Social Security Workers Sound the Alarm

Social Security workers have warned that thousands of beneficiaries may face delays in getting their monthly checks as the Social Security Administration (SSA) undergoes significant changes. Knewz.com has learned that the delays are linked to the complications that arose as a result of the Social Security Fairness Act.

While Social Security Administration employees prioritize new claims and appeals each day, employees at many of the processing centers were directed in May to put Social Security Fairness Act payments at the top of their work list. They were even offered weekend overtime to get it done, according to reports. The Social Security Fairness Act provides benefits for those who paid into the system but were otherwise ineligible for Social Security — including police, firefighters, teachers and other public servants. The Act also allows retired public service workers to receive increased funds. “More than 2 million of these cases were straightforward enough to be automated, but the remaining 900,000 claims are more complicated and must be approved by hand,” explained Drew Powers, founder of Illinois-based Powers Financial Group.

“The new directive to prioritize Social Security Fairness Act claims, along with staffing cuts enacted by DOGE [Department of Government Efficiency], is creating a backlog to complete other claims and service work like mailing address and direct deposit changes. These delays could be the difference between receiving your check or not,” Powers said. Said Alex Beene, financial literacy instructor for the University of Tennessee at Martin, “For months, we’ve been hearing the only cuts to Social Security would be to administrative offices, not to benefits. However, lost in the discussion was how these administrative cuts could provide their own series of problems. Applications for new beneficiaries, account changes for existing ones, and every issue in between these have to be processed, and with fewer employees to assist, delays could be significant. … As of right now, there is no need for concern, but the concerns should motivate those receiving benefits to start the process of enrolling, making changes, or anything else as soon as possible. And, most importantly, be prepared to wait.”

Nearly 70 million people in the United States depend on Social Security checks every month. As a result, any delays in payments could have a significant impact on the beneficiaries, many of whom depend on the checks for basic necessities like food and housing. It has also been reported that recipients who are making simple changes like location or bank account updates might have to wait longer than usual. The White House had previously claimed that the additional work would not affect other beneficiaries.

While the Social Security Administration had initially set a November deadline to process more than 3.2 million Fairness Act claims, new Social Security commissioner Frank Bisignano told senators during his March confirmation hearing that he will prioritize the payments and that the work will be done “while the weather is warm.” White House spokesperson Liz Huston said in a statement at the time, “Using automation, SSA has already expedited over $15.1 billion in long-delayed retroactive payments to more than 2.3 million individuals affected. … This project is very important to leadership and it’s critical the agency executes it swiftly, efficiently, and without letting anything else fall through the cracks.” However, SSA employees have said that adding “something new and complicated at the top of their daily to-do lists means other work doesn’t get done,” according to reports. Furthermore, it could push back simple changes like updating direct deposit information or Medicaid billing issues.

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