Social Security employees have sent a message to millions of retirees amid the deep cuts, buyouts, and restructuring occurring at the Social Security Administration. These changes have been pushed by the Department of Government Efficiency as it aims to enact its cost-cutting measures in government agencies under the leadership of Elon Musk.
DOGE, which has also been tasked by Trump’s administration to improve efficiency in government agencies, has been under attack from both Republicans and Democrats for infiltrating the SSA and causing it trouble.
The Pain on Social Security Employees
Last month, Eleanor H., 66, told the NY Times about an incident in which she had to comfort an SSA representative when she inquired about her retirement benefits. “I asked her what was wrong, and she said that she and her co-workers had been notified by e-mail to accept a taxable $20,000 payout or risk termination,” Eleanor said.
Eleanor said that while the representative was helpful and answered all of her questions, albeit through her tears, she was worried about what she was going to do.
This distress illustrates the frustration SSA workers are experiencing as DOGE pushes SSA to lay off over 12% of its workforce. This isn’t an isolated case, but one of many that workers are facing in the midst of forced layoffs.
DOGE’s Role in the SSA’s Troubles
The newly created Department of Government Efficiency is taking a chainsaw approach to the SSA, forcing it to;
- Cut its workforce by up to 12% at a time when SSA is already struggling with the lowest staffing levels in 50 years.
- Offer buyouts and early retirement incentives of up to $25,000 to its entire staff.
- Closing around 25 SSA field offices.
- Automating processes and forcing beneficiaries to use the online option at the expense of in-person service.
These aggressive changes have left the SSA struggling to operate efficiently as it has for the last several decades.
Why Social Security Employees Are Sounding the Alarm
Social Security Employees are sounding the alarm amid the aggressive changes at the SSA saying that they are already disrupting services and that the situation is getting worse. According to the employees, retirees should expect delays in handling appeals and new applications, longer phone waiting times, increased errors, especially for complex cases, and difficulty in booking appointments soon.
How Will the Benefits Be Affected?
Although there are no expected cuts in Social Security checks, the service behind them is adversely affected, and beneficiaries should brace themselves for delays in processing new benefits, limited access to help, and errors in benefit calculation. Retirees will also have to deal with more stress due to their limited access to technology as the SSA pushes people to rely more on the online portal.
Retirees, together with disabled individuals who have limited mobility, will also have to undergo more stress, as most local field offices have been closed. Due to this, they will have to travel longer distances to access in-person services in SSA offices.
What Retirees and Other Beneficiaries Should Do
All beneficiaries of the SSA are supposed to be vigilant and proactive amid the ongoing changes at the SSA. They should do so by;
- Acting early, especially if you plan to retire soon, can help avoid last last-minute rush amid the current delays and disruption of services.
- Learning how to use online tools for checking benefits, applying, and monitoring payments, because soon it might be the only way of doing so.
- Reporting issues or errors and ensuring that they are being acted upon.
Above all, it is important to stay informed by checking updates from the SSA regularly to avoid surprises that might delay Social Security benefits.