Dem senators demand answers on SSA field office closures despite Bisignano’s vow

A group of Senate Democrats on Tuesday demanded information on how staffing shortages and reassignments are impacting the Social Security Administration’s ability to keep its 1,200 field offices open to the public.

Last year, after years of chronic underfunding of SSA’s administrative functions already brought its workforce to a 50-year low, the Trump administration shaved the agency’s headcount by another 7,500 employees. According to OPM data, SSA had around 49,500 employees as of May. Bisignano has also reassigned more than 1,500 employees from the field offices and other subcomponents to man Social Security's 1-800 customer service line.

Earlier this year, Bisignano wrote in a private letter to Warren that he would “keep every field office open” and ensure they are “providing better and high-quality service.” But over the last several months, dozens of field offices have been listed at various points either closed entirely or only offered services via telephone. As of Monday afternoon, 16 field offices across the country provided no or limited services.

In a letter to SSA Commissioner Frank Bisignano Tuesday, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and three other Democrats requested information on these temporary closures and the underlying reasons for each shuttering.

“Many of these offices were reportedly closed to the public due to maintenance needs or other operational issues—which may be a valid reason,” the lawmakers wrote. “But several offices appear to have been effectively closed due to staffing shortages, and some of these offices have allegedly remained ‘temporarily closed’ for an extended period of time.”

Last April, union leaders spoke to Government Executive about three rural field offices that had already been closed for over a year. Two of those locations—Bloomsburg, Pa., and Logan, W.Va.—remain on SSA’s list of closures.

“These closures are not unprecedented, and have occurred under previous Republican and Democratic presidents,” Warren wrote. “But in your case, these temporary closures to the public come after you made explicit commitments not to close offices, and have made a series of ongoing staffing cuts and assignment changes that appear to have added to the threat of closures.”

Additionally, Bisignano testified—falsely—last month that his predecessor, former Commissioner Martin O’Malley, instituted a policy for field offices by which members of the public were “turned away” if they had not previously scheduled an appointment. But as of Monday afternoon, the field office in Silver Spring, Md., offers only “limited in-person service with an appointment.”

The lawmakers wrote that the field offices mostly likely to suffer from staffing shortage are often the most rural locations, and their temporary closure create greater challenges for Americans seeking in-person service.

“Closing field offices and resident stations for in-person services also means Americans must travel further to get assistance,” they wrote. “In fact, recent analysis finds the closure of any field office would double the time it takes the average American to drive to their second-closest office.”