Every year Social Security employees and those who do business with Social Security, like our office has to for disability claimants, have a hold your breath moment when the agency’s budget is announced. Social Security is extremely under funded and that won’t change after the release of the agency’s 2017 fiscal year budget. ]
The news about Social Security’s budget was disappointing, but agency advocates admit it could have been a lot worse.
One blogger comment on another site summed-up the news of Social Security’s budget pretty well.
“I hesitate to apply the word ‘good’ to a plan that doesn’t increase funding for staffing to address the approximately 18-month backlog for hearings. The amount available for staff to address the backlog and customer service is cut relative to last year, but not as much as some on the right would like. I think ‘could be worse’ is the best description.”
Overall, Social Security will receive $12.5 billion in funding, which is a decrease of $60 million compared to the previous year. The summary of these appropriations, which can be found here, argues that funding is actually increased from the previous year because last year’s budget called for a one-time funding for building renovations. It is plain silly to suggest that funding has increased when it is $60 million less than the previous year. Regardless of this point, the current funding level will ensure that the backlogs for hearings continue at Social Security. It will also ensure that customers will have long waiting lines at Social Security offices and long wait times holding on the phone for a Social Security representative to answer. Unfortunately things are likely to get worse in coming years as President Donald Trump has already called for a reduction of $800 billion in entitlement funding over the next 10 years.
