Americans rely on the Social Security Administration and the services it provides for their very survival. Over 1,200 SSA field offices serve more than 120,000 people every day to help them access their benefits. People cannot afford to wait on hold for hours to get help or wait years to receive a decision on a pending disability application.
However, over the past few weeks, dozens of Social Security Administration offices have been closed or are at risk of closure, and multiple senior SSA career staff have been terminated or have resigned. Plans for significant SSA staff reductions have also been reported.
People who can’t access information and assistance due to insufficient staffing and office closures are unable to access benefits. It is effectively a back-door benefit cut.
Social Security currently pays benefits to over 70 million Americans, the majority of whom are older adults, but also includes people with disabilities and survivors of deceased workers.
To effectively serve the public, the agency needs sufficient staff, accessible field offices, and regional offices that can address the numerous complex problems that inevitably arise when administering such a large program.
Without these critical resources, people can’t obtain the necessary information about benefits through their local field office.
We call on Congress and the President to preserve the SSA’s network of offices, retain staff, and restore the Social Security Administration’s ability to effectively serve the millions of Americans who rely on it.
