July 2014

FY 2012 FY 2013 FY2014 FY2015 FY2016 FY2017

Budget Proposed / 12,673 / 11,897 / 12,457 / 12,182 / 12,724 / 13,237
Budget Enacted / 11,563 / 11,046 / 11,846 / 11,992 / 12,368
SSA Full-Time
Equivalents (FTEs) / 64,062 / 61,861 / 61,767 / 63,698 / 64,840 / 66,140
Overtime/Lump
Sum Leave / 2,573 / 2,181 / 3,148 / 2,347 / 972 / 2,498
Total SSA Work Years / 66,635
(-2,723) / 64,041
(-2594) / 64,915
(874) / 66,045
(1,130) / 65,832
(-213) / 68,638
(2806)

Since 2010, the Social Security Administration (SSA) has endured deep budget cuts that have annihilated SSA’s once proud achievement of providing World Class Service. As a result of these budget cuts, SSA has imposed hiring freezes, closed 64 offices and all 533 contact stations across the country, and reduced office hours to the public. Appointments to file for claims of retirement, disability and/or survivor benefits now take up to 60 days. Callers to SSA’s 800# result in a busy signal more than 10% of the time and wait a minimum of 15 minutes on hold. Many callers complain of hold times of more than one hour. Initial disability claims and reconsideration decisions take 4-6 months, while hearing appeal decisions now take more than 18 months. As a direct result to the budget cuts, historic level of backlogs exist throughout the agency, most notably is the backlog of more than 1.1 million hearing appeals.

Last year, Social Security field offices received more than 28 million calls and assisted 41 million visitors. Yet, SSA field offices have lost about 2,000 employees. In 2017, SSA expects a record number of beneficiaries due to the peak of baby boomers filing for benefits. Service delays cause difficulties for our most vulnerable citizens, including veterans, who are at an increased risk of both homelessness and disability. Appointment delays for those who just lost a loved one often cause an undue hardship for those who desperately wait for income replacement.

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities found that “the cuts have hampered SSA’s ability to perform its essential services, such as determining eligibility in a timely manner for retirement, survivor, and disability benefits, paying benefits accurately and on time, responding to questions from the public, and updating benefits promptly when circumstances change.”[1]

Level funding for FY17 would be devastating. According to SSA officials, Level funding would result in:

  • An Agency wide hiring would be in place.
  • Overtime availability would be limited to health, safety and emergencies only.
  • Numerous furlough days if a long term CR is imposed.
  • Elimination of employee awards.
  • Reconsideration of reducing office hours and closing offices.
  • Waiting times for services and backlogs will continue to grow.

FY 2017 Performance Table / FY12 / FY13 / FY14 / FY15 / FY16 / FY17
Actual / Actual / Actual / Actual / Enacted / Request
Selected Workload Measures
Retirement and Survivors Claims Completed (thousands) / 5,001 / 5,007 / 5,024 / 5,327 / 5,586 / 5,732
Initial Disability Claims Completed (thousands) / 3 / 2,988 / 2,862 / 5,327 / 2,695 / 2,810
Disability Reconsiderations Completed (thousands) / 207 / 803 / 757 / 723 / 702 / 715
Hearings Completed (thousands) / 809 / 794 / 681 / 663 / 703 / 784
National 800 Number Calls Handled (millions) / 57 / n/a / 37 / 37 / 34 / 38
Average Speed of Answer (ASA) (seconds) / 294 / 617 / 1,323 / 617 / 945 / 675
Agent Busy Rate (percent) / 5% / 12% / 14% / 7.50% / 9.50% / 7.00%
Social Security Numbers (SSN) Completed (millions) / 17 / 17 / 16 / 16 / 16 / 16
Annual Earnings Items Completed (millions) / 245 / 251 / 257 / 266 / 264 / 265
Social Security Statements Issued (millions) / 24 / 0 / 4 / 50 / 38 / 44
Selected Outcome Measures
Initial Disability Claims Receipts (thousands) / n/a / 2,985 / 2,805 / 2,756 / 2,807 / 2,817
Hearings Receipts (thousands) / n/a / 825 / 811 / 746 / 730 / 729
Initial Disability Claims Pending (thousands) / 708 / 698 / 633 / 621 / 733 / 740
Disability Reconsiderations Pending (thousands) / 198 / 173 / 170 / 144 / 136 / 137
Hearings Pending (thousands) / 817 / 848 / 978 / 1,061 / 1,087 / 1,033
Average Processing Time for Initial Disability Claims (days) / 102 / 107 / 110 / 114 / 113 / 113
Average Processing Time for Disability Reconsiderations (days) / n/a / n/a / 108 / 113 / n/a / 109
Annual Average Processing Time for Hearing Decisions (days) / 362 / 382 / 422 / 480 / 540 / 555
Disability Determination Services Production Per Workyear / 324 / 322 / 311 / 307 / 307 / 314
Office of Disability Adjudication and Review Production per Workyear / 111 / 109 / 102 / 95 / 94 / 98
Other Work/Service in Support of the
Public Annual Growth of Backlog (workyears) / n/a / -2100 / -2800 / -2100 / -2,000 / -2,700
Selected Program Integrity Performance Measures
Periodic Continuing Disability Reviews (CDR) Completed (thousands) / 1,404 / 1,576 / 1,675 / 1,972 / 1950 / 2,200
Full Medical CDRs (included above, thousands) / 443 / 429 / 526 / 799 / 850 / 1,100
Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
Non-Medical Redeterminations Completed (thousands) / 2,624 / 2,634 / 2,628 / 2,267 / 2,522 / 2,822

SSA’s budget is performance driven. Each dollar equates to a specific level of any given workload. SSA officials explain that every $100 million cut from the President’s request equates to:

  • 826,000 fewer retirement survivors insurance claims processed timely; or
  • 106,000 fewer initial disability claims processed timely; or
  • 51,000 fewer hearings; or
  • 110,000 fewer continuing disability reviews; or
  • 621,000 fewer Supplemental Security Income (SSI) non-medical redeterminations.

Doesn’t the American public deserve better than this? Have they not already bought and paid for the benefits and services of this agency? While modest at best, the President’s Budget request $13.067 gives SSA the best chance to improve the services and address the backlogs.

AFGE requests Congress to reserve a minimum of $220 million of the FY 17 SSA Budget, to increase the staffing levels in Field Offices and Teleservices Centers so that the basic needs of the public will be met timely and with dignity. More so, it will provide the Congress and SSA the building blocks to restore the American public’s confidence in the Social Security programs and their government.

[1]The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Budget Cuts Squeeze Social Security Administration Even as Workloads Reach Record Highs by Kathleen Romig, published June 3, 3016.