The Social Security Administration (“SSA”) released a new homepage this month at ssa.gov. It was designed to try to help people locate information about disability and retirement more easily. I have filed some applications and appeals this month and the changes appear to be only cosmetic in nature. There were not any major substantive changes that would make the website easier for people to navigate. I was hoping that the refreshed website would make it more streamlined for people to use, but I honestly do not think the changes do much to make it “user friendly.” Honestly, the biggest changes that I noticed were that there was less text per page and that there was less of the color red used in the design, so it doesn’t scream “American Flag” anymore.
Given the fact that the field offices are being bled to death right now because they are not receiving enough of a budget to staff them appropriately, this “facelift” seems to be a waste of money. SSA is in desperate need of a larger budget to run their programs appropriately. Using the limited funds that they have to make their website look “prettier,” rather than “more functional,” when their employees are drowning in backlog, seems like a misallocation of funds. I am not going to get a tummy tuck if I cannot afford to feed and clothe my family. SSA shouldn’t be beautifying a website, when its employees are at their wits end because they cannot handle the volume of cases they are being assigned.
I received a voicemail from a SSA caseworker yesterday. He had returned my call from last week and left me a pretty hostile message telling me that I should be calling the (800) number to get details on my client’s case because he does not have time to give me status updates. Everyone knows calling the generic (800) number would be equivalent to trying to call Bigfoot. No one is going to answer, and if someone does, he is not going to be able to answer your questions because he is a mythical (or is he?) creature who has lived in the woods his whole life and doesn’t know anything about government benefits. You only call the (800) if it is truly your last resort and you have two hours to kill.
Grumpy Cat (aka the hostile SSA caseworker) called back today on his own initiative to apologize for the message that he had left me. He sounded like he was about to cry and on the verge of a breakdown, so I wasn’t going to hammer him for the disgruntled message he left. He told me how bad things were at SSA and he had left me the message at the end of a very frustrating day and immediately regretted his message. I felt REALLY bad for the guy and acknowledged that we are aware of how dire things are for the SSA caseworkers and then he helped me with my client’s claim.
Is this new website going to make things easier for claimants. No. Is this new website going to make life easier for the SSA employees who are handling far more cases than they should be per individual. No. So what is the point?
If you ask me, it is all about keeping up appearances. Look at the shiny new blue (not red) website that masks a dying agency.
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.
