Social Security - Exempt From Hiring Freeze?
Unless you’ve been living under a rock or somewhere equally secluded, you are aware of the economic crisis gripping our nation. And you have probably heard how manyt of the states are taking drastic measures to deal with deficits. In order to deal with the economic nightmare, states are resorting to budget cuts, salary and hiring freezes, and furloughs.
In light of this, Michael Astrue, Commissioner of the Social Security Administration, wrote to the National Governors Association, and implored the states to exempt their Disability Determination Services (DDS) from hiring restrictions and furloughs.
Although DDS is a state agency rather than a federal agency like SSA, it is integral to the social security disability process. At the initial and reconsideration levels, DDS is responsible for developing the claim and offering an opinion as to the severity of the impairment(s). Fewer employees at DDS could, therefore, create bigger backlogs. Recognizing this, Commissioner Astrue wrote the following to the governors association:
“I am compelled to write to you to express my grave concern over the hiring restrictions and furloughs that some states are employing. Each month, SSA provides over $11 billion in Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income benefits to more than 212.million citizens across the nation. We could not provide these vital benefits to some of the most vulnerable people in our society without the DDSs’ work”
DDS is fully funded by SSA. These funds cannot be used by the states for any other purpose. So, cutting employees in DDS does not save any money for the state. What cutting employees does do is slow the process of getting benefits to the disabled. The faster SSA approves claims for benefits, the faster many disability applicants move from state to federal support. So, by NOT cutting employees at DDS, the state actually SAVES money. Additionally, since the salaries for DDS employees are funded by SSA unemployment levels in the states are reduced.
Let us hope that the governors take note and heed the advice of Commissioner Astrue.
To learn more about social security disability issues, please read our FAQ. To learn more about our Maryland social security disability lawyers, please read about our law firm, and click on Dory Sutker or Suja Varghese, or contact Greenberg & Bederman for a free case review.
![BlogSearch.com](<A HREF="http://www.blog-search.com"> <IMG SRC="http://www.blog-search.com/images/smallbutton.gif" WIDTH=80 HEIGHT=15 BORDER=0 ALT="Blog Search: The Source for Blogs"></A>...){kind=link}