My wife retired from the Social Security Agency in 2023 after working there for 34 years. Her former co-workers still with SSA tell her that the staff is demoralized. They are overworked and overwhelmed, and terrified of being fired for no good reason. In other words, a disaster is in the making at SSA. The ones who will bear the brunt are employees who are at the frontlines, as well as the public they serve.
Pre doge the average phone waiting time - with awful Muzak and suggestions you go online instead played nonstop - was two hours. If you went online you couldn’t address issues for 3 months. If you needed to talk to a human at the field office, the appointment was 2 months away or longer. Now, if there is a problem, it sounds as if we won’t be able to get through at all. And the problem could be as simple and awful as the check not being in our account. Which for many recipients is the only income they have.
Thank you for stating the case so clearly and with such necessary ferocity. Many people won't survive the collapse of Social Security. It is so shameful.
Don, Did I really need to read this first thing in the morning?! 🤯 You have succinctly expressed what we are all thinking and fearing. (But then who would’ve ever imagined that Canadians would hate us? 😞)
I feel for you Don, and for all of my friends across the pond. So much deep damage is being done so quickly, and there seems to be no
resistance. The impact will be global, and our later years will be less comfortable than we deserve. But I’d rather be in my 60s than my 20s right now… so sad.
There is resistance, Sean, but it hasn't coalesced yet. It remains to be seen whether it can be effective. It feels like we're entering both the end of democracy and the beginning of the dark ages.
We need to ask what the cause is and find out the reasons that force them to act this way. How can you live in poverty after a lifetime of work, precisely when you should be calm, healthy, involved and contributing to the community, etc. We want a society of longevity!
I've been taking SS for twelve years with a check that amounts to on average about $600. Medicare takes a mighty chunk out of the full amount that I would be receiving had I been on the ball and signed up for it when I retired at 62. Now I'm penalized for waiting. And then there are the taxes taken, which I believe will remain now that you wrote that taxes will be eliminated on the higher-income receivers. Well gee, that sounds fair. And they think the homeless problem is big now.
Thank you, Don, for this clear explanation of what is happening. Another wrinkle: A man in Seattle was misclassified as "dead" and his savings was clawed back.
My wife retired from the Social Security Agency in 2023 after working there for 34 years. Her former co-workers still with SSA tell her that the staff is demoralized. They are overworked and overwhelmed, and terrified of being fired for no good reason. In other words, a disaster is in the making at SSA. The ones who will bear the brunt are employees who are at the frontlines, as well as the public they serve.
Arnie, thanks for adding this insight into what's happening behind the scenes. We are a nation about to experience massive PTSD.
Right there with you, Don.
My only hope is that maybe this will wake up some folks who have been in denial about this regime.
Thank you, Michele. I hope you are right.
Pre doge the average phone waiting time - with awful Muzak and suggestions you go online instead played nonstop - was two hours. If you went online you couldn’t address issues for 3 months. If you needed to talk to a human at the field office, the appointment was 2 months away or longer. Now, if there is a problem, it sounds as if we won’t be able to get through at all. And the problem could be as simple and awful as the check not being in our account. Which for many recipients is the only income they have.
Thanks for the fact-check, Kirie. It's already worse than I thought.
Thank you for stating the case so clearly and with such necessary ferocity. Many people won't survive the collapse of Social Security. It is so shameful.
Thanks, Susie.
Don, Did I really need to read this first thing in the morning?! 🤯 You have succinctly expressed what we are all thinking and fearing. (But then who would’ve ever imagined that Canadians would hate us? 😞)
Yes, Amy, it's the world turned upside down.
😢
The situation is infuriating! Social Security was always the third rail of politics. What in the world has happened?
This is what happens when we put a narcissist and someone on the autistic spectrum in charge of government.
I feel for you Don, and for all of my friends across the pond. So much deep damage is being done so quickly, and there seems to be no
resistance. The impact will be global, and our later years will be less comfortable than we deserve. But I’d rather be in my 60s than my 20s right now… so sad.
There is resistance, Sean, but it hasn't coalesced yet. It remains to be seen whether it can be effective. It feels like we're entering both the end of democracy and the beginning of the dark ages.
We need to ask what the cause is and find out the reasons that force them to act this way. How can you live in poverty after a lifetime of work, precisely when you should be calm, healthy, involved and contributing to the community, etc. We want a society of longevity!
Ermira, I wish there were simple reasons. But reason seems to have nothing to do with it.
I've been taking SS for twelve years with a check that amounts to on average about $600. Medicare takes a mighty chunk out of the full amount that I would be receiving had I been on the ball and signed up for it when I retired at 62. Now I'm penalized for waiting. And then there are the taxes taken, which I believe will remain now that you wrote that taxes will be eliminated on the higher-income receivers. Well gee, that sounds fair. And they think the homeless problem is big now.
Sue, your hardship is widely shared, and it is likely to get worse.
Well, I'm glad I managed to collect some over the years. My husband, though, is in for a big shock.
Pretty scary stuff - for sure. One more worry to add to this aging business.
Janice, it's bleak. I hope people wake up and rise up soon.
Don what is happening in the United States is a travesty of epic proportions.
Alice, we hope it's short-term, but we're not optimistic.
Thank you, Don, for this clear explanation of what is happening. Another wrinkle: A man in Seattle was misclassified as "dead" and his savings was clawed back.
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/heres-a-dead-person-on-social-security-in-seattle-with-plenty-to-say/