We're Number Six!

     The Partnership for Public Service's rankings of the best places to work in the federal government, among large agencies, based upon Office of Personnel Management surveys:

1	National Aeronautics and Space Administration	76.1	74.6	1.5
2	Intelligence Community	67.1	67.9	-0.8
3	Department of Justice	66.3	63.8	2.5
3	Department of State	66.3	68.2	-1.9
5	Department of Commerce	66.2	68.7	-2.5
6	Social Security Administration	66.0	63.2	2.8
7	Department of Health and Human Services	63.9	61.8	2.1
8	Department of Labor	63.1	58.7	4.4
8	Department of Transportation	63.1	60.4	2.7
10	Department of the Air Force	60.0	56.8	3.2

Don't Spend It All In One Place

     Social Security's Office of Chief Actuary is estimating a cost of living adjustment (COLA) this year between 0.0% and 0.7% with the intermediate estimate being 0.2%.

Budget Cuts Threaten Furloughs At Social Security

     From a press release (emphasis added):

The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) National Council of SSA Field Operations Locals (NCSSAFOL) is warning the public and Social Security beneficiaries of the danger of the U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee's decision to cut President Obama's proposed budget request for the Social Security Administration (SSA) by $1.2 billion, $263 million below the Fiscal Year 2016 spending level.

Witold Skwierczynski, President of the NCSSAFOL, states that the House budget cuts will result in a ten-day furlough of all SSA workers, an agency-wide hiring freeze, a reduction in local field office hours, permanent closing of many field offices, increases in wait times on SSA's National 800 number and field offices, and an increase in processing times for benefits. ...

The AFGE National Council of SSA Field Operations Locals represents 28,000 employees in 1250 Social Security field offices  and 28 Teleservice Centers across the country, including Puerto Rico, and the Pacific Islands.

Eanes Nomination Stalled

     I don't know what's going on but there's been no action on the Senate floor on the nomination of Andrew Lamont Eanes to become Deputy Commissioner of Social Security even though the nomination was reported out of the Senate Finance Committee almost three months ago. At this point, it's not clear that the Senate is willing to act on any Obama nominee.

Why Is This Legal?

     From an accounting firm's newsletter:

The federal self-employment (SE) tax just keeps going higher and higher. [No, apart from a cost of living adjustment in the earnings base, it hasn't changed in many years.] If you've reached the breaking point, there may be a way to tame the SE tax beast by converting your existing unincorporated small business into an S corporation. ...

So it may be time to consider an S corporation conversion. Reason: The SE tax doesn't apply to earnings from an S corporation business. 

The FICA tax is only due on an S corporation shareholder-employee's salary. So when the company pays only a portion of its profits to the owner, or owners, in the form of a reasonable salary, with the remaining portion paid out in the form of cash distributions, only the salary portion is hit with Social Security and Medicare taxes (in the form of the FICA tax). The profits paid out as cash distributions are exempt from the FICA tax (and exempt from the SE tax too)....

Thanks, Trump

     The Social Security field office in downtown Cleveland will be closed this week because of the Republican national convention.

People Cut Off Social Security Disabilty Benefits Struggle

     And these are claimants that Social Security has found to be medically improved.

The Cost Of Budget Cuts