If you’ve been frustrated by long wait times and delays trying to get through to the folks at the Social Security Administration, better brace yourself. Those delays could soon be getting a lot worse.
Anyone who pays attention to the peculiar institution called the U.S. House of Representatives knows that battles over government funding are nothing new. Disagreements between Republicans and Democrats – and more often, it seems, between fellow members of the GOP – can quickly lead to bitterness and rancor, coupled with the type of brinksmanship that threatens the shutdown of most government services.
Right now, according to this recent article from The Hill, one of the skirmishes in the current round of budget battles involves funding of the Social Security Administration. As the article, written by reporter Alexander Bolton, makes clear, the disagreement does not threaten anyone’s actual benefits. However, it could make it harder for beneficiaries to get answers to questions or resolution for claims and disputes. The take-away: if you need answers from the folks at Social Security, you’d better plan ahead for even lengthier delays.
Refusal to Increase SSA Funding Means Longer Service Delays
Bolton begins, “Social Security beneficiaries could face longer wait times for service next year unless Congress agrees to the White House budget office’s request to increase funding for the Social Security Administration (SSA), the administration that runs the program is warning.”
This, because the House Republicans “balked” at increasing funding for the SSA, which forced the agency to implement a hiring freeze in the last month.
“As a result,” Bolton continues, “the SSA will soon reach a 50-year low in staffing despite having to provide service to a record number of beneficiaries, which means customers will experience longer wait times on the phone or online when trying to resolve problems.”
Benefits Unaffected, but Claims Will Take Longer to Resolve
Bolton is quick to add that the funding freeze will not result in a cut to benefits. However, this will mean the agency will struggle to process claims and address customer problems in a timely manner.
In a statement to The Hill, the SSA said, “If SSA does not receive increased appropriation through March, over 2,000 additional employees will be lost through attrition in the next three months, including experienced staff.”
“Customer service will decline as wait times in our field offices and on the 800 Number increase, backlogs grow, and customers experience further delays in waiting for their claims to be processed,” a spokesperson for the agency warns.
Funding Battle Reverses a Year of Service Improvement
This setback comes after a series of recent advances for the agency. Under the leadership of former Commissioner Martin O’Malley, the SSA had increased its productivity this year, “clearing more initial disability cases than it had received for the first time in many years, and lowering wait times on its toll-free number,” Bolton writes. In a frustrating twist, those gains in efficiency are likely to be lost if Congress cannot come to an agreement on funding.
“Under the existing Continuing Resolution (which did not include the Administration’s requested anomaly) the Social Security Administration was forced to institute a hiring freeze on November 21,” the spokesperson says. “Many of the gains we’ve experienced will be lost under continued flat funding.”
Other Agencies Also Affected if Funding Remains Flat
The SSA is potentially the tip of the iceberg. Bolton writes, “Other federal agencies, including the IRS and the Federal Aviation Administration, have also warned they will have to freeze hiring unless Congress agrees to similar funding bump-ups for them in the next continuing resolution.”
To avoid a government shutdown, lawmakers must pass a stopgap spending measure by December 20th. If the stopgap spending measure keeps the SSA’s funding flat, Bolton tells us that agency employees will likely face up to 10 days of furlough, forcing office closures and reduced service levels.
“This means our field offices, card centers, and the national 800 number would have reduced levels of service and further delay critical services that the public depends on,” the spokesperson says.
Senate and House Have Opposite Views of Funding Need
Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, warns that Social Security beneficiaries will feel a negative impact if funding is kept flat.
“The Senate Appropriations bill provided a bump-up. The House Appropriations bill cut them quite a bit,” he says. “It would be terrible if they have to furlough staff. We should not be cutting the Social Security budget. It just makes it harder for Americans to get their benefits. It means that customer service goes way down. I don’t know why anybody would support that.”
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) admits that he hasn’t tracked the battle over spending but acknowledges it’s “generally not a good thing” if a reduction in funding means seniors and people with disabilities need to wait longer to get their claims addressed. “I need to look at it,” he says. “See what minimally is necessary.”
According to the SSA’s website, it currently takes between six and ten months of waiting to get a hearing on a claim.
Possible SSA Funding Cut Would “Significantly Degrade Services”
Bolton writes, “The SSA says if it receives the funding cut proposed by the House, which would reduce its budget to $401 million below its fiscal 2024 operating level and $1.6 billion below President Biden’s request, that would significantly degrade services to the public.”
The agency spokesperson adds, “We could be forced to shut down offices due to furloughs for SSA employees of up to 20 business days prior to October. Backlogs and wait times would grow dramatically, with customers waiting months longer to get many services.”
A funding cut would also delay people’s access to their benefits, as well as non-Social Security Administration services and benefits that depend on the agency’s work. These might include the issuing of Social Security numbers, obtaining replacement cards, and accessing Medicare benefits.
Many in House GOP Dispute Claims of Funding Emergency
Bolton writes, “House Republicans are pushing back on claims that the SSA is facing a dire situation. They note the agency received a $100 million increase for fiscal 2024 and that the stopgap spending measure passed in late September ‘continued’ that funding increase.”
They further argue that the Biden-Harris administration’s request to increase the SSA’s funding—by more than one billion—is “unsustainable and could lead to significant reductions in other non-defense discretionary areas.”
Bolton concludes with the words of one Republican aide, who pushed back on criticism of sticking with current funding levels for another three months. They said that any “unsustainable” increase in the SSA’s budget could impact other priorities such as child care, medical research and public health initiatives.
“They have the resources and should responsibly use the increase they’ve already been given,” says the Republican aide.
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(originally reported at www.thehill.com)