Recently, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) had an interesting story about how underfunding is hurting services provided to the public by the Social Security Administration.
According to the organization, the 2016 Labor-HHS-Education bill, which was recently approved by the House Appropriations Committee, would force the SSA to work with stagnant funding.
The CBPP reported that the bill would squeeze the SSA at its core, as it freezes administrative funding at the same level as the previous year without accounting for inflation or rising workloads. “[Administrative funding] has fallen by over 10 percent since 2010 after adjusting for inflation, despite rising workloads as baby boomers retire,” the organization said.
The group said that between 2010 and 2015, the number of beneficiaries receiving Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) rose by about 13 percent. This increase occurred despite the fact that since 2010, the SSA has eliminated more than 6,000 employees or 10 percent of its staff.
Because of this, SSDI claims have backlogged tremendously in many areas, and there have been increased wait times at field offices and longer hold times for people seeking information over the phone. The organization argued that Congress should be providing relief to the agency rather than freezing funding.
For the statement by the CBPP, you can click on the source link below. The 2016 Labor-HHS-Education bill still needs Congressional approval by October 1 before it can become law.
Working With a Social Security Disability Attorney
It is unfortunate that the SSA has had to make do with stagnant funding for administrative support over the last few years. This has affected many Americas who are being forced to wait longer for answers regarding benefit appeals or applications. It is our hope that our elected officials will realize that demands are increasing, so more money is needed to fund these services.
If you have questions about SSDI or SSI, contact our Tulsa disability attorneys. We can help you move forward with a claim or point you in the right direction when it comes to an administrative item.
Troutman & Troutman, P.C. – Tulsa Social Security disability lawyers
Source: http://www.cbpp.org/blog/underfunding-weakens-social-securitys-service-to-the-public
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