The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities recently released some telling information about Social Security’s resources and the kind of workload it is facing. To make a long story short, Social Security has less operating money and less staff than it used to, but the workload has only increased.
These figures compare today’s current environment at Social Security to 2010. According to the analysis, the Social Security Administration has had its core operating budget cut by 10 percent over the last six years and total staffing is 5 percent less than it was in 2010. In contrast, the number of total Social Security disability decisions being appealed has increased overall by 2 percent and the total number of Social Security beneficiaries has increased by 12 percent since 2010. The idea that less is more is clearly not working, but there is no indication something is going to change anytime soon.
In The Effort Of Saving Time
Time is a precious commodity that none of us seem to have enough of. Considering your time is valuable, what could be worse than wasting time waiting for something if you don’t have to? Unfortunately if you try to contact Social Security, either in person or by the phone, you are likely in for a lot of waiting. Lines are long at Social Security offices and on-hold times if you call Social Security are usually at least 15 minutes. There are a lot of things related to Social Security you could do online at www.ssa.gov. Social Security’s website is not perfect, but you can apply for disability, change your contact information and get replacement Social Security and Medicare cards by submitting the requests online. Other matters may require you to actually get the assistance of a Social Security employee, but it is always wise to check online before you visit or call a Social Security office.
