Field Office Closures Hurt

     From WWLP:

Fred Hall told Border Report he walked more than 14 blocks to get to the Social Security Administration office in Downtown San Diego trying to take care of “important Social Security business.” 

When he finally got there, he was turned away by a locked door adding to his frustrations of trying to get a hold of someone inside. ... 

“My phone is dead, I can’t get a phone to report that my phone is dead, I can’t go to the library to use the internet because the library is closed, the senior centers are closed, I just can’t get any help,” Hall said. ... 

It appears seniors like Hall, have become victims of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. While talking to him, at least two other senior citizens walked up to the office without getting inside or finding anyone to help them. ...

More On Stimulus Payments To SSI Recipients

     Last night Social Security sent out a press release saying SSI recipients have to May 5 to file “tax returns” in order for their minor children to get economic stimulus payments.

     Let me be clear. The U.S. Treasury is responsible for making these payments. They’re the ones making a mess of this. If there is another round of payments maybe Treasury will have its act together but my thought is that the Social Security Administration may need to detail some employees to help them out. Social Security has been using databases since the 1930s. Yes, they existed back then in a primitive form. There’s probably no other government agency with Social Security’s experience with databases. Treasury was so pathetic that they didn’t even do a match with the Death Master File before sending out payments! They need help.

So, What's It Like Working From Home Every Day?

     Ready to get back in the office again? How's your productivity? What are the problems? What does Social Security need to do differently?

Union Argues For Increased Telework But Is The Argument Founded In Reality?

     Ralph de Juliis, the head of the union that represents most Social Security employees, has penned an op ed in the Baltimore Sun calling for Social Security to continue extensive telework even after the end of the Covid-19 emergency. He says:

... Social Security employees have found that not only are they able to efficiently work from home, they can provide an even better public service in a time of increased uncertainty. Before the implementation of telework, our field office employees had a 70% response rate to claimants, a rate that has increased to 95% in our remote work world. ...

     What does a 95% response rate mean? Field office service during this emergency has been better than I expected but I certainly haven't seen improvement over the baseline.

     He also says:

.....We also propose allowing employees in our telecommunication centers to work 100% remotely. The work of our telecommunications professionals already takes place over the phone, and we saw an increase in productivity among these employees during our 2013-2019 telework program. ...

     Yet, Social Security is reporting that the wait time for its 800 number went up to 90 minutes after telework was resumed! That does not sound like an increase in productivity.

ALJ Union Sues

     The union representing Social Security's Administrative Law Judges (ALJs) has filed a lawsuit challenging the authority of the Federal Service Impasses Panel that imposed a harsh contract on its members. The suit is a constitutional challenge to the fact that Impasses Panel members are not confirmed by the Senate. This is likely to still be pending come next January 20 when it is possible that Joe Biden will be sworn in as President. This is going to be a frequent theme on this blog. Lawsuits filed in the hope that a new President will settle the case in a way which overturns decisions made during the Trump Administration.

Interesting

     Social Security is updating the section of its POMS manual dealing with the economic stimulus payments it last made in 2011 during the Great Recession. Why would you be updating a section of the manual dealing with a defunct program? Perhaps because you thought you might soon be doing the same thing once again?

Trustees Report Released

     From a press release:

The Social Security Board of Trustees today released its annual report on the long-term financial status of the Social Security Trust Funds. The combined asset reserves of the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance and Disability Insurance (OASI and DI) Trust Funds are projected to become depleted in 2035, the same as projected last year, with 79 percent of benefits payable at that time.

The OASI Trust Fund is projected to become depleted in 2034, the same as last year’s estimate, with 76 percent of benefits payable at that time. The DI Trust Fund is estimated to become depleted in 2065, extended 13 years from last year’s estimate of 2052, with 92 percent of benefits still payable. ...

     Of course, the economic dislocations caused by the Covid-19 pandemic may significantly affect the trust funds in ways that cannot yet be projected. At least is the short run we know there will be decreased revenues.  We don't know how quickly and how completely the economy will rebound once this is over. We also don't know how this will affect claiming behavior. Will people apply earlier for benefits? I wouldn't know about retirement benefits but I've seen no jump in disability claims filed.

Charge Of Social Security Fraud For GOP Operative Already Facing Election Fraud Charges

     From the Daily Beast:

A Republican operative in North Carolina who’s facing criminal charges related to the alleged harvesting of election ballots was simultaneously ripping off the Social Security system, federal prosecutors say.

The Justice Department indicted Leslie McCrae Dowless this month on four federal criminal counts alleging that he knowingly concealed his income and employment status from the Social Security Administration even as he brought in tens of thousands of dollars from his political work in the Tarheel State.

That work has already landed Dowless in major legal jeopardy. He was arrested in early 2019 and charged with five criminal counts including conspiracy and obstruction. Later that year, Wake County prosecutors charged him with additional counts including conspiracy, obstruction, and perjury. He has denied wrongdoing on all counts. ...

The charges in North Carolina stem from Dowless’ alleged role in a widespread scheme that included the forgery of signatures, dates, and even votes themselves on North Carolina ballots, and a system of payments to Dowless’ employees to collect absentee ballots and ballot request forms. ...