Boomers And Social Security

From WTOP:

A Maryland woman Monday becomes the first baby boomer of 80 million baby boomers who will file for Social Security benefits over the next 22 years.

Kathleen Casey-Kirschling, a retired teacher from Cecil County, Md., was born in Philadelphia at one second past midnight on Jan. 1, 1946.

The federal government considers her the nation's first baby boomer.

She'll file her application online during a ceremony with Social Security Commissioner Michael J. Astrue.

This is inaccurate in a couple of ways. Boomers have been filing for Social Security survivor benefits since the 1940s and for disability benefits since the 1960s. Ms. Casey-Kirshling had to have been conceived before the end of World War II, so she is not really a baby boomer. Still, this does get to a fundamental truth. Baby boomers will be retiring in huge numbers over the next 20 years or so and that will have a huge impact upon the Social Security Administration and American society.

An Image From 1956

Anectodal Report On Social Security Service

From the blog of Matthew Yglesias, a writer for the Atlantic Magazine:

Tons of people seem puzzled as to why I would need a physical Social Security card. The answer is that I need it as proof of Social Security Number in order to (belatedly) convert my New York driver's license into a DC one.

Incidentally, service at the Social Security Administration office at 2100 M Street was very prompt. I'd sort of been expecting an interminable wait during which I could make a serious dent in The Conscience of a Liberal but my number got called almost as soon as I was finished filling out the brief form. The employees working at the office were polite and helpful. Bureaucracy works!

Survey On Social Security Service Delivery

Social Security's Office of Inspector General (OIG) has released an audit of the Social Security Administration's survey methodology for measuring the satisfaction rate of those who do business with the agency. This is not the report on that satisfaction rate itself, but an audit of that report. As far as I know the underlying report has not been released. The audit gives the following description of the methodology for measuring customer satisfaction:

To assess the indicator's progress in meeting this objective and goal, SSA’s Office of Quality Performance (OQP) annually conducts a series of tracking surveys to measure a customer’s satisfaction with his or her last contact with SSA. SSA conducts three surveys: the 800-Number Caller Survey, the FO Caller Survey, and the Office Visitor (OV) Survey. OQP uses a 6-point rating scale ranging from “excellent” to “very poor.” To report the final overall service satisfaction, OQP combines the three customer satisfaction surveys, weighting each survey by the customer universe it represents.

According to the audit report 82% percent of individuals who do business with SSA rated the overall service at Social Security as “excellent,” “very good,” or “good.”

Demonstation Outside Social Security Office

From the Dallas Star-Telegram:

A small band of pro-immigrant groups rallied outside the Social Security Administration's Dallas office Friday and called on the agency to keep its data out of immigration enforcement efforts.

About half a dozen demonstrators, including state Rep. Roberto Alonzo, D-Dallas, delivered letters asking the administration not to allow its "no match" letters to become part of immigration enforcement.

Should 401(k)s And IRAs Count?

From a press release:

Goodwill Industries International is calling on the U.S. House of Representatives to pass H.R. 3696, which would modify the nation's disability policies to exclude 401(k) and IRA retirement accounts from federally funded means-tested benefits, so that all Americans can pursue a path to self-sufficiency and financial independence. ...

When people with disabilities are placed into a full-time position for the first time, they can do things that many people take for granted, such as opening a checking account and even making small contributions to their employer's 401(k) plan. But existing disability policy creates a disincentive to work and is feeding fears that if people do work and save for retirement they will lose their eligibility for income support and Medicaid.

What Happened?

Above is a page from the budget request that Social Security submitted to Congress in February 2007 for fiscal year (FY) 2008, which began on October 1. No budget has yet been adopted for FY 2008. Social Security is operating on a continuing funding resolution. Click on the page shown above to see it full size. The $9.597 billion figure shown above is not the budget that Jo Anne Barnhart urged, but the President's much lower budget. Note that even though this budget contained a 5% budget increase in funding for Social Security, that the agency projected in February that this budget that its backlogs would get worse and that the service it offers would deteriorate, although not badly. The projections in February called for a tiny cut in Social Security's workforce, from 74,823 total Social Security and DDS workyears to 74,596 workyears. (see page 91 of the Budget Request.)

We are now eight months later. Commissioner Astrue is saying that this same budget will require a near total hiring freeze for FY 2008, which will mean a dramatic decline in Social Security's workforce and dramatically increased backlogs throughout the agency. What happened since February 2007 to cause such a dramatic change? Were the projections in February unrealistically optimistic? Is Michael Astrue lowballing with the current projections to make himself look better when things turn out a bit better or is he lowballing as a covert way of lobbying for a higher budget? Did something happen in the last eight months to affect Social Security's projections for staffing levels for this fiscal year?

Demonstration Near SSA Headquarters

From the Baltimore Sun:

A day after a federal judge ruled that the government could not use mismatched Social Security numbers to crack down on employers who hire illegal immigrants, a coalition of immigrant advocates, faith leaders and workers gathered near the Social Security Administration headquarters in Woodlawn to voice their outrage at the proposal. ...

Interfaith Worker Justice and Maryland immigrant advocacy group Casa of Maryland sponsored the gathering of about 100 people yesterday at St. Gabriel Roman Catholic Church, just blocks from SSA headquarters. ...

Weiss said agency officials declined her group's request for a meeting to express their concerns. So after yesterday's gathering, faith leaders and advocates walked to Social Security headquarters to deliver a letter of opposition addressed to Commissioner Michael J. Astrue.

"The Social Security Administration exists to help people live with security," the letter stated. "Your Administration should never be turned into the immigration police." ...

Maria Welch, president of the Baltimore Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, said that six years ago she received a "no-match" letter after she married and changed her name. "It took six months to get straightened out," she said. "The government doesn't do anything in 90 days." ...

The SSA does not have the resources to handle the crush of people responding to letters, said Witold Skwierczynski, president of the local American Federal Government Employees, which represents the agency's employees.

"We have the lowest staffing levels since 1973," he said. "Anyone who has tried to visit a Social Security office or call the 800 number knows how difficult it is to get service. ... We likely will not be able to meet the 90-day requirement, resulting in people losing their job through no fault of their own."