Judging by the Social Security questions I get, lots of people are well aware that the Social Security Administration (SSA) is in the middle of a budget crisis, and they are worried about how this will affect them.
To put it bluntly, people are right to be worried. While the benefits you receive from Social Security and SSI shouldn’t be directly affected, there are a number of ways that regular people will be impacted by the budget financial troubles the organization is having. Just a few key examples are a longer wait at field offices, increased processing times, and some people will have to travel further for Social Security Disability hearings. More than ever before, you need professionals on your side who know disability law.
What Exactly Has Been Cut?
Across the board, the SSA is experiencing losses big and small in terms of how they are able to serve the public due to the fact that the federal government hasn’t been willing to meet their budgetary requests. From 2010 to 2011, the budget actually went down, and 2012 was only a small increase over the 2010 amount.
Because of this, the SSA has been forced to:
- Freeze hiring for every division with the exception of ODAR since the middle of 2010
- Delay the opening of eight new hearing offices
- Close 160 temporary remote Social Security Disability hearing sites that made it easier for claimants in remote areas to continue fighting for benefits
- Divert resources away from IT projects that would have improved productivity because they were needed to continue funding the core mission
- Cut a half hour from the end of the day at field offices by having them close to the public 30 minutes earlier each day
- Ask 9,000 of its most experienced workers (those aged 50 or older or who have at least 25 years with the organization) to take early retirement, representing a loss of 14 percent of its work force
For a free legal consultation, call 800-562-9830
How Does the Future Look?
Not great. Until our economy experiences more of a recovery and the government is able to fully fund the SSA, the organization is going to continue to struggle. Unfortunately, this means that the citizens that need to work with Social Security offices are also going to have difficulties. That’s why it’s so important to have a qualified professional helping you if you need to make a claim.
If you have more Social Security budget questions you’d like answered, talk to an experienced Texas Social Security disability attorney. Please feel free to check out our free e-book; The Social Security Disability Puzzle.
Call or text 800-562-9830 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form
