When Will Ss Offices Open Again

Since Social Security field offices first opened their doors more than lxxx years ago, they have been a part of every customs. Like our post offices and public libraries, Social Security'south more than than 1,200 field offices provide united states with essential services. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, they averaged175,000 visitors each and every solar day — over 40 million a twelvemonth.

That'due south why information technology is such welcome news that the Social Security Administration (SSA) has merelyannounced that the field offices will reopen to the public starting in tardily March. And it's why it's imperative that Congress allow SSA to spend the funds needed to not just reopen field offices, but besides aggrandize them.

Americans visit Social Security field offices at times of transition, ones often involving sadness, vulnerability, and stress—when a loved one dies, when someone is against a serious disability, or when a worker is approaching retirement after a lifetime of labor. They come to these offices seeking clear information and aid regarding their earned benefits under our Social Security system, an institution to which they've contributed all their working lives.

For decades, Social Security field offices were known for their exceptional customer service. But over the final decade, congressional Republicans have sabotaged Social Security offices, with disastrous consequences. Between 2010 and 2021, SSA's operating upkeepshrank by 13 percent fifty-fifty as the number of beneficiaries grew by 22 percent. Congress imposed these budget cuts despite Social Security'south accumulated surplus of $2.9 trillion, more than enough to fully fund operating costs without adding even a penny to the federal debt.

Those draconian budget cuts led to an unavoidable decline in service, despite the best efforts of a dedicated workforce. Between 2010 and 2018, SSAclosed 67 field offices beyond the land. At the other offices, operating hours were shortened and often staff reduced. People were forced to wait a year or more for hearings to determine eligibility for Social Security disability benefits, withnearly 110,000 Americans dying while waiting for a hearing.

That was the state of Social Security's customer service prior to the COVID-nineteen pandemic. At present, field offices take been shuttered for nearly two years for everything merely dire emergencies. This was the right thing to practice to keep beneficiaries and workers rubber, but it has made it fifty-fifty more difficult for Americans to claim their earned benefits. It has likewise given lie to the idea that field offices aren't important because everything tin can be done online.

In fact, many Americans don't have access to a estimator, or simply prefer to claim their benefits in person. And that isn't limited to the older generation. 60-one percent of Americanssay that they want to call or visit a local field office to apply for their earned benefits. Those whoanswered in the highest percentage that they wanted to visit a field office in person? Those aged eighteen to 29! Moreover, 86 percentage of Americans want more than or, at least, the same number of local field offices in the futurity — not fewer.

The pandemic has made crystal clear the importance of the field offices. During the pandemic, disability benefit claimsdecreased significantly — presumably due to the difficulty of applying without the valuable in-person assistance that field offices provide. Consistent with that reduction,groundbreaking inquiry establish that, before the pandemic, closing a field role reduced the number of disability applications past x percentage and resulted in an even larger reduction of disability awards — a whopping 16 percent reduction.

As field offices reopen, they will almost certainly face a backlog of disability applications from people who were unable to merits their benefits at the tiptop of the pandemic, as well as those suffering from long COVID. Field offices must too program for the provision of survivors benefits to the families of pandemic victims. And forth with all of this, 10,000 infant boomers continue to retire every day.

All of these factors mean that field offices tin can expect an even larger workload in the years to come. Congress must ensure that SSA can handle this increased workload by allowing the agency to spend the funds needed to safely reopen offices, and repair the damage that was done in the decade before the pandemic.

That means opening new offices, and hiring additional staff. In 1985, SSA employed81,000 workers. But at present, even though the population has grown and aged, SSA hasfewer than threescore,000 workers — a 26 pct decline! That needs to modify immediately so that newly reopened field offices have the resource they need to fully serve the community.

Fourth dimension is coin. Americans should not have to await hours at a crowded field office or weeks for an engagement. Americans not only deserve beginning-class service; they take purchased it. Information technology is important to recognize that the Social Security Administration's operating budget is funded out of Social Security'southward $2.9 trillion accumulated surplus. That surplus is the event of the contributions workers and their employers make with every paycheck.

It is crucial to understand that Congress is not appropriating a penny for the administration of Social Security. Rather, it is constraining, through an annual "limitation on authoritative expenses" (LAE), how much of Social Security's ain funds SSA can spend on assistants.

At that place is no skilful reason for these congressionally-imposed constraints. Social Security has always been run far more efficiently than private sector retirement programs and insurance companies. Indeed, the organisation spendsless than a penny of every dollar on administration. More than 99 cents of every dollar is returned to working families in the form of retirement, disability, and survivor benefits.

The starvation of Social Security'south administrative upkeep was ideologically driven past Republicans who aimed toundermine confidence in and support for the programme — the proverbial death by a thousand pocket-size cuts. At present that Democrats command Congress and the White House, they demand to act swiftly to reverse these destructive cuts.

As Democrats negotiate a new packet to fund the government after the current continuing resolution expires in a few weeks, they must ensure that SSA is allowed to spend the funds needed to reopen field offices and aggrandize the workforce. If Congress does that, the reopening of field offices will be a moment of triumph for the Biden administration. President Biden Joe BidenRepublican senators introduce bill to ban Russian uranium imports Energy & Surround — Ruling blocking climate accounting metric halted Fauci says officials need more than than .5B for COVID-xix response MORE will go down in history as the president who restored the outset-class client service of America'southward most popular government program, Social Security.

Nancy Altman is president of Social Security Works.

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Source: https://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/politics/592024-as-social-security-field-offices-reopen-its-time-to-expand-and#:~:text=Prior%20to%20the%20COVID%2D19,public%20starting%20in%20late%20March.

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