The undersigned organizations represent the millions of Americans with a stake in the efficient and effective operation of the Social Security Administration (SSA), including older Americans, people with disabilities, workers of all ages, and survivors of workers. We greatly appreciate the efforts you have made already this year to provide additional funding above the President’s Budget Request so that SSA may further address the unacceptable backlog of disability appeals hearings and other serious problems with service delivery to the public. We respectfully request that SSA’s final administrative funding for FY 2009 be no less than the House recommended level of $10.427 billion.
We strongly believe that any level of funding below $10.427 billion would exacerbate the massive backlog in disability appeals hearings. Currently a near record high of over 767,000 hearings are pending and the average wait for a decision in FY 2008 was 514 days. These enormous delays are in addition to the average time period of 250 days that most disability applicants must wait before even filing for an appeals hearing. An untold number of applicants are suffering severe financial hardships, including a rising number of home foreclosures. Many do not have health care, resulting in further deterioration of their conditions. Thousands of people have died before receiving a decision on their disability claims.
Even with the President’s proposed increase in funding for SSA in FY 2009 the agency does not expect the hearings backlog to be eliminated until 2013. Additionally, that date may be pushed back because there are now, and will continue to be, an increase in applications for disability benefits. This could be due to many factors including the economic downturn. We believe that it is absolutely imperative that SSA is funded at no less than $10.427 billion, providing at least an additional $100 million above the President’s Budget Request level.
Adequate funding for SSA is also needed to ensure that the agency is able to increase staffing levels in its Field Offices to improve some services to the public that are inadequate. As a result of insufficient Field Office staffing, customers in many offices are experiencing waiting times in excess of two hours. For those who try to reach their local SSA Field Office by telephone, busy rates are running at an unacceptable rate of an average of about 45 percent and disturbingly this figure pertains only to callers who ultimately get through to the local offices. It does not include all of those callers who never get through, even after making countless attempts. This problem results from the fact that Field Offices are receiving over 54 million business-related phone calls each year and do not have anywhere near the number of staff necessary to answer them.
As with disability appeals hearings, these inadequate levels of service in the Field Offices are being exacerbated by rising workloads in the agency’s Field Offices. For the current year, FY 2009, SSA actuaries now expect nearly 100,000 more Social Security retirement and disability claims than were initially projected in the President’s FY 2009 Budget Request. And as indicated above, these numbers may increase even further.
Funding above the President’s FY 2009 Budget Request will also help SSA to address the increased costs of its current personnel. In addition, SSA has an urgent need to improve its antiquated computer and information technology systems. SSA has a critical need for systems architecture improvements as well as a new data center. In addition, the agency’s ancient COBOL-based programming system needs to be replaced. Finally, the 54 Disability Determination Services (DDSs) need to be integrated into a single processing system. These computer and information technology costs total over one billion dollars. We must begin to address these critical needs.
Even though the President’s FY 2009 Budget Request for SSA is a step in the right direction, this level of funding will not fully address the problems we have described above. We respectfully request that the Social Security Administration’s final administrative funding level be no less than $10.427 billion for FY 2009. We realize the difficult decisions you must make regarding FY 2009 funding levels for many programs, and on behalf of our members throughout the country we appreciate your consideration of this request and your ongoing support for adequate funding for the Social Security Administration.
Sincerely,
AFSCME
American Association of Social Security Disability Consultants
American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
American Association of People with Disabilities
American Foundation for the Blind
American Federation of Government Employees
American Federation of Teachers Program on Retirement and Retirees
Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law
Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation
Easter Seals
Epilepsy Foundation
Federal Managers Association
Lighthouse International
National Alliance on Mental Illness
National Association of Area Agencies on Aging
National Association of Social Workers
National Association of Disability Examiners
National Association of Disability Representatives
National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers
National Association of State Directors of Developmental Disabilities Services
National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare
National Council of Disability Determination Directors
National Council of Social Security Management Associations
National Council on Aging
National Disability Rights Network
National Down Syndrome Society
National Employment Network Association
National Multiple Sclerosis Society
National Organization of Social Security Claimants’ Representatives
National Respite Coalition
National Treasury Employees Union
Paralyzed Veterans of America
Research Institute for Independent Living
Social Security Section of the Federal Bar Association
Social Security Disability Coalition
The Arc of the United States
United Cerebral Palsy
We strongly believe that any level of funding below $10.427 billion would exacerbate the massive backlog in disability appeals hearings. Currently a near record high of over 767,000 hearings are pending and the average wait for a decision in FY 2008 was 514 days. These enormous delays are in addition to the average time period of 250 days that most disability applicants must wait before even filing for an appeals hearing. An untold number of applicants are suffering severe financial hardships, including a rising number of home foreclosures. Many do not have health care, resulting in further deterioration of their conditions. Thousands of people have died before receiving a decision on their disability claims.
Even with the President’s proposed increase in funding for SSA in FY 2009 the agency does not expect the hearings backlog to be eliminated until 2013. Additionally, that date may be pushed back because there are now, and will continue to be, an increase in applications for disability benefits. This could be due to many factors including the economic downturn. We believe that it is absolutely imperative that SSA is funded at no less than $10.427 billion, providing at least an additional $100 million above the President’s Budget Request level.
Adequate funding for SSA is also needed to ensure that the agency is able to increase staffing levels in its Field Offices to improve some services to the public that are inadequate. As a result of insufficient Field Office staffing, customers in many offices are experiencing waiting times in excess of two hours. For those who try to reach their local SSA Field Office by telephone, busy rates are running at an unacceptable rate of an average of about 45 percent and disturbingly this figure pertains only to callers who ultimately get through to the local offices. It does not include all of those callers who never get through, even after making countless attempts. This problem results from the fact that Field Offices are receiving over 54 million business-related phone calls each year and do not have anywhere near the number of staff necessary to answer them.
As with disability appeals hearings, these inadequate levels of service in the Field Offices are being exacerbated by rising workloads in the agency’s Field Offices. For the current year, FY 2009, SSA actuaries now expect nearly 100,000 more Social Security retirement and disability claims than were initially projected in the President’s FY 2009 Budget Request. And as indicated above, these numbers may increase even further.
Funding above the President’s FY 2009 Budget Request will also help SSA to address the increased costs of its current personnel. In addition, SSA has an urgent need to improve its antiquated computer and information technology systems. SSA has a critical need for systems architecture improvements as well as a new data center. In addition, the agency’s ancient COBOL-based programming system needs to be replaced. Finally, the 54 Disability Determination Services (DDSs) need to be integrated into a single processing system. These computer and information technology costs total over one billion dollars. We must begin to address these critical needs.
Even though the President’s FY 2009 Budget Request for SSA is a step in the right direction, this level of funding will not fully address the problems we have described above. We respectfully request that the Social Security Administration’s final administrative funding level be no less than $10.427 billion for FY 2009. We realize the difficult decisions you must make regarding FY 2009 funding levels for many programs, and on behalf of our members throughout the country we appreciate your consideration of this request and your ongoing support for adequate funding for the Social Security Administration.
Sincerely,
AFSCME
American Association of Social Security Disability Consultants
American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
American Association of People with Disabilities
American Foundation for the Blind
American Federation of Government Employees
American Federation of Teachers Program on Retirement and Retirees
Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law
Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation
Easter Seals
Epilepsy Foundation
Federal Managers Association
Lighthouse International
National Alliance on Mental Illness
National Association of Area Agencies on Aging
National Association of Social Workers
National Association of Disability Examiners
National Association of Disability Representatives
National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers
National Association of State Directors of Developmental Disabilities Services
National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare
National Council of Disability Determination Directors
National Council of Social Security Management Associations
National Council on Aging
National Disability Rights Network
National Down Syndrome Society
National Employment Network Association
National Multiple Sclerosis Society
National Organization of Social Security Claimants’ Representatives
National Respite Coalition
National Treasury Employees Union
Paralyzed Veterans of America
Research Institute for Independent Living
Social Security Section of the Federal Bar Association
Social Security Disability Coalition
The Arc of the United States
United Cerebral Palsy
