SSA’s Budget Increased in 2018…But the Hole is Still Deep
Reuters Columnist Mark Miller provides a recap of the Social Security Administration’s budget increase for fiscal 2018, noting the agency is in line for an increase of about 4% to just over $12 billion. The increase bucks a Trump administration request to keep allocations flat. Citing long delays in receiving service from depleted staffs at Social Security offices, excessive wait times on toll-free lines, and disability claim backlogs numbering in excess of 600 days, Miller’s post describes the depth of a problem that is likely to worsen as the number of people aging into Social Security continues to grow by millions each year.
Will the additional funding help? After outlining the impact of agency budget cuts over the 2010-2017 period, Miller’s post calls the increase “a small start in the right direction,” and includes this post from Kathleen Romig, senior policy analyst at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, ““We didn’t expect Congress to reverse all the damage in a single year, but we will need them to continue to increase SSA’s funding if we want them to meaningfully address the agency’s problems.” Read Miller’s post here…
The AMAC Foundation is well aware of the problems Social Security Administration has experienced over the past few years, and has reacted by placing into operation a Social Security Advisory Service designed to provide answers to specific questions free to the public. NSSA-Certified Advisors are available to provide guidance on Social Security’s regulations, responding to emails or phone calls. To learn more about this service and how to take advantage of it, click here…