It is really odd to think that is has been a full year since the Social Security Administration closed its doors to the public due to the pandemic. Social Security shut down on March 17, 2020, and began to offer services by phone and online only. We still have no word on when they plan to open their doors to the public. They have provided no details as to when they may start to allow in-person appointments again.
The prolonged closure has been a trying time for the Social Security Administration and the claimants it serves. There have been some positive and impressive aspects of Social Security's virtual service, but there have been an equal amount of drawbacks. Thus, I thought it would make sense to give you an idea of what Social Security is doing well during the pandemic and where they are failing. Below is a list of 3 things that Social Security got "right" during the pandemic and 3 things that SSA got "wrong" during the last year.
3 Things That SSA Got Right
During The Pandemic
- 1. The Offices of Hearings and Appeals have been amazing during the pandemic. They get a giant “A” as in awesome in my book for their ability to not only adapt during the pandemic, but thrive! The hearing office employees really have stepped up to the plate. Not only did they immediately start to offer phone hearings to keep all disability hearings calendared, but they somehow have miraculously eliminated long waiting times and backlogs.
- 2.
The Social Security Administration understood that most claimants
would not feel comfortable being evaluated by consultative examiners at Social
Security’s request, given the risk of exposure to COVID-19, so very few
consultative examinations with Social Security's doctors have been scheduled.
- 3. Decisions by the Offices of Hearings and Appeals are getting regularly issued within 60 days. The hearing office staff seems to understand the desperate situation that claimants are in in light of the pandemic and seem to be getting the decisions out in record time.
Three Things That SSA Got Wrong During The Pandemic
- 1. The local Social Security offices that serve claimants prior to a hearing level get a giant “F” for failure in my book for their efforts to serve the public during the pandemic. Social Security claims that they have added more employees to answer questions from claimants, and their attorneys, but the reality is it is very difficult to get through the phone lines to the local office. Even if you are lucky to get through the phone line and manage to leave a message for a Social Security caseworker, you will rarely get a call back, even when you leave a message for a manager (I am talking about you SSA Torrance and SSA Long Beach!). There appears to be no accountability while the Social Security employees continue to work from home.
- 2. Social Security is not logging in mail in a timely manner. Supposedly, the local Social Security offices only have one or two employees going in twice a week to log in all of their mail. Important legal documents are being lost. Social Security employees are claiming they haven’t received materials that have mailed and faxed to them on several occasions. Mailing something to the local Social Security office currently has about a fifty/fifty chance of disappearing into the local office abyss, but that hasn’t stopped the local office for demanding that claimants mail in original birth certificates, marriage certificates and proof of citizenship.
- 3. Due to the continued problems with getting the local Social Security offices to answer their phones, log in their mail and develop cases in a timely manner, it has been taking longer and longer to get decisions at the lower levels. In spite of this, Social Security made its first, and only, attempt to provide outreach to the most “vulnerable populations” that they serve by issuing an email on February 26, 2021, which provided us with a specialty email, and a phone number, if we had claimants who met their “dire need” profile. Shouldn’t such outreach have been done a year ago – not a full year into the pandemic?
As you can see, Social Security’s response to the
pandemic has been inconsistent. The hearing offices have proven to be the rock
stars of the pandemic and I applaud and thank them for all the efforts they
have made for the claimants. Unlike the hearing offices, the
local Social Security offices' response to the shutdown has done nothing, but
further the notion that the Social Security Administration could care less
about the populations that they serve. Hopefully the poor performance from the local
Social Security offices will improve under the new Administration. The hearing offices have proven that they are made up of efficient and responsible employees who can successfully work from home. However, the local Social Security offices have shown us continuously that they will only operate on a marginal basis, until they are forced to return to their offices. Isn't it about time for them to open up?
Got a question about SSDI or SSI that you need us to answer? Please check out our website at www.westcoastdisability.com . We try to provide you with helpful information on our website that will allow you to successfully navigate the Social Security Disability process. Also, feel free to email me your questions at megan@westcoastdisability.com or call me at (800) 459-3017 x 101.
