Social Insecurity

How does an agency synonymous with the 1930s New Deal modernize itself for the 21st century? That’s the dilemma confronting the Social Security Administration, with its declining budget and huge network of field offices that offer something Americans don’t experience all that often—an opportunity to interact with the federal government face-to-face. 

For the National Academy of Public Administration—a congressionally chartered organization that works with agencies to transform their operations—the answer is fairly straightforward: more aggressively embrace new technology to deliver services and to move away from in-person customer support in favor of “virtual channels,” such as phone and online options. 

In a report that made more than two dozen recommendations on how the agency should adjust by 2025, NAPA says it is clear SSA cannot continue on its present trajectory. 

“While justifiably confident in its high standard of customer service and strong record of data security, the agency is not currently poised to meet the significant operating challenges it is likely to face over the next 10 to 15 years,” the report’s authors concluded. 

Implementing the necessary changes is easier said than done, however. 

The agency already has transitioned more than 12.5 million Social Security recipients to online accounts and has dramatically cut its workforce. SSA employed 70,000 employees four years ago; it now has 60,000. 

“SSA’s employees are its greatest asset,” acting Commissioner Carolyn Colvin recently told a Senate committee. “The last few years have been difficult, and I have witnessed our employees make often heroic efforts to serve our customers quickly and compassionately, in spite of growing workloads and tight budgets.”

NAPA has no estimates on potential job loss, calling it “too early to make that judgment,” but acknowledges as “more work is automated, it becomes less necessary to maintain the current structure.”

Colvin also seems to tacitly acknowledge the need to further reduce the size of its workforce. She told lawmakers she would “continue to work aggressively to increase the agency’s use of innovative technology that maximizes our return on the taxpayers’ investment.” 

It’s not hard to read between the lines; connecting Social Security recipients to knowledgeable employees, with their costly training, salaries and benefits, is less efficient than directing them to a website.  

The American Federation of Government Employees has a more extreme interpretation of NAPA’s plan. The union, which represents Social Security employees, says if NAPA’s suggestions were fully implemented, they would result in the agency closing all of its 1,250 field offices and shedding 30,000 workers. 

Social Security has shuttered 64 field offices and 533 temporary mobile offices since 2010, but AFGE’s concerns appear to be overstated. 

“Lean budgets have forced us to make difficult choices and to cut back on some services,” Colvin told the Senate committee. “However, I want to assure you that we are fully committed to providing face-to-face service to members of the public who want or need it. We recognize the importance of providing direct service to the public. We have no plans to abandon our network of field offices. They have been the hallmark of our service for almost 80 years.”

Still, the pressure mounts for the agency to reduce its footprint. And as it determines which path to take, it must deal with concerns from labor groups, who want to protect jobs and their roles as mediators; Social Security recipients, who demand prompt service and are not always literate in “innovative” technology;and lawmakers, who want to cut costs everywhere except in their own districts. 

Social Security has promised to include all stakeholders as it develops its vision for the future, which the agency plans to release in October. It’s fair to say many eyes will be watching.