companies being that similar to what Social Security does. Social Security is unique. It's work is vastly more complicated than processing massive numbers of simple credit card charges. He said he had 13,000 IT professionals at Fiserv. He'll have a vastly lower number at Social Security and no funds to hire more.
• Nobody asked Bisignano where he will be working. Will he be engaging in much telework from his home in New York City? I think agency employees would be interested to know. If they're being forced back to the office so should the Commissioner
• Bisignano talked about reducing improper payments as if no one at Social Security has ever tried to reduce them. That's wrong. There have been extensive efforts by many people over many decades. I don't think there are any measures imaginable to substantially reduce them. Only incremental progress is possible.
• Bisignano added a useful note of reality to the discussion of COBOL programs at Social Security. He said that COBOL is still being used extensively not just at Social Security but in many, many businesses. 
• I don’t think that anyone asked Bisignano about the Regional Office consolidations. This process couldn’t have advanced very far. I keep thinking that this bad idea will be quietly abandoned.
• I remain convinced that everybody in the Trump Administration thinks that federal employees are stupid and lazy and that simple measures can lead to dramatic improvements in government functioning even with fewer government employees. This is a fallacy. 
• Bisignano testified that in his business experience he did not arbitrarily pick a number of employees to fire without analyzing how many employees were needed to get the work done. DOGE has not been following this obvious practice.
• By the way, it appears that Senator Warnock has a trigger finger -- his right pinkie. I'm mystifying many readers, I'm sure. I talking about something medical here. It’s what I do.

Identity Proofing Won't Apply To Disability Claims

Press Release

Social Security Updates Recently Announced Identity Proofing Requirements

In-Person Requirement Will Not Apply to Disability Insurance, Medicare, and SSI Applications

The Social Security Administration (SSA) is taking proactive steps to enhance the security of its services by implementing stronger identity verification procedures. The updated measures will further safeguard Social Security records and benefits for millions of Americans against fraudulent activity. In-person identity proofing for people unable to use their personal my Social Security account for certain services will be effective April 14, 2025.

“We have listened to our customers, Congress, advocates, and others, and we are updating our policy to provide better customer service to the country’s most vulnerable populations,” said Lee Dudek, Acting Commissioner of Social Security. “In addition to extending the policy’s effective date by two weeks to ensure our employees have the training they need to help customers, Medicare, Disability, and SSI applications will be exempt from in-person identity proofing because multiple opportunities exist during the decision process to verify a person’s identity.”

Under the updated policy beginning April 14, 2025, individuals applying for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), Medicare, or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) who cannot use a personal my Social Security account can complete their claim entirely over the telephone without the need to come into an office.

Individuals who cannot use their personal my Social Security account to apply for benefits will only need to prove their identity at a Social Security office if applying for Retirement, Survivors, or Auxiliary (Spouse or Child) benefits. SSA will enforce online digital identity proofing or in-person identity proofing for these cases. The agency will not enforce these requirements in extreme dire-need situations, such as terminal cases or prisoner pre-release scenarios. SSA is currently developing a process that will require documentation and management approval to bypass the policy in such dire need cases.

Individuals who do not or cannot use the agency’s online my Social Security services to change their direct deposit information for any benefit will need to visit a Social Security office to process the change or can call 1-800-772-1213 to schedule an in-person appointment. The agency also recommends that individuals unable to apply online call to schedule an in-person appointment to begin and complete a claim for Retirement, Survivors, or Auxiliary (Spouse or Child) benefits in one interaction.

SSA recently required nearly all agency employees, including frontline employees in all offices throughout the country, to work in the office five days a week. This change ensures maximum staffing is available to support the stronger in-person identity proofing requirement.

The agency will continue to monitor and, if necessary, make adjustments to ensure it pays the right person the right amount at the right time while safeguarding the benefits and programs it administers. SSA plans to implement the Department of Treasury’s Bureau of Fiscal Service’s payment integrity service called Account Verification Service (AVS). AVS provides instant bank verification services to proactively and timely prevent fraud associated with direct deposit change requests. SSA will continue to fight fraud while balancing its program integrity responsibilities with delivering on its customer service mission to the American people.

People who do not already have a my Social Security account can create one at www.ssa.gov/myaccount/.

Stay up to date about SSA’s identity proofing requirements and exceptions at What to Know about Proving Your Identity | SSA.

OK Mr. Whiz Kid, Make It Work Better

 

    From Popular Information:

The Trump administration has installed a DOGE operative as the new Chief Information Officer (CIO) of the Social Security Administration (SSA) in an apparent effort to evade a federal court order blocking DOGE affiliates from accessing databases containing the sensitive personal information of millions of Americans. 

Popular Information obtained an internal memorandum from Acting SSA Commissioner Leland Dudek announcing Scott Coulter, a DOGE operative previously assigned to NASA and the SSA, as the SSA's new CIO. 

The move, which was not announced publicly, seems related to a federal lawsuitfiled by a coalition of labor unions — including the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), AFL-CIO, and American Federation of Teachers (AFT) — on February 21. The lawsuit alleged that DOGE officials were accessing "personal, confidential, private, and sensitive data from the Social Security Administration" in violation of federal law, including the Privacy Act. The labor unions sued the SSA, Dudek, and then-CIO Michael Russo to stop the disclosure of the data to DOGE. 

On March 21, the federal judge overseeing the AFSCME case, Ellen Lipton Hollander, granted the plaintiffs a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) which prohibited SSA, Dudek, and Russo from "granting access to any SSA system of record containing personally identifiable information" to DOGE or any "members of the DOGE team established at the SSA." The order defined the DOGE team at SSA as "any person assigned to SSA to fulfill the DOGE agenda." …

     I’ll say this. The longer Coulter hangs around Social Security the fewer illusions he’ll have about the agency.  At this point DOGE’s illusions about Social Security may be a bigger threat than its malevolence.

The Whole Truth?

      From the Washington Post:

Frank Bisignano, President Donald Trump’s nominee to run the Social Security Administration, testified under oath at his confirmation hearing Tuesday that he has had no contact with the Elon Musk cost-cutting team that is directing a major downsizing of the agency. 

But Sen. Ron Wyden (Oregon), the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, said the claim is “not true,” citing an account the senator said he received from a senior Social Security official who recently left the agency. The former official — whose detailed statement was shared with The Washington Post — described “numerous contacts Mr. Bisignano made with the agency since his nomination,” including “frequent” conversations with senior executives. 

The nominee “personally appointed” Michael Russo, the chief information officer leading Musk’s U.S. DOGE Service team at Social Security, and the two speak frequently about agency operations, the former executive said. 

The Post confirmed the former official’s account with two people, including another former senior official who heard Russo speak regularly about his interactions with Bisignano over policy changes. The other, a disability advocate, said she was told by acting commissioner Leland Dudek that the nominee and Russo “spoke multiple times a day” about Social Security operations. The advocate requested anonymity to preserve her relationship with the agency, while the former official did so because they were not authorized to disclose internal details…. 

The former official said in their statement to Wyden that after Russo had trouble persuading the career staff to expedite the hiring of a DOGE software engineer named Akash Bobba, “Mr. Bisignano personally intervened … to instruct SSA staff to onboard Mr. Bobba and give him immediate access” to the agency’s private data systems. Bisignano did not address what role he may have had in helping Bobba gain access. Bobba and Russo did not respond to requests for comment. …

Senate Republicans Say “Don’t Blame Us”

      From NBC News:

WASHINGTON — Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency is moving to downsize the Social Security Administration with office closures, cutbacks on phone services and new rules requiring in-person visits for some prospective beneficiaries to register.

And DOGE is making those changes without consulting or notifying some of the most senior lawmakers on Capitol Hill who oversee Social Security, including GOP allies of President Donald Trump. …

Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., a Senate Finance Committee member who on Tuesday pressed Trump’s nominee to lead the Social Security Administration about long wait times for customer service, said in an interview that he, too, hasn’t been in the loop for the administration’s changes.

“No, we haven’t,” he said. “I haven’t had any heads-up on any specific announcements.” … 

     If there were only something these Senate Republicans could do, like delay a nomination or hold a hearing on what DOGE is doing, but, of course, that’s out of the question. 

Reports On The Confirmation Hearing

     I haven't yet been able to watch the Bisignano confirmation hearing. I'll get to it when I can. In the meantime, here are reports from ABC and NBC.

Chaotic Conditions At Social Security -- But Maybe The Post Office Will Help

 

    From the Washington Post:

The Social Security Administration website crashed four times in 10 days this month, blocking millions of retirees and disabled Americans from logging in to their online accounts because the servers were overloaded. In the field, office managers have resorted to answering phones at the front desk as receptionists because so many employees have been pushed out. But the agency no longer has a system to monitor customers’ experience with these services, because that office was eliminated as part of the cost-cutting efforts led by Elon Musk. ...

Depending on the time of day, a recorded message [on the 800 line] tells callers that their wait on hold will last more than 120 minutes or 180 minutes. Some report being on hold for four or five hours. A callback function was only available three out of 12 times when a reporter for The Post called the toll-free line last week, presumably because the queue that day was so long that the call would not be returned by close of business. ...

On Monday, Dudek said the agency is working with U.S. Postal Service on an agreement to take on new requirements to verify claimants’ identities. ...

Meanwhile, a DOGE-imposed spending freeze has left many field offices without paper, pens and the phone headsets staff need to do their jobs communicating with callers — at the exact moment phone calls are spiking, the employee in Indiana said.

The freeze drove all federal credit cards to a $1 limit. Social Security saw the number of its approved purchasers reduced to about a dozen people for 1,300 offices, said one agency employee in the Northeast.

...

Self Awareness In Advance Of The Bisignano Nomination Hearing

      From a New York Times piece on the Bisignano nomination:

… Because of Mr. Dudek’s self-admitted bumpy tenure, he said he did not expect to last much longer.

“I can’t imagine the nominee would want to keep me after the way I’ve been doing things here,” Mr. Dudek said, adding that he had had no contact with Mr. Bisignano. …

     Remember, the Senate Finance Committee hearing on the Bisignano is set to begin at 10:00 Eastern time today.  Watch it online.

     I wouldn’t shed many tears for Dudek. The wingnutosphere always takes care of its foot soldiers.

Rushing Teleservice Cuts

      From Axios:

The Social Security Administration is rushing cuts to phone services at the White House's request, the agency's acting commissioner told Social Security advocates in a meeting on Monday, two sources who attended tell Axios. …

Driving the news: Acting commissioner Leland Dudek said the changes in question would usually take two years to implement, but will be made in two weeks instead, the two sources said on condition of anonymity due to fears of retaliation. 

• Dudek also said the changes, happening so fast and with little public understanding, will create opportunities for scammers, one of the sources said.
• There will be individuals who will be victims of fraud as a result of the changes, Dudek said, according to one attendee. He said in the past Social Security had been too "thoughtful" in considering beneficiaries before making changes. …

     Why, exactly, would they be in a rush to cut telephone service?  It’s like they really embrace being evil.

That Videotaped Meeting

 

    Take a look at the taped meeting Social Security just posted. You'd think that Social Security's problems are almost all technical, problems that a good leader can resolve. It is the message that Bisignano can solve Social Security's problems without additional resources. Good luck with that!

Press Release On Transparency And Accountability -- So, Uh, What Are You Doing About The 800 Number Wait Times Apart From Encouraging Employees Who Answer The Phones To Quit?

Press Release

Social Security Increases Transparency and Accountability
Shares More Information Online

The Social Security Administration (SSA) announced today several new initiatives and resources to promote greater transparency and accountability.

“President Trump has been clear that good government must serve the People. This begins with being transparent in how its government makes decisions and operates as good stewards of the resources entrusted to it,” said Lee Dudek, Acting Commissioner of Social Security. “With this guiding principle in mind, Social Security is taking several important steps to increase transparency and accountability in order to help others understand our agency’s work and the complexities we navigate.”

What to Know about Proving Your Identity: SSA recently announced it is strengthening identity proofing requirements for people who do not use a personal my Social Security account to apply for cash benefits or to change direct deposit information for benefits. To help the public understand the new policy, SSA today published a new webpage, What to Know about Proving Your Identity | SSA.

Weekly Operational Report Meetings: Acting Commissioner Dudek meets with his senior leadership team throughout the week to tackle a range of challenges facing the agency. During the Weekly Operational Report (WOR) meeting, leaders focus on specific topics, the options presented to the acting commissioner, and the resulting decisions made during these meetings. Beginning March 14, 2025, each WOR is recorded and published to SSA’s YouTube channel. The WOR Playlist is available here: SSA Weekly Operational Report Meetings

Agency Actions: Acting Commissioner Dudek also published online a summary of select agency challenges, options presented, and the Acting Commissioner’s ultimate decisions. SSA plans to update this page periodically to include notable matters the current Administration is solving. Agency Actions | SSA

National 800 Number Wait Times: The American people do not receive the prompt customer service they deserve when calling the agency’s 800 number. Despite the knowledge, dedication, and experience of SSA’s telephone representatives, customers wait too long to speak with a representative. People deserve to know the wait time challenges they will face if unable to use the agency’s secure and convenient online services. Acting Commissioner Dudek is increasing the level of detail shared with the public to provide an honest and transparent view of wait times. Social Security Performance | SSA and Contact Social Security By Phone

Efficiencies and Cost Avoidance: SSA works closely with the General Services Administration to identify unused and underutilized office space. SSA published its Efficiencies and Cost Avoidance webpage that lists soft-term lease terminations, including an explanation for each location and whether any change affects the public or not. For nearly all locations, the space being terminated is only a small room within the larger Social Security office location.

Workforce Update: SSA identified opportunities to optimize its workforce by offering voluntary opportunities to depart the agency or move to a frontline customer service position. The Workforce Update | News | SSA webpage briefly explains each voluntary option and how many employees accepted that option.

Afternoon Roundup

     There are so many news articles coming out about Social Security that it's hard to keep up. Let me share a few that seem notable to me:

• MSN --  Trump’s nominee to lead Social Security Administration to face questions over DOGE cuts
• Paul Krugman --  Social Security: A Time for Outrage
• Government Executive --  Regional boards for federal agency coordination officially disbanded 
• Michigan Live -- AARP calls latest Social Security changes ‘deeply unacceptable.’ Will you be impacted? 
• CNBC --  Senators press Trump Social Security nominee on his views about privatizing the agency
• WSJ -- Dealing With Social Security Is Heading From Bad to Worse