Posted on 02/28/2025 1:24:54 PM PST by Jacquerie
Consistent with recent executive orders issued by the White House, the Social Security Administration will continue to implement efficiencies and reduce costs, with a renewed focus on mission critical work for the American people.
The agency plans to reduce the size of its bloated workforce and organizational structure, with a significant focus on functions and employees who do not directly provide mission critical services. Social Security recently set a staffing target of 50,000, down from the current level of approximately 57,000 employees. Rumor of a 50 percent reduction is false.
Initial steps to reduce the workforce included offering a limited number of employees the opportunity to leave the agency under the Deferred Resignation Program and Voluntary Early Retirement (VERA).
Yesterday, the agency announced to all employees that Social Security would soon implement agency-wide organizational restructuring that will include significant workforce reductions. The announcement includes offering Voluntary Separation Incentive Payments (VSIP) to all employees on a first come first serve basis and expanding VERA to all employees. Both VERA and VSIP require employees to opt in and to separate from the agency by specific dates.
Social Security anticipates that much of the staff reductions needed to reach the target of 50,000 will come from retirement, VSIP, and resignation. Additional reductions will come from reduction-in-force (RIF) actions that could include abolishment of organizations and positions. RIF also can include directed reassignments from one position to another position in the agency. Agencies are required to submit their RIF plans to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) by March 13, 2025. No date has been set when a RIF might begin after OPM approves the plan.
SSA has operated with a regional structure consisting of 10 offices, which is no longer sustainable. The agency will reduce the regional structure in all agency components down to four regions. The organizational structure at Headquarters also is outdated and inefficient. SSA will now have seven Deputy Commissioner level organizations.
These steps prioritize customer service by streamlining redundant layers of management, reducing non-mission critical work, and potential reassignment of employees to customer service positions. Also supporting this priority is looking for efficiencies and other opportunities to reduce costs across all spending categories, including information technology and contractor spending. SSA is committed to ensure this plan has a positive effect on the delivery of Social Security services.
Put thousands of employees ON THE PHONE and SERVICE your CUSTOMERS. Tired of waiting for HOURS and then NOBODY answers anyway. FIRE THEM ALL and hire people who WANT to work.
Raise the cap.
“ Additional reductions will come from reduction-in-force (RIF) actions that could include abolishment of organizations and positions”
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First off…. FIRE ALL THE LAWYERS!
Most of social security is computerized. What do they need 50,000 employees for?
When I retired I applied for SS online. Took about 20 minutes. Never have I talked to a person.
They really need to cut down on employees if they have to hire TRUMP-HATING contractors like Charlie Littlejohn who leaked the files of 400,000 people all over the world to get the job done. Dumb bass turd.
I had to go to the SS office once and it looked like the freakin’ United Nations. They even had interpreters for your convenience.
Your lucky you didn’t have to speak with a really person.
I was on hold for 2 hours before I was disconnected.
Couldnt make an appointment.
All of the dealings of both my wife and I have been by computer. Bit of a hassle with the secure login setup since I had to incorporate it into one I’d set up for another agency.
Actual computer interface is simple.
I did have to go to an SS office a couple years ago to deal with a simple matter for my son as I am his conservator. I called to make an appointment. The guy, who was clearly working at home, said I didn’t need to as it was pretty slow about 1 PM. So I go, short line, get to the front where I am talking to a young female type who is behind plexiglass and wearing a thick mask. It sounded like she was talking from under a mattress. I gave her my stuff, she asked me some questions and then she said I have to make an appointment. Say what? Just transfer the deposit from this account to this account. Nope. So I leave and muttered some things that I thought would land me in prison. A week later I get a letter that gives me a PHONE meeting in a month. When that chick called she said I could just walk in and take care of it. More impolite thoughts... She finally figured out that she could just do it right then with a few keystrokes. RETARDS, all of them.
Government is quickly moving to electronic IDs. I know some people are skeptical of this. I have one already with the Patent & Trademark office; and had another one with CPB for international travel (I had to go to the airport and get a biometric scan for that one). They are expanding the digital ID to the TSA in airports this year - starting with 4 airports you can use a digital ID on your phone to get through the security.
I say this because at some point perhaps not too far away from now, much of these services can be done remotely and with AI. The most important thing is that people get their money. But if you have other needs, being able to confirm your identity and do it yourself online could cut the administrative costs enormously. It will be a transition of course, and not without some hiccups. But as long as the money is deposited on time the other issue can be ironed out step by step. My wife had to do something similar to become an Amazon seller. Send your ID to them. Then do an interview with phone or laptop or PC with camera. Answer some questions and show the ID again. They take pictures to confirm your identity; check your IP address etc. Like it or not its heading that way.
And as far as the TSA goes part of the pilot program is to use kiosks and “self inspection” (sort of). You scan your ID and your face to confirm it is you. You send your bags into the X-Ray thingamabob. It is examined electronically and sometimes the staff is in a separate location watching the process and the photos. In other words, we could see a slim-down of the TSA airport staff too.
Look at what Elon did with Twitter. Cut the staff by why what, 80%? And it runs better. A few glitches at first but they were quickly fixed. It is entirely possibly to cut administrative costs by 50% over time by streamlining processes that also make interaction easier for the citizens.
“RETARDS, all of them.”
With a huge dose of arrogance and no sense of humor.
I decided not to apply for SS early, but had to signup for Medicare a few years ago. In order to sign up on line, you have to be authenticated by one of the credit reporting agencies to start the process. I didn't feel like unlocking one of those agencies, so I called the local SS office. The next available appointment was 2 months out. That prompted me to temporarily unlock the credit reporting agency. I get into the Medicare signup but got kicked out of the system when I reported I was born abroad. Both my parents are US citizens and I have paid into the SS/Medicare system for years. The next business day I took my birth certificate into the SS office and I only had to wait a few minutes for them to make a copy of my birth certificate. This is a government process at its finest /s
I drove my Sister-in-law to our local office. First thing I noticed was all openings to the personnel had bullet proof glass over them, and all openings at the side had bullet proof glass. You dropped anything they needed in a dish that you could not get your hand through.
Naaah...the retards all work at/for the Post Office.
I applied online on Dec 1, 2024 and got my December & January deposits on Feb 20, 2025. I get paid on the 18th of each month.
There was a delay due to me putting in the wrong town I was born in. I called on Feb 20 and they answered in a few minutes and I was told I was getting my money. Done in 10 minutes. I was pleasantly surprised as a call the previous day I was on hold for I think over an hour just to be told to call someone at an extension because of my error.
I had earlier been told there was a 100 day delay even though their website says 30 days.
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