If You Can't Get Through To Someone At Social Security Central Offices

There is a reason you cannot get through to many people at Social Security central offices today. They are having a snowstorm in the area. Hearty folks from more snow prone areas can leave their comments.

Update: The Office of Personnel Management says Washington area federal offices are opening two hours late. Does that include Social Security central offices?

Budget For Reducing Improper Payments May Go To $4.5 Billion

From the Federal Times:

The budget would set a base level for funding to be spent on reducing improper payments at each of those programs [including Social Security], and then give Congress the option to increase that funding up to a predetermined ceiling. Many budgets dedicated to reducing improper payments could more than double over the next few years as a result.

At the Social Security Administration, for example, the base funding level for reviews to ensure benefits are correctly distributed is set at $273 million. The ceiling for 2010 would allow Congress to add another $485 million above that level — effectively tripling the program’s budget. That ceiling is raised for each of the next five years, so by 2014, the program’s budget could reach $4.5 billion.

New Insert With PEBES For Younger People

From Emily Brandon's Planning To Retire Blog at U.S. News & World Report:

The Social Security Administration is reaching out to 20 and 30-somethings. Beginning this month, workers between the ages of 25 and 35 will receive a new insert with their Social Security statement [known as a Personal Earnings and Benefit Estimate Statment or PEBES at Social Security]. “This two-sided supplement provides younger workers with information about ways to save and invest, and also shows how saving even a little bit can make a big difference over time,” says Jason Fichtner, acting deputy commissioner of the Social Security Administration.

The Obama Budget And Reducing Waste At Social Security

From Dow Jones:

A budget proposal released by the White House Thursday would seek tens of billions in savings through cracking down on improper payments for Social Security ...

The budget framework proposes $759 billion [they meant to say million, not billion] for efforts to find Social Security overpayments, and the White House estimates that the federal government could save a whopping $12.1 billion over five years by making sure that only eligible people receive Social Security payments.

Information Week On Astrue's Plans

Here is an excerpt from Information Week:

When Michael Astrue was appointed commissioner of the Social Security Administration in 2007, he found a desperately inefficient agency. Now, armed with $1 billion in funding from the federal government's stimulus bill, he's set to build a $750 million mega-data center and develop new software to reduce a massive backlog of disability claims.

I understand Information Week wanting to think that the National Computer Center and some new software is going to slay the backlog dragon. It is a naive thought, but their focus is on Information Technology, so you expect that sort of thing from them, but giving Commissioner Astrue this kind of credit? The agency was in desperate shape when Commissioner Astrue came on board, but not because of inefficiency. The problem was lack of adequate staffing, a point that Commissioner Astrue now acknowledges, but which he spent two years downplaying. If John McCain had been elected President, Astrue would still be downplaying the staffing problem and the backlogs would not be getting better. It is not Commissioner Astrue but the election results that are leading to positive change at Social Security.

Glenn-Croft To Oversee Economic Stimulus Spending For SSA

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), that just gave the Social Security Administration over a billion dollars to spend on a National Computer Center and on reducing backlogs, requires that each agency receiving ARRA funds appoint one person to oversee the spending. Government Executive.com reports that Mary Glenn-Croft, Social Security's Deputy Commissioner for Budget, Finance and Management, has been appointed to this position at Social Security.

Social Security Named Top Government Employer For Equal Opportunity

Equal Opportunity Magazine has named the Social Security Administration its top government employer. The Social Security Administration has sent out a press release.

President's FY 2010 Budget Summary Released

President Obama's budget summary for the 2010 fiscal year (FY), which begins on October 1, 2009, is out. It calls for $11.6 billion for the Social Security Administration (page 109). This is $1 billion higher than the FY 2009 appropriation for Social Security that just passed the House of Representatives, but only $500 million over the FY 2009 amount when combined with the special appropriation for reducing backlogs in the President's economic stimulus bill. I do not see Social Security's own budget request in this document.

Update: Here is a link that goes just to the Social Security part and here is a link to a summary sheet prepared by the White House.