Social Security Workers Say The Shutdown Has Them Unable To Help With Benefit Letters - Beritaja

A Social Security Administration agency successful Washington, D.C., is seen connected March 26. Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

Employees astatine Social Security section offices opportunity the government shutdown has near them incapable to transportation retired an important work for immoderate recipients.

While the agency continues to disburse status and disablement benefits, workers opportunity they are incapable to supply use verification letters to group calling successful to petition them.

These official letters enactment arsenic a benignant of income verification and are truthful cardinal to obtaining assistance for illustration lodging assistance, substance assistance and thief from nonprofits.

"Not only do group request these letters erstwhile they use for those benefits, but they besides often request to recertify to beryllium that they proceed to person an eligible income level, and it often happens connected a deadline," says Kathleen Romig, head of Social Security and disablement argumentation astatine the Center connected Budget and Policy Priorities.

Beneficiaries could still entree their verification missive online and done the Social Security Administration's automated telephone system, the agency says. But during the shutdown, in-person support for the letters is suspended, and erstwhile recipients telephone successful to speak pinch a section agency representative, they can't get thief pinch their letter.

And section agency workers show BERITAJA that galore group are calling in, seeking assistance. (The workers who said to BERITAJA were speaking connected behalf of their national because they can't speak connected behalf of the Social Security Administration.)

"Anywhere betwixt 60 to 70% of our calls are, 'I request my use verification missive correct now astatine this time' during the shutdown," says Tierra Carter, a teleservice worker astatine an agency successful Tampa, Fla., who besides represents a section of the American Federation of Government Employees. "A beneficiary cannot person a use verification missive from the telephone receiver aliases by stepping successful done their section Social Security office. And that burdens a batch of our recipients."

Romig notes that "Social Security beneficiaries are overmuch older than the American organization connected average, truthful not everybody has a batch of installation pinch online tools. And likewise, Social Security serves galore group pinch disabilities. And those disabilities could see things that make it difficult to usage a device, for illustration cognitive disabilities aliases centrifugal skills aliases representation issues."

Additionally, critics of the SSA's automated telephone system, which see a group of Democratic senators, person reported that it often glitches, loops and doesn't lick a caller's problem.

Barri Sue Bryant, who has worked astatine the agency for 20 years and represents the Wilkes-Barre, Pa.-area union, says a batch of these calls "tear astatine our heartstrings."

She says she sewage a telephone this week from an aged man who doesn't cognize really to usage a machine and needed a use verification missive truthful he could finalize his mortgage.

"So, he was going to suffer the owe if he didn't get it successful time," Bryant says. "And past we besides had an 89-year-young female who needed it to get her rent subsidy aliases she was going to suffer it. So, she yet could suffer her lodging complete it."

In a connection to BERITAJA, an agency spokesperson said beneficiaries will proceed to get their payments, but "as a consequence of the lapse successful appropriation, SSA is pursuing the contingency plan for continued activities."

Bryant and different Social Security labor opportunity it's frustrating that they can't supply the verification missive work during the shutdown.

"They don't see use verification letters essential, but they are to the public, you know. It really runs galore of their lives," Bryant says.

Christine Lizotte, a claims typical for the agency successful Auburn, Maine, who besides represents a national section successful New England, says moreover erstwhile beneficiaries are capable to group up an relationship online, they often person issues.

"We person immoderate that person navigated it, group up an account, can't retrieve their email, can't retrieve their password," she says.

Lizotte said the timing of this shutdown is peculiarly worrisome successful Maine.

Open enrollment for substance assistance, which for immoderate group requires 1 of these SSA letters, has begun. She says it's already getting acold successful New England, and galore folks are calling successful for letters and are now worried their assistance won't beryllium sorted retired successful time.

"If you don't person your exertion done, by the clip it gets acold — and I mean, it's starting to get acold — you whitethorn suffer retired aliases you whitethorn person a delayed substance assistance voucher, which intends the first fewer months you mightiness beryllium cold," she says.

"So it feels for illustration this immense disservice that we've spent our full careers present to thief these individuals and now are being told, 'Oh, I'm sorry — we can't thief you today.' And that is beyond frustrating. Goes against everything we are."

"Almost astatine a breaking point"

Many workers study an uptick successful these frantic and upset callers astatine a clip erstwhile SSA workers themselves are struggling.

Because of the shutdown, labor are going without pay, and galore of them person also taken connected much work successful the past respective months owed to thousands of unit departures astatine the agency prompted by the Trump administration.

Alex Creese, a claims master pinch the agency successful Aurora, Colo., says connected behalf of his section AFGE national section that galore labor are "living paycheck to paycheck" and are worried about paying their bills arsenic agelong arsenic the shutdown continues. He said the accent of these heartbreaking calls from recipients is exacerbating an already reliable situation.

"Right now, pinch the shutdown, our hands are tied and we're already stretched truthful bladed that now we're stretched moreover thinner," he says. "So whether it's these programs that we can't connection aliases programs that we could offer, everything's being impacted. And correct now we're conscionable almost astatine a breaking point."

Creese worries that moreover much labor will time off the agency.

"We are moving connected fumes correct now," he says. "If the shutdown continues, past … I could spot each these talented group leaving. It's conscionable not a bully business correct now whatsoever."