In the world of supply and demand, employers typically do not cut budgets and staff when business increases, actually employers usually do just the opposite and hire new employees to handle customers and increased business, but Social Security looks to continue to cut budgets even though demand is increasing.
Since 2010, after adding inflation, Social Security’s operating budget has decreased by 10 percent. Some, especially Republicans, may applaud this move as a way of cutting government excess spending, but the problem is that also since 2010, the number of Social Security beneficiaries has increased by 12 percent.
These two factors have led to insufficient services for the American people and the number of people waiting for a Social Security disability hearing before an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) continues to increase and now is at more than 1.1 million. This equates to about a 500 day wait on average before receiving the ALJ’s decision.
Right now an appropriations bill backed by House Republicans would decrease funding even more, which would likely lead to two-week furloughs for all Social Security employees and would only increase wait times. Not only for the people who are waiting for hearings, but others will also be impacted. Since 2010, more than 60 Social Security offices have been closed and callers trying to reach someone at Social Security’s toll free number have to wait approximately 15 minutes before they ever speak to a live person.
President Barack Obama proposed increasing Social Security’s budget by $522 million, but House Republicans want Social Security’s budget to have $772 million less than what the president is proposing and actually $250 million less that what was spent last year. Needless to say that the plan the House Republicans are proposing would be nothing short of a disaster. To learn more click here.
