Evacuation Authority To Quickly Implement Mass Telework

     From Government Executive:

... In recent days, federal workers have reported that implementation of administration guidance urging agencies to maximize the availability of telework has been a mixed bag, with several organizations continuing to resist allowing employees to work remotely. The Office of Management and Budget on Tuesday issued its strongest memo yet, ordering agencies to “minimize face-to-face contact,” maximize telework, and reprioritize non-mission critical services.

OPM on Thursday wrote that agencies can more quickly implement mass telework by formally evacuating employees’ worksites in connection with a pandemic. By using evacuation pay authority, agencies can mandate that federal employees use telework, regardless of whether they already have a telework agreement.

 “This evacuation pay authority provides agencies with an additional option in dealing with the COVID-19 outbreak,” OPM wrote. “In particular, in the context of a pandemic health crisis, the evacuation pay regulations allow an agency to direct employees to work at home (or an alternative location agreeable to the employee and the agency) without regard to whether the employee and the agency have a telework agreement in place. Also, an employee may be assigned to perform any work considered necessary without regard to the employee’s grade, level or title.” ...

What's Going On In California?

     The governor of California has ordered the entire population of the state to remain in their homes. However, Social Security's office closings website only shows two offices in California closed. So, what's going on? There's many field offices, of course, but also a large payment center in California. I imagine there are one or more teleservice centers in California. Are they open? How much of their work can be get done by telework? How can Social Security compensate for work that doesn't get done.

     California may be the first state to issue a shelter in place order but it probably won't be the last. That may be coming in New York soon, like maybe today. Even if governors don't issue shelter in place orders, they're probably coming locally in places like New Orleans. 

     Social Security has to figure how what it's going to do and cope with the fact that a lot isn't going to get done for now. Social Security needs to plan on a huge amount of overtime as soon as practical and to ask the White House for this to be included in a future special appropriations bill.

     If this doesn't sound real to you, consider that in Spain four people an hour are dying from Covid-19. Did 9/11 seem like a crisis to you? It was nothing compared to Covid-19.

     Update: Within minutes after I posted this, the governor of New York issued a stay at home order. New York also has many Social Security field offices, a payment center (which is a mess in the best of times) and may have some teleservice centers. I don't know which states are on the clock now -- Washington, New Jersey, Connecticut, Louisiana, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan?

No Answers From Social Security

     From the Tacoma News Tribune:

At the Social Security Administration office in an Auburn office building, the routine has been the same each day.

Dozens of workers touch the same keypad to enter the building. They use the same bathroom doors. They don’t always sit 6 feet away from colleagues. They share a kitchen, a copier and a fax machine.

While President Donald Trump urges people not to gather socially in groups of 10 or more, employees in many federal offices have been doing that day after day - and worrying about whether they’re being exposed to the coronavirus. ...

The agency has taken steps this week to implement telework policies. Agency spokesmen in Washington, D.C., and Seattle did not answer requests for comment.

Nor has the agency responded to some congressional requests.

“Social Security employs approximately 40,000 public-facing workers, some of whom have reported an array of concerns from lack of ability to telework, limited access to cleaning supplies,” wrote Rep. John Larson, D-Connecticut, chairman of the House Social Security subcommittee, and others, to Social Security Commissioner Andrew Saul on Tuesday.

Larson’s office said he has received no response. ...

Read more here: https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/coronavirus/article241338426.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/coronavirus/article241338426.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/coronavirus/article241338426.html#storylink=cpy

Management Resistance To Telework

     From Government Executive:

Faced with the choice of going into the office or taking personal vacation days, many federal workers are opting to stay home. The Office of Management and Budget has issued guidance instructing agencies to implement “maximum telework flexibilities” in any area with an outbreak of the novel coronavirus, but managers are still requiring many employees across the country to come into the office. ...

Following an agency-wide push last year to curtail telework, SSA [Social Security Administration] has resisted taking the same steps many of its counterparts across government have taken during the coronavirus pandemic. One employee who works at the Harold Washington Social Security Administration Center in Chicago says staff are capable and willing to telework, but it has not been given that option. Instead, he has taken leave all week. 

“My supervisors will not approve me to telework, even though my position is one that can be done remotely,” the employee said. Some of his colleagues performing the same functions are now working remotely because they have children out of school or someone else to care for, but the staffer's pleas that he was worried about his wife and kids were not enough to persuade agency managers to allow him to telework, he said. ...

The White House, meanwhile, has provided inconsistent messaging. President Trump on Thursday confused the entire concept when asked if he wanted to push more telework for government employees. 

“We are, and we’re using the medical term of telemedicine, and it’s been incredibly busy and really where people don’t have to, I mean some people can’t do it anyway,” Trump said. “They can’t get up, they can’t see a doctor, but we’re using this and it’s been telehealth, different names, and I will tell you that it’s been really successful.” ...

How Well Do You Think That Social Security Has Responded To The Covid-19 Pandemic?

     Social Security has an Office of Security and Emergency Preparedness, run by Joseph D. Sliwka. He's in charge of continuity of operations planning. Mr. Sliwka works for Michelle King, the Deputy Commissioner, Budget, Finance, and Management. Let's remember that while Mr. Sliwka can plan and advise, the major decisions were made and are being made above his pay grade. In the past, when natural disasters, such as hurricanes have happened, my impression was that Social Security did a fine job of responding. This is a different emergency to say the least.

Social Security Employees Worried About Covid-19

     Many Social Security employees are worried about their potential exposure to Covid-19. Can anyone blame them? If you’re not worried, you’re not paying attention.

CMS Says Facetime And Skype Are OK To Use For Confidential Conversations. Why Not SSA?

     The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has now approved patient visits with physicians via Facetime and Skype, so why can't claimants and their attorneys use such services to do Social Security hearings during this time of emergency?

CDRs And Overpayment Collection Suspended Among Other Things

     From a new Social Security Covid-19 website:

What workloads is SSA not doing during the COVID-19 pandemic?

Created: March 18, 2020

We have suspended the following workloads until further notice:

• We will not start or complete any current medical continuing disability reviews. If you have a medical continuing disability review pending, please do not request medical information from your doctors at this time. We will follow up with you for any medical evidence once the COVID-19 public health emergency subsides.
• Where possible, we are suspending our processing and collection of overpayments.
• We are not conducting organization or individual representative payee accountings.
• We will not be able to process a third party requests for information, except from appointed representatives and representative payees
• We will not process any Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests.

     What if Social Security is already withholding part of a claimant's benefits because of an overpayment? Are they suspending that?