We realize it may be a stretch for ordinary people to want to keep up with the comings and goings of the Social Security Administration, but sometimes circumstances permit where someone does want to follow the latest news regarding the agency due to a possible retirement or disability interest. This blog is an ongoing piecemeal of recent stories that have involved Social Security. Some are tidbits and some are important things that should be known in the world of retirement or disability and others are just interesting stories and nothing more.
Just The Beginning To Longer Lines
Long lines at a Social Security office is nothing new, but with a new federal hiring freeze in place, customers who visit Social Security offices in the future may long for what used to be. A recent story from RISTTV.COM in Corpus Christi, TX looked into the growing lines at the local Social Security office. At the end of last year, Social Security indicated the average wait time at the Corpus Christi office was about 32 minutes for service, which honestly sounds less than most other offices across the country, but now people are waiting several hours for service. Despite the fact that this report was posted February 7, 2017 there was no mention of the hiring freeze President Trump instituted among federal agencies last month as one of the reasons for increased wait times. One visitor to the office who commented for the story said, “They need to change some kind of make a new policy or more workers or do something I can’t really say what they should do.”
Unfortunately the Social Security Administration can’t hire new workers or even replace employees who leave because of the hiring freeze. Maybe if people realized why things happened they were be more inclined to get involved. There will be plenty of time in the future as lines only promise to increase.
Trouble With Social Security Debit Cards
Many people who receive Social Security benefits do so through a debit card issued by the federal government because they don’t have a bank account to receive direct deposits. There are close to 5 million people in the country who receive their Social Security benefits this way, but then have to access a cash machine to take money out. A recent story from K5 in western Washington State reports that many people have complained that they can’t find a cash machine to use their debit cards at without incurring a $3 fee. To some people this may not sound like a huge problem, but most people receiving Social Security benefits rely on every single dollar they receive to try and make ends meet. Despite the fact that the federal government has issued assurances that Direct Express customers will not be charged a surcharge fee because of an extended network of cash machines, that is not the case. Hopefully this gets figured out soon.
A Sad Day
There should be no debate about how powerful the gun lobby is in Washington D.C. A couple of weeks ago The U.S. House of Representatives, which is firmly in the grasp of the Republican Party, passed a resolution that would repeal the Obama Administration’s regulation that restricted the sale of firearms to Social Security disability recipients who require a payee to manage their own finances. As we have pointed out previously, the majority of people who would be restricted under this regulation suffer from severe mental health impairments, but apparently the Republicans don’t want to limit firearm use by anyone no matter what the consequences may be.
