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.
No Change Is How Social Security Is Operating Yet
It seems that most of the country is attempting to get back to some sort of post COVID-19 normal, but Social Security has not announced any substantial updates of how it will return to normal.
As of now, Social Security offices still remain closed to in-person service and the agency has not announced any specific plans on when it will return to offer in-person service. The latest update from Social Security, which can be found below, only addresses how the agency will continue to operate in the immediate future.
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to impose hardships and our country’s most vulnerable citizens continue to suffer. Many people rely on face-to-face meetings to get the help they need. Since last year, we’ve seen fewer applications for the Disability Insurance (DI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) programs. We’re working to let people know we are here to help with benefits, tools, and information.
We’re giving special attention to children with disabilities — along with their families and caretakers. If your client, or someone you know, has a child who may qualify for SSI, encourage them to apply by visiting our SSI Benefits page at www.ssa.gov/benefits/ssi.
Resources, such as our People Helping Others page, provide information for anyone helping someone with accessing our services at www.ssa.gov/thirdparty. There, your clients can access our Faith-Based Community Group Outreach Toolkit for groups and organizations to share with their networks.
Senator Says Federal Employees Need To Return To Work
Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-Louisiana, delivered a recent speech on the Senate floor where he called on federal offices that provide service to people to reopen. Cassidy specifically addressed the Social Security Administration, the Department of Veteran Affairs and other agencies. Below is a portion of the remarks Cassidy made during his speech.
I rise today in incredible frustration. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve had federal agencies and employees not working for a year.
In April, the Senate Finance Committee held a hearing entitled, “The Social Security Administration During COVID: How the Pandemic Hampered Access to Benefits and Strategies for Improving Service Delivery.”
Following the hearing, and in response to my concerns that seniors in my state with issues getting their social security benefits are not being sufficiently served due to field and local offices being closed, my office got a letter from Commissioner Andrew Saul. The letter states “I urge you to encourage the unions to continue engaging in meaningful dialogue with management that includes a focus on the very best service to the public.” This is a nice way of saying we need your help to get the union to the table so we can get federal employees back to work.
We are talking about mandatory services — re-opening Social Security offices for in-person visits, in a post-vaccine world — to assist elderly Americans, your grandma and grandpa, having issues with their benefits. But this isn’t happening because government employees won’t show up to work.
The situation at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in connection with the National Archives and specifically the National Personnel Records Center is even worse.
