[Senate Hearing 117-421]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



                                                        S. Hrg. 117-421
 
                     SOCIAL SECURITY DURING COVID:
                    HOW THE PANDEMIC HAMPERED ACCESS
                     TO BENEFITS AND STRATEGIES FOR
                       IMPROVING SERVICE DELIVERY

=======================================================================

                                HEARING

                               before the

                          COMMITTEE ON FINANCE
                          UNITED STATES SENATE

                    ONE HUNDRED SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS

                             FIRST SESSION

                               __________

                             APRIL 29, 2021

                               __________
                               
                               
 [GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]                              
                               

                                     
                                     

            Printed for the use of the Committee on Finance
            
            
            
                           ______
 
              U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE 
 48-991-PDF          WASHINGTON : 2022 
 
             


                          COMMITTEE ON FINANCE

                      RON WYDEN, Oregon, Chairman

DEBBIE STABENOW, Michigan            MIKE CRAPO, Idaho
MARIA CANTWELL, Washington           CHUCK GRASSLEY, Iowa
ROBERT MENENDEZ, New Jersey          JOHN CORNYN, Texas
THOMAS R. CARPER, Delaware           JOHN THUNE, South Dakota
BENJAMIN L. CARDIN, Maryland         RICHARD BURR, North Carolina
SHERROD BROWN, Ohio                  ROB PORTMAN, Ohio
MICHAEL F. BENNET, Colorado          PATRICK J. TOOMEY, Pennsylvania
ROBERT P. CASEY, Jr., Pennsylvania   TIM SCOTT, South Carolina
MARK R. WARNER, Virginia             BILL CASSIDY, Louisiana
SHELDON WHITEHOUSE, Rhode Island     JAMES LANKFORD, Oklahoma
MAGGIE HASSAN, New Hampshire         STEVE DAINES, Montana
CATHERINE CORTEZ MASTO, Nevada       TODD YOUNG, Indiana
ELIZABETH WARREN, Massachusetts      BEN SASSE, Nebraska
                                     JOHN BARRASSO, Wyoming

                    Joshua Sheinkman, Staff Director

                Gregg Richard, Republican Staff Director

                                  (ii)
                                  
                            C O N T E N T S

                              ----------                              

                           OPENING STATEMENTS

                                                                   Page
Wyden, Hon. Ron, a U.S. Senator from Oregon, chairman, Committee 
  on Finance.....................................................     1
Crapo, Hon. Mike, a U.S. Senator from Idaho......................     2

                         ADMINISTRATION WITNESS

Kim, Grace, Deputy Commissioner for Operations, Social Security 
  Administration, Baltimore, MD..................................     4

                          ADDITIONAL WITNESSES

Causeya, Kascadare, program manager, Central City Concern, 
  Portland, OR...................................................     6
Murphy, Peggy, immediate past president, National Council of 
  Social Security Management Associations, Great Falls, MT.......     7
McGuinness, Tara Dawson, fellow and senior adviser, New Practice 
  Lab, New America, Washington, DC...............................     9

               ALPHABETICAL LISTING AND APPENDIX MATERIAL

Causeya, Kascadare:
    Testimony....................................................     6
    Prepared statement...........................................    39
    Responses to questions from committee members................    42
Crapo, Hon. Mike:
    Opening statement............................................     2
    Prepared statement...........................................    44
Kim, Grace:
    Testimony....................................................     4
    Prepared statement...........................................    45
    Responses to questions from committee members................    50
McGuinness, Tara Dawson:
    Testimony....................................................     9
    Prepared statement...........................................    95
    Responses to questions from committee members................    99
Murphy, Peggy:
    Testimony....................................................     7
    Prepared statement...........................................   104
    Responses to questions from committee members................   110
Wyden, Hon. Ron:
    Opening statement............................................     1
    Prepared statement...........................................   114

                             Communications

AARP.............................................................   117
American Federation of Government Employees, AFL-CIO.............   119
American Federation of Government Employees, Council 220 New York 
  Region.........................................................   123
Center for Fiscal Equity.........................................   127
Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities........................   128
Inner City Law Center............................................   132
International Association of Rehabilitation Professionals........   140
Justice in Aging.................................................   141
National Disability Rights Network...............................   144
National Organization of Social Security Claimants' 
  Representatives................................................   148
National Treasury Employees Union................................   152


                     SOCIAL SECURITY DURING COVID:

                    HOW THE PANDEMIC HAMPERED ACCESS

                     TO BENEFITS AND STRATEGIES FOR

                       IMPROVING SERVICE DELIVERY

                              ----------                              


                        THURSDAY, APRIL 29, 2021

                                       U.S. Senate,
                                      Committee on Finance,
                                                    Washington, DC.
    The hearing was convened, pursuant to notice, at 10:07 
a.m., via Webex, in the Dirksen Senate Office Building, Hon. 
Ron Wyden (chairman of the committee) presiding.
    Present: Senators Stabenow, Menendez, Cardin, Brown, 
Bennet, Warner, Whitehouse, Hassan, Cortez Masto, Warren, 
Crapo, Thune, Portman, Cassidy, Lankford, Daines, and Young.
    Also present: Democratic staff: Tom Klouda, Senior Domestic 
Policy Adviser; and Joshua Sheinkman, Staff Director. 
Republican staff: Gregg Richard, Staff Director; and Jeffrey 
Wrase, Deputy Staff Director and Chief Economist.

   OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. RON WYDEN, A U.S. SENATOR FROM 
             OREGON, CHAIRMAN, COMMITTEE ON FINANCE

    The Chairman. This morning, the Finance Committee meets to 
discuss ways to improve Social Security after a difficult 
pandemic year.
    The employees at Social Security have worked hard to get 
payments out on time, while undergoing big changes to the way 
the agency operates. Despite that, the reality is, social 
distancing and Social Security go together like water and oil.
    The Social Security Administration has tens of thousands of 
employees and 1,500 field offices around the country. Sixteen 
of those offices, and more than 500 employees, serve Oregon 
alone. It takes a lot of hard work to uphold the promise of 
Social Security, and that work often looks awfully old-school: 
face-to-face interaction and lots of paper documents.
    Social Security closed their field offices when the country 
went into lockdown. That is because gathering seniors and those 
with disabilities in confined offices would have been the worst 
imaginable idea 12 months ago. Social Security also needed to 
protect their own employees. But the fact is, the level of 
service dipped when Social Security's old-school approach no 
longer worked during the pandemic.
    Being cut off from face-to-face service is hardest on 
seniors and folks who rely the most on Social Security. They 
often have very modest incomes and may not even have Internet 
access. The number of new applications for certain types of 
Social Security benefits plummeted during the pandemic. There 
is an extra layer of difficulty coming between a lot of 
Americans and Social Security benefits they are eligible to 
receive.
    With fewer employees working in person, work that cannot be 
handled remotely, such as handling mail or verifying documents, 
has piled up. Social Security's ability to process applications 
and other important data has slowed. Some Americans have been 
asked to put their most sensitive personal documents in the 
mail--not a copy, the original, including driver's licenses and 
birth certificates.
    That would have been an unattractive prospect to a lot of 
people even before Louis DeJoy arrived at the Postal Service. 
These days, particularly because of the pandemic, the big 
challenge facing Social Security is reaching people who are 
unable or prefer not to deal with the government online. In the 
future, Social Security could face the opposite challenge. More 
people will want to interact with Social Security through a 
smartphone or a computer, and the face-to-face approach may be 
less common.
    When you are talking about changing business as usual at 
Social Security, it is not just a question of responding to the 
pandemic. There are big challenges ahead. This committee and 
the Social Security Administration need to explore new ways of 
meeting the needs of Americans to provide the benefits they 
have earned, need, and deserve. Making smart improvements to 
Social Security based on the experience of COVID-19 can pay off 
big in the future.
    All of these areas fall under the far-out, revolutionary 
agenda I describe as ``making government actually work 
better.'' There has never been a more important time, as far as 
I am concerned, for Social Security. For me, this hard work 
goes back to the days when I was co-director of the Oregon Gray 
Panthers and ran the legal aid service for the elderly.
    In the course of that job, I visited with a lot of seniors 
who were walking an economic tightrope, barely able to cover 
their bills. Social Security was a lifesaver for them. With too 
many of today's seniors, we still find them going through that 
kind of hardship that is made even more difficult by a global 
pandemic and a year of isolation.
    So this committee, on our watch, is going to uphold the 
promise of Social Security. I am glad we are going to be able 
to have this opportunity to discuss improving access to the 
benefits and services.
    We have excellent witnesses today. We will have their 
introductions shortly.
    [The prepared statement of Chairman Wyden appears in the 
appendix.]
    The Chairman. Senator Crapo?

             OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. MIKE CRAPO, 
                   A U.S. SENATOR FROM IDAHO

    Senator Crapo. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for holding today's 
hearing on Social Security service delivery during the 
pandemic. Social Security employees were informed in March of 
last year that they would be teleworking indefinitely, and that 
field offices would be closed to the public because of the 
COVID-19 pandemic.
    Within days of announcing a shutdown, the majority of field 
office employees and a large number of teleservice center 
employees were teleworking. Initial challenges included lack of 
equipment, software licensing, and data capacity. The 
leadership, management, and the workforce at the Social 
Security Administration responded rapidly to increased data 
capacity and stabilized networks after only a few weeks.
    During the pandemic, conducting office and processing 
center work in person was not possible because of lockdowns and 
worker safety concerns. With those constraints, SSA has had to 
innovate, relax some procedural rules, and perform in many 
previously untested ways.
    Thus far, the agency has performed admirably and rapidly to 
ensure that beneficiaries, including at-risk populations, 
obtain the services they need.
    I have been impressed by the dedication and diligence of 
SSA's workforce, the field office and processing center 
managers, and the leadership all the way to the top. Customer 
service and service delivery have been at the forefront of 
their efforts during the pandemic.
    We are fortunate to have SSA's head of operations, Ms. 
Grace Kim, with us today. I am interested in her assessment of 
where SSA has been during the pandemic, where things stand 
currently, and lessons learned thus far to help us inform the 
future.
    From the beginning of the pandemic, field office management 
staff have continued to physically go into the offices to 
handle incoming and outgoing mail, scan documents and support 
those working from home, provide in-person service for 
critical-need cases, and handle facilities-related duties.
    Ms. Peggy Murphy is also with us today, and I look forward 
to hearing about her experience and insight as a representative 
of field office management.
    I am also interested in the experiences and service-
delivery perspectives of our other two witnesses, Ms. 
McGuinness and Mr. Causeya--I hope I pronounced that right.
    During the pandemic, it has been important to focus on at-
risk populations, including many on Supplemental Security 
Income, Disability Insurance beneficiaries, and homeless 
beneficiaries. I am interested in hearing today about service 
delivery to at-risk beneficiaries and outreach.
    My understanding is that the Social Security Administration 
has engaged in an unprecedented amount of outreach to community 
organizations, beneficiary advocate organizations, and directly 
to at-risk beneficiaries themselves. I commend the Social 
Security Administration's commitment and dedication to ensure 
that beneficiaries receive their service and benefits.
    Commissioner Saul has stayed true to the focus on 
beneficiary service that we all expected when he was confirmed 
on a bipartisan basis by this committee and the full Senate. 
Solid leadership and a dedicated workforce have been key to 
enabling the agency to confront the service-delivery shock of 
the pandemic.
    Thus far, the SSA has risen to that challenge.
    Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
    [The prepared statement of Senator Crapo appears in the 
appendix]
    The Chairman. Thank you, Senator Crapo.
    Now I would like to introduce our four witnesses. Our first 
witness will be Ms. Grace Kim, Deputy Commissioner of 
Operations for Social Security. She is headquartered in 
Baltimore. She is joining us today from San Francisco.
    Our next witness, Kascadare Causeya, is up early in my home 
town of Portland, OR. He is program manager at Central City 
Concern. Central City helps those with life's biggest 
challenges to end or avoid homelessness and build healthy 
housing resilience and an engaged life. Kasc, as he is known by 
his friends, heads up BEST--Benefits and Entitlement Specialist 
Team--and works with the homeless to assist them in applying 
for benefits.
    Our third witness will be Peggy Murphy, immediate past 
president of the National Council of Social Security Management 
Associations. Ms. Murphy is the District Manager of the Social 
Security office in Great Falls, MT.
    And our final witness is Tara Dawson McGuinness, the 
founder of the New Practice Lab and a senior adviser to New 
America in Washington, DC.
    We will begin with you, Ms. Kim.

  STATEMENT OF GRACE KIM, DEPUTY COMMISSIONER FOR OPERATIONS, 
         SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION, BALTIMORE, MD

    Ms. Kim. Chairman Wyden, Ranking Member Crapo, and members 
of the committee, I am Grace Kim, Deputy Commissioner for 
Operations at the Social Security Administration. In my current 
position, as a former regional commissioner, and as a career 
SSA employee for over 30 years, I understand how vital SSA's 
programs and services are to the public.
    Thank you for inviting me to discuss our service delivery 
during the coronavirus pandemic. I appreciate the opportunity 
to share some of our accomplishments and challenges as we 
prioritize health and safety, while delivering vital services.
    I am so proud of the agency's employees who have worked to 
serve our customers, despite their own personal challenges, 
during the pandemic. It is my honor to lead over 44,000 
employees in more than 1,200 local field offices, 24 
teleservice centers, and eight processing centers.
    I am also pleased to oversee the work of the 15,000 
employees in the Disability Determination Services, the State 
agencies that make our medical determinations.
    Since the beginning of this crisis, Commissioner Andrew 
Saul's priority has been safety for our employees and the 
public. Many of the people we serve, older individuals and 
those with serious health conditions, are at a higher risk for 
the effects of COVID-19. To allow for physical distancing and 
to limit close contact, in March 2020 we made the unprecedented 
decision to have our employees work from home and to limit in-
person services to appointment only.
    No one anticipated the length of the pandemic, but we have 
been working hard throughout the last year to implement 
policies that support the public and focus on delivering 
mission-critical services.
    We published our local field office phone numbers. We 
extended time frames to submit documents. During the critical 
period in the pandemic, we deferred certain workloads to 
preserve beneficiaries' income and health care. Due to the 
uncertain course of the pandemic and our stewardship 
obligations, we resumed most workloads late last year and 
provided flexibilities to help the public.
    We are implementing new ideas to expand access to our 
programs and reduce paper workloads, like creating electronic 
signature options and an online process for Medicare Part B 
Supplemental Medical Coverage.
    For customers who must visit a field office, we developed 
service options that limit time spent in the office, like the 
option to submit evidence in secure drop boxes, and shortened 
interview times.
    We are testing an online video process that allows certain 
U.S. citizens to apply for replacement Social Security cards. 
We are also using video to hold certain consultative 
examinations and hearings to make disability decisions.
    Helping our most vulnerable population--individuals with 
low income, limited English proficiency, homelessness, or 
mental illness--access our services is our priority. To reach 
them, we expanded outreach to these groups through close 
partnerships with community-based advocates and ongoing robust, 
targeted outreach efforts.
    The pandemic has also created workload challenges. Some 
work can only be handled in the office, like issuing certain 
Social Security cards, and processing and scanning mail. We 
depend on nearly 3,000 field office employees each day, mostly 
managers and volunteers, to process these nonportable workloads 
on site.
    These workloads have increased dramatically since the 
beginning of the pandemic. Our field offices are handling three 
times as many phone calls compared to pre-pandemic, and on-site 
employees are scanning over a million and a half documents per 
week, ten times the volume before the pandemic.
    Scanning these documents into our system is a workaround we 
put in place to allow our employees to work remotely, but this 
process also reduces our productivity. Like much of the world, 
we have been affected by the challenges caused by the pandemic.
    The fiscal year 2022 SSA discretionary budget request of 
nearly $14.2 billion, which is $1.3 billion more than what we 
received this year, will strengthen our service to the public. 
We hope you will support this request.
    I want to thank the public for their continued cooperation, 
and especially our extraordinary employees who care so much for 
the people we serve, and you for being patient and supportive 
of our mission during this national health emergency.
    I look forward to answering any questions you may have.
    [The prepared statement of Ms. Kim appears in the 
appendix.]
    The Chairman. Thank you very much, Ms. Kim. And now, up 
early in my hometown, Kascadare Causeya. Welcome.

 STATEMENT OF KASCADARE CAUSEYA, PROGRAM MANAGER, CENTRAL CITY 
                     CONCERN, PORTLAND, OR

    Mr. Causeya. Thank you, Chairman Wyden, Ranking Member 
Crapo, and members of the committee. My name is Kascadare 
Causeya. I am a program manager for the Benefits and 
Entitlements Specialist Team, BEST, for Central City Concern in 
Portland, OR. I am on the board of directors for New 
Narrative--formerly LukeDorf--and a member on SOAR's National 
Experts Panel, all organizations serving people experiencing 
poverty and homelessness. My team has been using the SOAR model 
for developing and filing our claims since 2008.
    SOAR, a national project funded by the Substance Abuse and 
Mental Health Services Administration, was designed to help 
increase access to SSI/SSDI for people with severe conditions 
that could not go through the SSA disability process on their 
own.
    Since March of 2020, the barriers for those needing Social 
Security benefits have increased in various ways. Applicants 
just cannot walk into the field office, and prearranged 
appointments are hard to get. This means people have trouble 
getting help understanding the nuances of going through the 
disability process; for example, a woman new to homelessness 
listening to the myths about SSA and disability, suffering from 
the residual effects of a severe bipolar decompensation, being 
so disorganized and afraid that she slept on the sidewalks 
during the day and began using meth at night to stay awake for 
fear of being harmed. She is going to struggle until she finds 
help.
    Two, people might not always have a working phone number, a 
mailing address, a printer, or a way to check mail if Social 
Security tries to get in touch with them. For those without 
necessary technology and understanding to begin and complete 
the process, there is limited or no access to SSA staff and 
information that could help them complete applications and the 
various other tasks requested of them. We helped a person with 
an intellectual disability who was estranged from his family 
and choosing to live on the streets rather than to admit to his 
family that he just could not understand things.
    Three, increased hopelessness and feelings of apathy for 
those attempting to become more self-sufficient, like an older 
gentleman suffering from a multitude of conditions who had been 
falling through the social service cracks for decades, losing 
trust in the system, that his life will ever have any meaning, 
and even losing trust in those who attempted to help him.
    Fortunately, the people I have described here were the 
lucky ones, because they were able to get help from BEST, but 
there are so many more who cannot get assess to my program and 
are just as ill and vulnerable.
    Although these issues exist in all homeless communities, it 
is particularly true for blacks, Native Americans, and Latin 
communities who disproportionately experience homelessness at 
higher rates compared to their white counterparts.
    Here are a few statistics from my program related to years 
prior to the pandemic compared to during the pandemic.
    For the 3 years prior to March 2020, we averaged 806 
referrals a year, and average time to an SSA decision was 79 
days. Since March of 2020, we received 673 referrals, and time 
to an SSA decision is 110 days. National numbers reflect this 
local trend.
    Many people suffering from severe and persistent conditions 
have nothing in the way of resources to help them survive. A 
maximum of $794 a month they get from SSI is still below the 
Federal poverty level, but it can open housing doors, offer the 
ability to get from place to place using public transportation 
for things like primary care appointments and counseling, can 
offer some hope for the future, and allow them to set their own 
level of self-sufficiency and quality of life that previously 
was not available to them.
    So here are some possible solutions.
    Safely re-open the SSA field offices for drop-in 
appointments. Make the SSA application available online, and 
simplify the questions.
    The current My Social Security electronic access is too 
complicated for most people, and requires an email address that 
not everyone has or can remember passwords to. People should be 
able to access SSA services with their Social Security number, 
even if all they can do is schedule a phone call. People also 
do not have phone minutes to wait on hold for 40 minutes or 
more.
    More funding for nonprofit organizations to help vulnerable 
people apply for SSI and SSDI. More flexible scheduled call-in 
times for the public.
    The COVID pandemic has caused us to rethink how we do what 
needs to be done, and what the new normal will look like. Let's 
consider making things a little bit easier for those whose 
abilities are a little more challenged than ours.
    Thank you for listening to my testimony, and I look forward 
to answering your questions.
    [The prepared statement of Mr. Causeya appears in the 
appendix.]
    The Chairman. Mr. Causeya, thank you. And Central City 
Concern in Portland has been there for vulnerable folks since 
my days with the Gray Panthers, and I just want everybody there 
to know how much we appreciate the incredible leadership.
    Our next witness is going to be Peggy Murphy, past 
president of the National Council of Social Security Management 
Associations.

 STATEMENT OF PEGGY MURPHY, IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT, NATIONAL 
   COUNCIL OF SOCIAL SECURITY MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATIONS, GREAT 
                           FALLS, MT

    Ms. Murphy. Hello, Chairman Wyden, Ranking Member Crapo, 
and members of the committee. My name is Peggy Murphy. In 
addition to being the immediate past president of NCSSMA, I am 
the District Manager of the Great Falls, MT Social Security 
office. On behalf of the National Council, thank you for the 
opportunity to be here today to provide our front-line 
perspective of SSA service during the pandemic.
    On Friday, March 17, 2020, the majority of Social Security 
employees were informed that effective Monday, March 20th, they 
would be teleworking indefinitely, and that field offices would 
be closed to the public because of the pandemic.
    This was a colossal undertaking, given that most employees 
had never teleworked, and our telework pilot had just ended a 
few months before. We rose to the occasion, and within a couple 
of weeks the majority of field office employees, and a large 
number of teleservice center employees, were up and running 
taking care of customers from home.
    I manage four offices that had not been part of the 
telework pilot, and my employees were not so interested in 
teleworking. We met the challenge, though, and my employees 
went home on Friday and were successfully serving customers on 
Monday.
    My employees were anxious about working from home and, like 
the rest of the world, we did not expect this to go on as long 
as it has. Thirteen months into it, I can say that my 
employees, my management team, and I are very proud of the way 
we were able to mobilize and continue to serve the public.
    I am confident that customers in my service area are being 
served, regardless of how they contact us. However, there have 
been many challenges. I have four Indian reservations in my 
service area that, prior to the pandemic, had access to us via 
video service delivery. Through existing partnerships, we 
continue to serve those customers via phone and online 
services, and look forward to expanding those services again.
    Due to our current policies and the nature of SSA's work, 
dedicated field office management staff have continued to come 
into the office every day to handle incoming and outgoing mail, 
nonportable work, and to provide in-person service to critical 
cases such as immediate payment.
    This current model is not sustainable because it leaves 
managers with very little time to perform their duties, which 
include facility and personnel responsibilities. Most of our 
employees remain at home, while managers are in the office. 
Each office is managing their own unique service area 
challenges the best they possibly can, and some face additional 
obstacles depending on size, location, demographics, and 
available resources.
    We have realized the advantages of telework, and so have 
our employees. However, we need to reopen our offices with the 
right mix of office workers and teleworkers to ensure customers 
are getting the service they need. And in some cases, that is 
definitely face to face.
    It was not until the fall of 2020 that a very small number 
of non-management employees began returning to field offices on 
a voluntary and rotational basis to assist with the substantial 
volume of incoming and outgoing mail. In most cases, there are 
between one and three employees coming into the office to 
assist.
    Besides increasing on-site personnel, SSA has made efforts 
to improve public access to facilities. These efforts include 
field office drop boxes and the use of Microsoft Teams to 
conduct certain enumeration interviews.
    Overall, the agency's response to serving the public during 
COVID-19 has shown our commitment to serving the public. 
However, in order to overcome our preexisting inefficiencies 
and apply the lessons learned, SSA needs resources. We need 
front-line staff. And even with the recent investments in IT 
modernization, SSA's computer system continues to have many 
challenges. We continue to rely on 40-year-old COBOL systems. 
SSA must continue to modernize.
    We must expand existing services and implement technologies 
that will assist our more vulnerable population, including the 
deaf and hard-of-hearing community, non-English-speaking 
customers, the homeless, and those who live in rural and tribal 
locations.
    It is critically important that Congress and SSA address 
the need to improve upon outdated program policy that makes 
administering SSA's programs inefficient and ultimately does 
not provide the level of service the public expects and 
deserves.
    The pandemic caused us to reevaluate some of our existing 
policies and make changes quickly to gain efficiencies that we 
need to build on post-pandemic. Agency leadership has placed 
customer service at the forefront and has made efforts to 
provide the full range of services to the American public.
    The pandemic has changed the agency and the way we serve 
the public. We must take this opportunity to reassess the 
customer experience and what it means to provide world-class 
service. Our agency's limitations with IT, policy, and 
resources became more apparent once the pandemic hit. Closing 
offices and relying on management to serve and support our 
staff, working from home, made matters even worse.
    This is the moment where SSA must redefine itself and move 
into the 21st century. Thank you for the opportunity to be here 
today and to provide our front-line perspective. We are 
committed to the mission of the agency and giving the American 
public the best customer service, which they deserve.
    [The prepared statement of Ms. Murphy appears in the 
appendix.]
    The Chairman. Thank you very much, Ms. Murphy.
    Our final witness will be Tara Dawson McGuinness, founder 
of the New Practice Lab and an adviser at New America.

STATEMENT OF TARA DAWSON McGUINNESS, FELLOW AND SENIOR ADVISER, 
         NEW PRACTICE LAB, NEW AMERICA, WASHINGTON, DC

    Ms. McGuinness. Thank you very much, Chairman Wyden, 
Ranking Member Crapo, and members of the committee. I am so 
grateful to join you and these tremendous public servants this 
morning to talk about really making the Federal Government work 
for the public.
    President Lincoln was perhaps the first President to truly 
drill down on this question of how are we delivering benefit to 
those who elected us. In my new book, I talk about how he 
reopened the doors to the White House after breakfast and heard 
not only from government officials but from citizens, welcoming 
their petitions and concerns.
    But as the U.S. has grown to ten times the size of the 
populace of Lincoln's time, the practicality of this exercise 
has changed, not to mention the dynamics of the global 
pandemic.
    The challenge, however, remains for today's agency leaders: 
how can government adapt to reach people in this digital age? 
Just because government structures were built for a different 
time does not mean they cannot adapt. This is very hard. 
Massive digitization has come to the private sector, and very 
few of the Fortune 500 companies around at the turn of the 
century actually survived this disruption.
    While companies can be replaced by startups, the government 
is not going to be replaced. It needs to adapt to meet the 
times. Millions of Americans depend on it.
    And there are new tools to do this, the modern equivalent 
of Lincoln's one-man effort to understand what citizens need. 
There are new units in the U.S. Digital Services and 18F, and 
there are growing capacities that are happening at the State 
level.
    There are nonprofits like mine that work to serve and help 
people make this adaptation. And we are seeing in the Federal 
Government new possibilities. Another agency inside the Food 
and Nutrition Service moved to remote validation for food 
assistance to serve millions more people during the pandemic.
    This process takes work, but it is not impossible. I want 
to highlight one example in the State of Michigan, which once 
had America's longest public benefits application, 40 pages 
long. This form was an inhumane barrier between the people 
desperately in need of emergency services and the State of 
Michigan.
    One resident described it as being left up to fate as to 
whether you make it through. This is borne out in the data of 
how many people got stuck in the process. A team of remarkable 
agency leaders and one nonprofit tackled this form. The results 
were stunning. The form can now be completed in 20 minutes, and 
it is processed by the State in half the time.
    Michigan is not alone. Similar transformations have 
happened across the country, from California's work on SNAP to 
Vermont's edit processing.
    I want to share four key lessons from existing efforts 
across the country to improve benefit delivery. They apply to 
Social Security and other agencies, and they come from a book 
of serving needs across the country called ``Power to the 
Public.''
    First, increasing outreach does not help if the front door 
is locked. You heard this in earlier testimony. Agency leaders 
need to think of their forms and applications as the front 
door. They are often the equivalent of either a welcome mat or 
a locked gate that says ``need not apply.''
    Agency leaders--and I am very sympathetic to the role of 
public servants in these times; I have often been in the seats 
of other witnesses--but we need to test our forms with typical 
beneficiaries. Grab a group of beneficiaries and see where 
people get stuck before you subject millions of people to these 
forms.
    You can collect data about what questions are not working. 
Many times, backlogs are the result of a single confusing 
question that requires requests for more information and more 
processors to process it.
    Second, we need to map the user experience of the client 
journey end to end. Very often, there is no single person in 
charge of an application process end to end. One part of an 
agency runs a call center, another part runs a website. We need 
to trace the journey and what it feels like to someone on it, 
from the beginning to the end, to really understand where the 
bottlenecks are.
    Third, we need to measure what matters in real time. Agency 
administrators need real-time data to see who they are serving, 
to be able to understand where there are decreases in certain 
populations, without doing retroactive analysis.
    Finally, one word of caution about modernizing, and I think 
you could hear this. There are some client populations that may 
never be served through an online process. But many government 
agencies have taken to digitizing the broken process. And when 
you digitize a broken process, you get a digitized broken 
process. In more than one instance, governments have tried to 
turn an existing process digital only to make things worse.
    Making service delivery work is about understanding truly 
who we serve, really engaging the front-line office leaders and 
adjudicators who work with them. Some of the best innovations 
come from front-line agency offices and being able to monitor 
and see the applications, and to make changes. This cannot 
happen if call centers are short-staffed or agency budgets are 
crunched.
    In closing, I am so grateful for the attention this 
committee has paid to how these benefits really reach people. 
While policy matters a great deal, it matters very little if it 
does not reach those who need it most, when they need it most, 
in crisis.
    Thank you, very much.
    [The prepared statement of Ms. McGuinness appears in the 
appendix.]
    The Chairman. Thank you very much, Ms. McGuinness.
    Colleagues, we are going to have a number of votes at 
11:30, and so we are going to keep this to 5-minute rounds.
    Ms. Kim, if I could begin with you. Can you hear me? Great. 
As I mentioned in my statement, one of the problems in 
delivering first-rate service is the requirement that some 
people have to put their most sensitive, important documents in 
the U.S. mail.
    Now I think we all understand why some people are reluctant 
to do that. And they just cannot get by without their driver's 
license. If they do mail their documents, it can take weeks to 
get the documents back.
    So why don't you begin by telling us what Social Security 
is doing to fix this clearly unacceptable issue?
    Ms. Kim. So thank you, Senator Wyden, for that question. We 
share your concern, and the concern of the members of the 
public who have had to mail in those types of original 
documents for proof of their various transactions. Usually, it 
is enumeration transactions.
    We have put a number of things in place to mitigate the 
need for our public to have to mail in their primary forms of 
evidence such as driver's licenses, State IDs, and those sort 
of identity proofs.
    For States that have our online replacement card in place, 
we have a data exchange with the driver's license, the DMV. And 
in those States, we are able to conduct no-change replacement 
card applications entirely online and by video. So that is one 
way that we have been able to prevent members of the public 
from having to part with their primary forms of identification.
    We have also had secure drop boxes. So in every field 
office where it is appropriate and we are able to place one, we 
have put in these secure drop boxes where members of the public 
can drop off their proofs of identity instead of relying on the 
mail, which in the beginning of the pandemic was causing a 
delay. They can drop those identity proofs in those drop boxes 
instead of mailing them, and then we can process those 
documents there.
    Currently during the pandemic, we are also being very 
flexible with our policies. So now, in appropriate situations, 
we are allowing members of the public to provide secondary 
types of proofs of identity instead of driver's licenses, 
passports, and things of that nature. So certified medical 
records might be an appropriate form of verifying someone's 
identity. There are other types of documents other than 
driver's licenses that we will accept as verification of 
someone's identity.
    The Chairman. Ms. Kim, because time is short, we have to 
get this straightened out. There are too many people for whom 
this is a huge burden, because they need their driver's 
licenses if they go for other government services. There are 
various other places they visit, businesses and elsewhere. So 
we are going to follow this up with you, and I recognize there 
may be a bit of politics associated with this as well.
    But I want you to know, as chairman of this committee, I am 
committed to getting this corrected. We cannot have people's 
original documents flying around in the mail and putting it in 
a drop box, and wondering when it is going to get returned, and 
the like. We just absolutely have to do better, because these 
are some of the most vulnerable people.
    One other question for you, if I might. Members of Congress 
wrote the agency asking about the decline in applications in 
November, and what the agency was doing to reach at-risk 
populations. The agency said that you all were doing targeted 
mailings to a number of people, that you sent 200,000 letters.
    What are the results so far? And what has been done as a 
result of those responses?
    Ms. Kim. So, Senator Wyden, we initially identified about 2 
million title II beneficiaries who might be eligible for SSI. 
And so what we did was, we sent notices to the first 200,000 of 
those individuals to let them know that they might be eligible 
for SSI and invited them to apply if they believed that they 
were eligible.
    After that 200,000 mailing, which concluded in March, we 
analyzed the results of that mailing, further refined the 
universe of the individuals who might be eligible for SSI, and 
now we have identified a remaining universe of approximately 
1.2 million individuals who we will begin to reach out to in 
June.
    So we will be sending out notices to 1.2 million 
individuals, again notifying them that they might be eligible 
for SSI and inviting them to contact us if they think so.
    The Chairman. I am over my time, Ms. Kim. I would like a 
written answer to that question within 10 days. Specifically, 
what you all have heard in those mailings, and when, with dates 
and times, those reforms are going to be put in place. Thank 
you, very much.
    Senator Crapo?
    Senator Crapo. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. And you 
actually took a couple of my questions. You are focused on the 
same kind of things that I wanted to focus on, so I will go 
beyond that.
    Let me start also with you, Ms. Kim. You know, one of the 
lessons that I think we have learned in terms of our health-
care system is that the telehealth that we resorted to during 
the pandemic has become a really significant improvement in our 
health-care system and--I think Senator Wyden and I agree on 
this--we need to try to figure out how to make permanent the 
adjustments and improvements that we made to telehealth as we 
go past the pandemic.
    The question I have for you is kind of a broad one here. Do 
you believe that the experience that Social Security has gone 
through during the pandemic has given an increased and 
appropriate focus on digital service, on tele-Social Security 
service, if you will?
    Ms. Kim. Senator Crapo, I believe that during the pandemic 
we have definitely focused on where we can use digital services 
to enable us to overcome some of the challenges that we have 
faced during the pandemic.
    So in terms of processing our disability applications, the 
DDSs, the State agencies that adjudicate disability claims, 
they were successfully using telehealth consultative 
examinations for psychiatric and psychological cases in order 
to get evidence to support those claims. So our experience in 
using telehealth in that arena has been very, very successful.
    I would like to be able to see us broaden the ability to 
use video in that manner to be able to enhance and help our 
disability process.
    Senator Crapo. All right; thank you very much.
    And Ms. McGuinness raised the question, she kind of made, I 
think, a very significant analogy. She said the front door, if 
I understood her right, may be too restrictive, meaning--and 
she referred there to the forms and applications that people 
need to provide in order to gain access to Social Security to 
get in that front door.
    Do you agree with that? And how can--I mean, I think that 
most Americans can immediately identify with the notion that 
the government's forms and applications are a real problem. Do 
you agree that there is a way we can significantly improve 
access by addressing the complexity and sort of the 
restrictiveness of the forms and applications that we currently 
use?
    Ms. Kim. I do, Senator. And in fact what we are looking at 
right now is our SSI application. That is a lengthy 
application, more than 20 pages long. And the detail of 
information that is required in that application has been a 
barrier in the past for the agency in putting that application 
online.
    So the agency, during the pandemic, has been working across 
components within the agency, and with community-based 
advocates. This is an initiative that we are working on with 
advocate groups around the country. And what we are looking to 
do is to simplify the SSI application so that it is much easier 
and much more approachable for individuals who are applying for 
that benefit. And then eventually, once we are able to 
streamline that, we will put it online for those individuals 
who would be able to access it online.
    But I do agree that there are some of our applications that 
are very, very difficult for the members of the public who need 
them.
    Senator Crapo. Well, thank you. And for my last minute I 
would like to go to Ms. McGuinness in this area to elaborate a 
little more about what you were referring to when you talked 
about the problem we have with forms and applications and 
getting in the front door.
    Ms. McGuinness. Certainly, Senator. I think, having been a 
person at a Federal agency overseeing forms, I know how much I 
do not know about how the average person views the forms. And 
so the best way to improve them is to allow the people for whom 
you are designing the program to try them out. It is unexpected 
what acronyms they get caught on, and you can dramatically 
reduce the front-load work of the offices by understanding that 
nobody knows where to find their EIN number.
    So when it comes to forms, I think the first piece is to 
test them out on the actual humans. Collect oral data. Forty 
people filling out a form will tell you what percentage of 
people really get stuck on number 2. Try to improve it. Test 
the forms again on 40 humans before you send the forms to 2 
million humans.
    There are excellent best practices. I cannot say enough 
about the tremendous work in the State of Michigan. The same 
thing has happened in California. Communities are studying more 
models of what forms look like. There are teams inside the 
program and outside that are experts on this. If we can improve 
and make it easier to purchase a pair of shoes on the Internet, 
we can also make it easier for seniors to get their benefits.
    Senator Crapo. Thank you. I appreciate that, Mr. Chairman.
    The Chairman. Thank you, Senator Crapo.
    You are being way too logical, Ms. McGuinness, to actually 
test some of these forms on people. That is far too logical 
[laughing].
    Senator Stabenow?
    Senator Stabenow. Well, good morning. And thank you, Mr. 
Chairman, and our great ranking member, for this really 
important discussion.
    I just have to start out and join all of us in echoing a 
``thank you'' to the staff, the people who have remained during 
this pandemic and kept things going when the whole world and 
the workplace was turned upside down because of COVID-19. And 
so, it is important to learn those lessons. I think there are a 
lot of things that we can learn going forward, and that we need 
to learn. But first, a big ``thank you.''
    I have been sitting here this morning also with a smile on 
my face as, Ms. McGuinness, you were talking about Michigan. I 
know that--and I appreciate your citing our reform of the 
application process for a number of benefits, especially the 
form used to apply for benefits, which was one of the longest 
and most Byzantine in America, I think.
    You described the tangible relief that the people who need 
these benefits felt after the reform; that they could 
successfully apply, get answers from the State much faster, and 
they really focus on the problems of people who are getting 
through the application process. And so it was hard work, but I 
am very proud of what Michigan did.
    But I wonder if you might just talk a little bit more about 
applying what Michigan did to the Social Security 
Administration. And can you talk more about mapping the user 
experience for accessing benefits, especially for beneficiaries 
who may be older or not have access to technology to apply?
    Ms. McGuinness. Certainly, Senator. I think many agencies 
at the State and Federal level have found the mapping of the 
experience of a journey--this needs to be done. We have talked 
this morning about a couple of different types of benefits. 
Social Security users are not the same for SSDI as they may be 
for other benefits. Really understanding who is the average 
user--are 70 percent of people in communities that do not have 
Internet access--and this is done by front-line staff as well 
as community partners like we have heard from this morning. You 
take the steps step by step, and you literally map it out.
    What happens first? We fill out a 20-page application. 
Then, who receives it? What is the average wait time for the 
reception? What does it take to pass ``Go''? What share of the 
forms need to go back to their original beneficiary for more 
information? How many forms are 100-percent correct on the 
first go? They are very quickly processed. But in many 
agencies, you have upwards of 40 percent--and this is true for 
everything from your EITC at IRS, or your Child Tax Credit, or 
your unemployment insurance. Very frequently Federal agencies 
spend a ton of effort going back to people and asking them for 
more information.
    This is expensive. This is costly. People miss the letter 
in the mail. And so, thinking step to step from when a form is 
filled out, to what share of forms get stuck, to how they get 
adjudicated, to how a person knows where they are on the 
journey, sometimes taking pressure off of call centers--this 
has been the case in unemployment insurance; 90 percent of 
people are calling for one thing. If you could make it clearer 
that they could check on their own on a website, you could make 
it easier to get through.
    So it is literally making a map of what the experience is. 
And this type of map needs to be made with beneficiaries, but 
also with front-line workers who have done tremendous work 
through COVID to try to make this work.
    Senator Stabenow. Great. Thank you very much.
    And then, Mr. Causeya, thank you so much for all of your 
great work, and for talking about the reality for folks you are 
working with trying to work through this system.
    I wonder if there is anything else you would want to share 
with us about the human toll that delays and difficulties in 
applying for benefits take on people in need as you are working 
with them.
    Mr. Causeya. Can you hear me?
    Senator Stabenow. Yes.
    Mr. Causeya. Okay. People who are living outside, or who 
are close to being outside, who have severe mental health 
conditions, these questions that are asked on the application 
are just overwhelming for them. You have many people who suffer 
from a variety of disorders, and they just cannot focus long 
enough, or they cannot get over the fear inside them when it 
comes to dealing with having to trust the government.
    A lot of our people, they really have a problem with 
trusting the government. And I am not sure where it comes from. 
But it is very difficult for those people. It is also difficult 
for the people who are housebound because of their physical 
condition to actually get to a place where they can get access 
to a computer, or to have a phone, or someone who can assist 
them. Office closures are very difficult on these groups of 
people.
    Senator Stabenow. Thank you.
    Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. I look forward to 
working with you to make this system better.
    The Chairman. We will be working together.
    Kasc, thanks so much for that really thoughtful answer.
    Our next Senator in line of appearance is Senator Menendez. 
Are you there?
    [No response.]
    The Chairman. Senator Thune--there is Senator Menendez. 
Yes, Senator Menendez.
    Senator Menendez. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
    Ms. Kim, I have a constituent who was on SSI and was laid 
off during the pandemic. They followed Social Security rules 
and filed for emergency unemployment that Congress authorized 
last spring. However, because of their unemployment benefits, 
they now have a large amount of unearned income, and their SSI 
benefits were suspended. They run through the 12 months of 
suspension. They will have to reapply for SSI.
    So my question is, why has the agency not used their 
regulatory authority to exclude disaster relief UI from being 
counted against beneficiaries?
    Ms. Kim. So, Senator Menendez, this is an issue that we are 
currently looking at right now. I do not--because we are in the 
middle of analyzing how to proceed, looking at the EIP payment 
as disaster relief assistance, I would like to provide 
additional information for the record. This is an issue that we 
are currently talking about right now.
    Senator Menendez. Well, I hope we do more than talk about 
it, because I do not think that Congress intended to provide 
individuals the type of relief that we did during the pandemic 
only to have them lose their SSI. That could never have been 
Congress's intent at the end of the day.
    Let me ask you this. Do you support automatic renewal of 
SSI for people who lost their benefits due to the pandemic, 
with issues with unemployment insurance income, when the time 
comes?
    Ms. Kim. That is another issue that we are looking at. The 
bottom line is, in appropriate circumstances, I fully support 
that.
    Senator Menendez. All right. I look forward to hearing what 
your ultimate decisions are on this question.
    Mr. Causeya, for the work your organization and other 
similar ones do in helping people with severe disabilities, 
applying for SSI, do you have sufficient resources to help your 
clients?
    Mr. Causeya. No, we do not. We try and make it work with 
what we get, but it is difficult because each case is 
different. And so each case requires a different amount of 
effort and resources. But we most certainly could use more 
resources.
    Senator Menendez. How difficult is the process for people 
with disabilities who may need some assistance to fill out 
their applications, but do not have access to organizations 
like yours?
    Mr. Causeya. It is almost prohibitive. I mean, I think of 
Ms. McGuinness, who was talking about the difficulties with 
understanding the acronyms, and the use of the information, or 
terminology that Social Security uses. The majority of people 
who are homeless do not really understand the terminology or 
understand the questions. Whereas people who have been trained 
and who are working in that field, when they look at it, they 
think it is a simple question. But for someone who is not 
familiar with it, they get stuck. And so, if they answer it the 
wrong way, then of course, you know, that could result in a 
denial of their claim or prolong the process by having SSA send 
them more requests for information from them.
    Senator Menendez. Thank you.
    Ms. Kim, beneficiaries encounter numerous challenges when 
going through their application process for SSI, and they 
require assistance from the field offices. But with the field 
offices closed, many people have been running into challenges 
accessing this needed help.
    What is SSA's timeline for reopening offices safely so that 
older adults and people with disabilities can access the help 
they need?
    Ms. Kim. So currently, Senator, SSA is operating under its 
current workplace safety plan, which aligns with the 
President's executive order and OMB guidance. And that right 
now permits SSA workplaces to operate up to 25 percent of 
normal occupancy.
    So we are working within the parameters of our workplace 
safety plan, and that plan does limit our ability to bring in 
additional staff on site. We have been open throughout the 
pandemic--I want to make that very clear. But we have only been 
open to the public if they have an appointment.
    And we are currently, within the parameters of the plan, 
incrementally increasing staff on site to handle workloads such 
as critical workloads that serve vulnerable populations. But we 
are doing that in a way to ensure the safety of our employees, 
as well as the public that has to come into our field offices.
    But one way that we are also trying to reach the SSI 
population and help them with their applications as part of the 
vulnerable population outreach efforts that we have done with 
community-based advocates--that I mentioned in my opening, that 
I discuss in my hearing testimony--is that we have established 
SSA points of contact in every area where we have a field 
office.
    And those points of contact are working directly with 
community organizations and advocates, and working with them to 
facilitate the SSI claims-taking and referrals of SSI claims to 
SSA. And in those instances, we are processing----
    The Chairman. We are going to have to move on. Senator 
Menendez, did you need to say anything else?
    Senator Menendez. Yes, just briefly, Mr. Chair. I 
appreciate the answer, but it is not working for people, I can 
tell you that. And one of the things we could do is streamline 
this application. It is a 23-page application for SSI. I mean, 
I think in the 21st century, we can do a lot better than that. 
So I look forward to working with the chair to try to make it 
better.
    The Chairman. Great. Thank you, Senator Menendez.
    Senator Thune will be coming later, and that means Senator 
Cardin is up for questions.
    Senator Cardin. Well, thank you, Mr. Chairman. And let me 
thank you for conducting this hearing on COVID-19 and SSA. And 
I want to thank all of our witnesses.
    I want to start by just acknowledging the extraordinary 
work being done by the SSA workforce. I am honored to represent 
the State of Maryland, the principal location for SSA in 
Woodlawn. The workforce there are dedicated public servants 
working under very difficult circumstances before COVID-19, 
which have been made even more complicated because of COVID-19.
    So, Ms. Kim, I want to start and ask you a question as it 
relates to the workforce issues in two respects. First, we have 
learned from COVID-19 that telework is a much more efficient 
way, where appropriate, to use the workforce, and that moving 
forward, we would hope that there would be a progressive 
telework policy for workers to be able to be more efficient in 
carrying out their mission at SSA.
    On the other hand, you are now bringing more of the 
workforce back in person, and there is concern that that be 
done in a way for safety for the workforce. So we had both 
issues of safety for those who are going to be physically 
present and interacting with constituents, and those who 
believe they can do their work more efficiently and safely from 
their home environment.
    My question to you is, how are you engaging the workforce? 
How are you working with the unions for the workers at SSA, and 
the workers themselves? How are they engaged in the discussion 
moving forward on the policies of telework and safely returning 
to their work stations?
    Ms. Kim. So, thank you for that question. Currently we are 
engaging with the union on a number of fronts. So the workplace 
safety plan that I mentioned, the plan that is kind of the 
blueprint for how SSA is operating right now, we implemented 
that safety plan in accordance with the President's executive 
order, and we implemented that plan in the middle of March.
    And when we did so, we notified the union and gave them the 
opportunity to bargain, which we are doing in good faith right 
now. So we are engaging with the union, bargaining our 
workplace safety plan, and that negotiation is ongoing.
    We are also----
    Senator Cardin. I would just say, on that issue, just so I 
can point out, it is always best if you work together in a 
nonconfrontational way, to work with the same set of facts. And 
the way you sort of presented that, it looks like you presented 
the plan, and now you are negotiating.
    It seems to me that the union should have been involved in 
the initial aspects of developing the plan. But I take it they 
were not?
    Ms. Kim. They were not. This was--we were entering into 
post-implementation bargaining for the workplace safety plan. 
But President Biden's executive order and the OMB guidance that 
followed did permit agencies to move forward with their 
workplace safety plans because of the health and safety 
concerns--and the necessity of agencies having such a plan in 
place--and then entering into post-implementation bargaining at 
that point.
    So that is what we have done in our agency, and we have met 
our labor obligations by engaging in negotiations with them.
    Going forward, however, we are actively engaging with the 
union about issues, not just post-implementation, but looking 
for their input on a variety of other issues. Right now, the 
issue of telework is still in the future. That is an area 
where, when we have further guidance from the White House about 
our ability to reopen beyond the 25 percent that is currently 
in our workplace safety plan, we will certainly, and I will 
certainly, engage with the union about any telework program 
that we put forward in Operations, because I want to make sure 
that that program reflects the interests of our employees.
    Senator Cardin. I thank you for that. Clearly, we had 
challenges under the previous administration, and I was pretty 
vocal about that. We expect you to follow up on what you just 
said. And if you could keep my office informed, I would 
certainly appreciate that.
    We have regular contacts with the workers at SSA, and I 
think engaging them early in the process will make it best for 
all. So thank you very much for that commitment.
    The Chairman. Thank you, Senator Cardin, not just for this 
but for your long years of advocacy for Social Security and 
your constituents.
    Senator Portman?
    Senator Portman. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And it sounds 
like the COVID-19 experience at Social Security has taught us a 
lot of lessons, and those have been discussed today. And I hope 
we have learned from them, including in the remote work 
environment.
    I want to talk for a moment about program integrity, not 
just good public policy but also about being good stewards of 
hard-earned taxpayer money.
    In your written testimony, Ms. Murphy, you addressed the 
importance of fully funding your program integrity activities. 
For Fiscal Year 2022, I see the President has requested $1.9 
billion, which is a big increase, a $283-million increase over 
2021.
    Would you please elaborate on how program integrity 
activities ensure beneficiaries are well served, while 
safeguarding taxpayer resources?
    Ms. Murphy. Thank you for that question, Senator. And yes, 
the integrity workload is definitely what we want to be 
investing in, and we want to be making sure that we are paying 
the right folks at the right time, and that we are reassessing 
benefits, whether they are medical CDRs, whether they are 
redeterminations of SSI benefits. Not because we want to get 
people off the rolls, but we want to make sure that we are 
paying people correctly, and that if they are due benefits, 
that we are actually increasing their benefits.
    So, having those integrity workloads is very, very vitally 
important to the work that we do in making sure that, once we 
get somebody on benefits, and as they continue and they are due 
those benefits, we can review and, if their living arrangements 
have changed, or anything has changed in regard to their 
entitlement, they are getting relooked at regularly and we are 
making sure that we are paying people correctly the benefits 
that they are due.
    Senator Portman. Can you talk a little about the return on 
the investment, essentially the $283-million increase in 2022 
compared to 2021, as an example? If we were to do that, what 
would you expect the return to be on that to the Treasury, to 
the taxpayer?
    Ms. Murphy. I would--the return would be that we would be 
able to increase the number of medical CDRs, of work CDRs, and 
redeterminations that we are able to complete. You know, those 
take a lot of time. They are one of our biggest workloads. They 
take a couple of hours for each one of our customers--a lot of 
man-hours to do those redeterminations. But I do not have the 
number that I could actually put forward for the agency, but I 
know that if we have the resources, then we can deliver more 
redeterminations, more integrity workload, and we can make sure 
that, again, we are paying people correctly.
    Senator Portman. Okay. We will follow up on that, if it is 
all right, and see if we can come up with some numbers to be 
able to support this increase. Because I think it is a good 
idea to make sure that the program integrity is working 
properly, including the CDRs being more available, and that you 
have the resources to do it.
    And if you have any other ideas on program integrity, let 
us know. On this committee, the chair and ranking member and 
others have worked a lot on unemployment insurance, and that is 
another area where we want to work on program integrity. And I 
think we have some common ground there to try to figure that 
out so that the benefits are going to the right people. We have 
had a lot of issues in Ohio, and I know other States as well, 
with regard to fraud in that program.
    So, Mr. Chairman, I look forward to working with you on 
that.
    On solvency, just quickly, the big issue is, Social 
Security is facing insolvency, as we know. According to the 
latest report, the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance could pay 
benefits only through 2034, and then we see substantial 
reductions under current law.
    I know you are not responsible for these actions, Ms. 
Murphy, or others before us today, but what sort of impact 
would this have on the many clients whom your members serve, 
Ms. Murphy and others as well, if we were not to address this 
looming insolvency?
    Ms. Kim. So, Senator Cardin, I will respond. I would have 
to get you more information on that for the record, because I 
do not have that information off the top of my head.
    Senator Portman. Senator Cardin would not have asked such 
an open-ended question. This is Senator Portman.
    Ms. Kim. Oh, I apologize, Senator Portman.
    Senator Portman. Well, thank you. I mean the bottom line 
is, all of us want to be sure the Social Security benefits are 
there. And today we are talking about the Administration more, 
but the looming insolvency obviously will be a huge dislocation 
for beneficiaries and for the program.
    Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
    The Chairman. Thank you, Senator Portman.
    And now the chair of the Social Security Subcommittee, 
Senator Brown.
    Senator Brown. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for holding this. I 
have committed, as you and I have talked about many times, to 
working together to protect and expand Social Security.
    Sadly, based on their track record, it appears that 
Commissioner Andrew Saul and Deputy Commissioner David Black do 
not share that commitment that Chairman Wyden and I do. Senator 
Casey has spoken up. We need leadership that believes in the 
promise of Social Security, not leadership that has actively 
worked to dismantle it.
    Commissioner Saul and Deputy Commissioner Black should 
resign.
    Ms. Kim, as a means-tested program in a period of economic 
downturn, SSI should be helping more people than ever. Instead, 
we find SSI applications and awards at historic lows. Field 
office closures during a global pandemic--Senator Menendez 
mentioned that--explain part of the decline, but at the heart 
of this we must acknowledge how difficult an SSI application 
is. You basically need to have a law degree to successfully 
apply.
    Here is what I have observed. The Social Security 
Administration under Commissioner Saul spent a lot of time and 
regulatory energy making it harder for people to qualify for 
and retain these benefits. And he has continued that effort 
even after the switch-over in the White House.
    The President and I want to see a different agenda. Instead 
of finding ways to deny disability benefits, I want to see you 
helping people successfully get the benefits they are eligible 
for.
    If you would, answer this ``yes'' or ``no.'' Will you help 
shift the focus from denial to assistance, Ms. Kim?
    Ms. Kim. Thank you, Senator Brown. I do not know that I can 
give you a ``yes'' or a ``no'' answer. What I would say is that 
I am committed to ensuring that, for the individuals who apply 
for benefits, it is easier for them to understand the benefit 
for which they are applying, and the entitlement criteria as 
well.
    I want to make sure that whoever receives benefits from us 
is entitled to them. And we are looking at ways right now to 
simplify and clarify our programs so that people who are in 
need of these benefits can access them.
    Senator Brown. Ms. Kim, I get that. And I do not put this 
on you entirely, by a long shot; I put it much more on Mr. Saul 
and Mr. Black, but you need to do better on this too.
    Mr. Causeya, if you can answer this quickly, from your 
experience with the SOAR program--which helps the hardest-to-
reach individuals gain access to benefits--do you think we 
would benefit from a broader nationwide navigator program that 
would help individuals complete the SSI application process? Be 
as brief as you can answering that question.
    Mr. Causeya. Yes, I do. Right now, for the most part, if a 
person goes through Social Security and files for an 
application, the Social Security Administration will gather 
records, medical records. And medical records do not tell the 
whole story of a person's life. And so I think that 
organizations like mine that can take the time to develop the 
case and tell the person's whole story will give the applicant 
a much better chance at being successful.
    Senator Brown. Thank you, Mr. Causeya.
    I want to turn to the Social Security workforce. As one of 
his first acts, President Biden signed an executive order 
directing agencies to return to the bargaining table with 
unions after years of union-busting practices. At the Social 
Security Administration under Commissioner Saul, this took many 
forms, including eliminating the option of remote work. 
According to AFGE, SSA leadership has not returned to the 
bargaining table yet and has not reopened the 2019 agency 
employee contract.
    Ms. Kim, why has SSA delayed this process after a clear 
directive to return to the table?
    Ms. Kim. So, Senator Brown, we have actually returned to 
the table. We are bargaining currently over the workplace 
safety plan, which right now limits our ability to bring 
employees in beyond 25 percent. Under the workplace safety 
plan, we are still utilizing maximum telework.
    So at the point where we get further White House guidance 
on our ability to reopen, and we are at a point where we can 
revisit instituting a telework program, at that point we will 
be engaging with the union in good-faith negotiations about 
that.
    And I look forward to that. I look forward to that, 
actually.
    Senator Brown. Thank you for that, Ms. Kim. I expect you to 
double down on efforts to improve relationships with your 
employee unions. It is something--throughout the Trump 
administration, they were dismissive of unions generally. Their 
politics was that, their behavior was that, their treatment of 
workers was that.
    Another question, though, about the workforce and the time 
the telework pilot ended months before the pandemic began. Was 
Mr. Saul working out of Social Security's Woodlawn office 
personally?
    Ms. Kim. Yes, he was.
    Senator Brown. He was working out of the office itself; 
okay.
    Ms. Kim. I'm sorry? At the time the pilot ended? Is that 
what you are asking, Senator Brown?
    Senator Brown. Yes.
    Ms. Kim. Yes, he was.
    Senator Brown. Okay. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
    The Chairman. Thank you, Senator Brown. We will be working 
closely with the subcommittee.
    Senator Cassidy?
    [No response.]
    The Chairman. Senator Bennet?
    [No response.]
    The Chairman. Senator Lankford is next.
    Senator Lankford. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I appreciate 
everyone's testimony; obviously an incredibly difficult season 
for everyone as we actually walk through the time of the 
pandemic. No one saw this coming, obviously, and you had a 
rapid response, as everyone else said, as several of you have 
testified.
    Everyone went home for a couple of weeks and thought this 
would be a couple of weeks, and now we are a year into it. But 
there are some lessons learned in this, and I want to make sure 
I drill down on a couple of these.
    Ms. Kim, in your testimony you noted that express 
interviews were offered at 81 offices. Some of those offices 
were actually in Oklahoma. What have you learned from that 
pilot? What will remain that you have learned from that pilot?
    Ms. Kim. So, Senator Lankford, the express interviews are 
one of the things that we instituted during the pandemic to 
shorten the time that members of the public are in our field 
offices. And that is to protect their safety as well as our 
employees'.
    And we have learned the response to that pilot has been 
overwhelmingly favorable. And we are rolling out express 
interviews nationwide because of the effectiveness that that 
process has had in enabling us to process certain transactions 
more quickly, and to be able to serve our customers in a better 
way.
    Senator Lankford. So obviously, people do not want to spend 
a long time in the office, pandemic or no pandemic. At this 
point, when we talk about this, this is something you are going 
to continue to expand on one way or the other, and what is your 
anticipated timeline for that expansion?
    Ms. Kim. We are in the process of expanding now. I would 
have to add some additional information for the record, if you 
want a specific timeline, but we are in the process of 
expanding express interviews to all 1,200 of our field offices.
    Senator Lankford. If I can just get a follow-up on that 
from you; I do not need an exact date, but give me generalities 
on times in a follow-up for the record, that would be helpful. 
Just so we will know if it is going to take 10 years to 
implement, or is this going to take 10 months to implement, so 
we can get a good feel for that.
    Ms. Kim. I would be happy to do that.
    [The information appears in the appendix on p. 77.]
    Senator Lankford. So the disability case processing system 
has had a few questions, as you know well, and the Inspector 
General has raised some issues. There are some outside third-
party groups that have done some audits and have raised some 
issues.
    My State has not fully implemented that yet, based on some 
of those questions and issues on security. Tell me the status 
on that, because, obviously, that is a lot of private 
information that is out there. We want to have a more efficient 
system that is helpful, but we've got to make sure it actually 
works, and that it is actually secure. So give me an update on 
it.
    Ms. Kim. So in July of last year, Andrew--Commissioner 
Saul--made the decision to have DCPS as the national case 
processing system. So since that time, we have been working 
with each State to transition DCPS to all States.
    Currently we have 47 States that are now rolled onto DCPS, 
and we are continuing to work with those remaining States that 
are not yet on DCPS. And what we are doing is, we are deploying 
staff to States like Oklahoma to ensure that they have the 
support that they need to address the unique questions and 
concerns and issues arising for those States.
    And so I am confident that we are going to be able to 
transition all States to DCPS in the next year or so.
    Senator Lankford. Are you confident in the security of the 
system as well?
    Ms. Kim. I am.
    Senator Lankford. Okay. We will be able to follow up from 
there, but I appreciate that very much.
    There is a lot, again, that we have learned from this time 
in the pandemic. One thing is how much we have done by remote 
that we never thought we could do remote. So, as we look 
forward in the future, are there opportunities, or an 
examination at least, to be able to look at hiring Social 
Security employees who may never come into the office, who 
could work in more remote areas a long way from the office, but 
could still fulfill those job opportunities?
    I am thinking especially of people who work, who are 
spouses of those who are active duty, who may be transferred 
every 2 or 3 years to very remote areas of the country on bases 
and posts. They would like to be able to have a stable job and 
a place to be able to work.
    Are there job listings that you have seen now that say, we 
have not had this as a permanent remote work task, but we could 
do this as a remote work task in the future? And so, are you 
open to listing it that way on USA Jobs and opening it up?
    Ms. Kim. So, we have not made any decisions about precisely 
that type of job listing, but I am open to considering it, 
because we have learned many lessons during this pandemic, 
particularly what is truly portable work that could be 
performed at a location away from the office, as if the person 
is in the office themselves.
    And so I think we have opportunities, as we have identified 
those workloads that are truly portable, to think about hiring 
future staff who may not ever set foot in an SSA facility.
    Senator Lankford. That would be very helpful to be able to 
have the search capability in any office, because they could 
work from anywhere, or to be able to increase the number of 
highly qualified people that you could actually recruit to be 
able to work with SSA, because you could recruit them from 
anywhere. So I appreciate that very much.
    Thank you.
    The Chairman. Thank you, Senator Lankford.
    Senator Cassidy?
    Senator Cassidy. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And to tag along 
with that which Senator Lankford just asked, I know from 
passports, the material being used was so sensitive it could 
not leave the office. It had to be processed in the office.
    But when the pandemic hit and the office was shut down, 
there was not an agreement with the unions for people to wear 
PPE in order to continue to work. And the only people actually 
processing passports were management. Did that same situation 
occur in SSA? Because it seems you, as well, would have 
sensitive information which could not leave the premises.
    First, let me start with that.
    Ms. Kim. So, I am sorry, Senator Cassidy. Are you asking 
whether we have protections in place for employees----
    Senator Cassidy. No, whether there was a period of time in 
which the majority of the employees were unable to come to work 
because of the pandemic saying that you could not come in, and 
the union placing restrictions upon the use of PPE to allow 
these employees to show up, and so therefore there being kind 
of the pause, if you will, in the processing.
    Ms. Kim. We did not encounter that, Senator. At the 
beginning of the pandemic, and for the first part of the 
pandemic, the majority, the vast majority of people who were on 
site, were managers. So they were nonbargaining employees who 
were on site.
    Those were the individuals who were processing the work 
that came on site, scanning appropriate materials into our 
system so that our teleworkers could process those workloads. 
So we did not encounter, I think, the situation that you have 
described.
    And since that time, we have added about 1,000 
nonbargaining staff on site to assist with only those workloads 
that can be performed on site, and we have not encountered that 
situation.
    Senator Cassidy. So I guess what I am interested in--the 
1,000 nonbargaining staff and the managers were presumably 
safe. You would not endanger them. But nonetheless, those 
represented by the union, their union would not allow them to 
come onboard.
    First, is that a fair statement? And if so, for how long 
did the union not allow them to come in?
    Ms. Kim. So, even though the union has filed ULPs, unfair 
labor practices, with the FLRB, and has challenged the agency's 
decision to allow nonbargaining unit staff on site, we are 
currently bargaining that post-implementation right now.
    So because it is a necessity, the----
    Senator Cassidy. I'm sorry, just a second. Am I to 
understand that the bargaining employees are still not on site?
    Ms. Kim. No. The bargaining employees are on site, Senator. 
So we have about 1,000----
    Senator Cassidy. For how long did the bargaining employees 
not show up on site for work?
    Ms. Kim. Oh, I see what you are saying. For probably the 
first 4 months or so of the pandemic, 4 or 5 months.
    Senator Cassidy. And were they able to be fully employed 
from home? Because I presume you gave them computers, if they 
did not have them, but some of the material I am sure would be 
very sensitive. So how many were actually doing work related to 
processing? And how many were just being paid but not working?
    Ms. Kim. So we had some employees who were unable to work 
from home because they lacked Internet, or they had other 
issues which prevented them from working. But for the most 
part, Senator, all of the employees, bargaining unit and 
nonbargaining, were working successfully from home.
    Senator Cassidy. And ``some'' is an elastic number. Would 
``some'' be 5 percent, or 45 percent?
    Ms. Kim. That changed over the course of the pandemic. We 
had to work through issues because, initially, there were some 
employees who just did not have appropriate Internet at home, 
or no connectivity----
    Senator Cassidy. But do you have any sense of the percent 
at the outset? And for how long did that percent remain 
constant and then begin to fall?
    Ms. Kim. Yes. We do have percentages, and I can share that 
for the record.
    Senator Cassidy. But you cannot tell me now?
    Ms. Kim. Not off the top of my head, no, Senator.
    Senator Cassidy. I would appreciate that.
    With that, I yield back.
    The Chairman. Thank you, Senator Cassidy.
    Senator Thune?
    Senator Thune. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
    Ms. Kim, thanks for the work that you and the agency 
leadership have been doing to ensure that Social Security 
continues to provide critical customer service during the 
pandemic. I know that the chairman covered the issue of mailing 
in sensitive documents at the top of the hearing. I want to 
echo that I have heard from a number of women in my State who 
got married during the pandemic and had to mail in multiple 
documents to change their name.
    I am not sure what the chairman was suggesting. He 
mentioned earlier that this is political. I think it is 
probably just inconvenient. So I hope the agency will continue 
to work to expand options, as in-person services are still 
limited.
    On that note, as we have all adapted to this virtual world, 
I expect there are things about it we can keep in place moving 
forward. And I also expect that there are folks who are hopeful 
to be able to resume their business with Social Security in 
person as things begin to return to normal.
    I understand that Social Security's workplace safety plan 
for field offices provides that the occupancy rate should be no 
more than 25 percent, and that field offices have been 
operating well below that rate.
    Is that correct?
    Ms. Kim. That is correct.
    Senator Thune. So, as vaccines are becoming more widely 
available, what plans does the agency have to bring employees 
back safely and increase that capacity to serve customers in 
person?
    Ms. Kim. So, as we have seen the nonportable workloads 
grow--and by ``nonportable'' I refer to the number of in-office 
appointments that we are handling right now--and the volume of 
mail that we are seeing in our field offices, both have grown 
significantly over the course of the pandemic.
    I am going to start incrementally increasing staff on site 
well within the workplace safety plan, but we have to increase 
on-site staffing in order to meet the demands of the public and 
in order to ensure that we are processing the 1\1/2\ million 
pieces of mail that need to be scanned in, in a timely manner, 
so that our employees who are working from home can process 
them.
    So, so long as I can do so safely, I plan to incrementally 
increase staff on site to meet the demand.
    Senator Thune. Thank you, Ms. Kim. I lost you there. I do 
not know if the cut-out was on my end or your end, but I will 
try and get that full answer for the record. But I would hope 
that, as everybody gets vaccinated, you can start getting folks 
operating again in a normal work environment. Because I just 
think the customers that you serve are really anxious to be 
able to get back to where they can contact you in a direct way, 
as opposed to through all these virtual technologies, which 
served their purpose during the course of the pandemic, but 
certainly are not as effective when it comes to taking care of 
your customers out there as the one-on-one personal experience 
I think that everybody who comes in to the Federal Government 
is looking for.
    So I encourage you to, as quickly as you can, given the 
fact, I mean assuming people are vaccinated, begin to get 
people back into the workplace.
    So thank you, Mr. Chairman.
    The Chairman. Thank you, Senator Thune.
    Senator Warner?
    Senator Warner. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I appreciate you 
holding this hearing.
    I want to build upon what my friend, John Thune, was just 
talking about on how we make sure, Ms. Kim, that we get these 
offices reopened. And again, I want to thank you for your 30-
plus years of public service.
    I know you have this OMB rule that says you cannot put more 
than 25 percent of your personnel back in the office at this 
point, but I still do not understand why that would preclude at 
least some level of in-person appointments.
    And again, I know this has been a hard, hard time for you 
and your workforce, but I am getting inundated with 
constituents who have really heart-breaking stories. I had a 
constituent named Marie who had a young son, literally a 1-
year-old son, who had his Social Security number stolen, and 
she did not know his Social Security number. Obviously, if they 
are an adult, they can rememer it. So she was told she had to 
send in all this paperwork, including the original copy of her 
driver's license, which is just baffling to me. Because she 
knew if she sent her driver's license in, she had to still 
drive to work, and if she did not have her driver's license, 
she was going to get fined.
    And when she finally tried to get some response, they said, 
``Well, you can file an extension on your taxes,'' but it is 
causing some real consternation. And I really do hope you will, 
even working with the OMB restrictions, be willing to get more 
of these in-person sessions scheduled.
    I also want to talk to you about outreach to vulnerable 
communities. I know the number of SSI applicants during the 
pandemic went down, but I am really afraid about where we are 
going to go from here.
    What kind of outreach are you going to be able to do? 
Because my understanding is that of the couple of million 
people eligible, you only sent out 200,000 notices of this 
eligibility. It feels like, even with the COVID restrictions, 
you have a lot of vulnerable populations that are not being 
told about what they can benefit from.
    Can you talk about this outreach to vulnerable populations?
    Ms. Kim. Absolutely, Senator Warner. So this is one area 
that I have been very, very proud of, considering our 
limitation in the number of people that we can see in our field 
offices.
    So, over the course of the pandemic, and as I laid out in 
my testimony, we have engaged in unprecedented partnerships 
with national and community-based advocacy organizations. And 
these organizations and advocates represent and serve the most 
vulnerable populations.
    And I characterize our effort as unprecedented because of 
the breadth and the number of groups with which we have 
partnered, and the scope and number of initiatives that we are 
currently working on with these partners. And these initiatives 
encompass a number of areas of broad-based national and local 
campaigns to educate the public about how to reach us, the 
kinds of benefits that are available. As I mentioned earlier, 
we are establishing SSA points of contact in every area where 
we have a field office. And those points of contacts are 
working directly with organizations to help those organizations 
file SSI claims on behalf of those they serve and get those 
claims to SSA, or to help those organizations access other 
types of services for their clients and customers.
    We are also developing training tools and videos for these 
organizations, as well as for the public, and anyone who might 
be able to assist another person in filing an SSI application 
or any other kind of claim. And the 200,000 mailers that you 
mentioned, we are about ready to start that mailer for an 
additional 1.2 million individuals in June.
    So we are going to be reaching out to an additional 1.2 
million individuals who might be eligible for SSI, and invite 
them to apply for SSI if they think they meet the requirements.
    And then as I also mentioned----
    Senator Warner. Ms. Kim, I think the chairman wants to move 
to the next, but I will follow up with you, because I 
appreciate that 200,000 have been sent out, but 2 million are 
eligible. But I will follow up.
    Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
    The Chairman. Thank you. An important point, Senator 
Warner.
    Next is Senator Daines.
    Senator Daines. Mr. Chairman, thank you. In particular I 
want to thank Ms. Murphy for taking the time to join us from 
Great Falls, MT. My mom saw her first rodeo when she was 4 
years old in Great Falls, so, a lot of family members in that 
part of our State.
    I want to start by commending the leadership and the 
workforce of the Social Security Administration for their hard 
work over the past difficult 14 months. They were tough times, 
and I think the SSA really did step up to the plate.
    Social Security is really relevant, it is truly relevant 
and important to Montanans, and that is why I care deeply to 
ensure that benefits are accessible and service delivery is 
smooth. In fact, when we look at the State of Montana, we are 
actually one of the oldest States west of the Mississippi. In 
fact, we are among the top 10 oldest in the country. So this is 
a very important issue in many ways for the people of Montana.
    One thing I have heard from my constituents is that they 
would prefer to have the ability to sit down in person with a 
Social Security staff member. They tell me it is just not the 
same to talk to somebody over the phone.
    Coincidentally in fact, I heard this exact concern just 
last week from a constituent in Great Falls, MT, and I think it 
does make sense from a service delivery perspective to have 
Social Security's workforce safely returned to the workplace as 
soon as possible.
    Ms. Murphy, again, thanks for joining us from Montana. Have 
you heard any similar stories from Social Security 
beneficiaries in Great Falls? And would you say that Social 
Security Administration employees would like to be back in the 
office as well?
    Ms. Murphy. Thank you, Senator Daines. I am happy to be 
here, and happy to be in the State of Montana. And I would like 
to tell you, in Montana and in my service area, I have four 
offices. And our customers are probably a good representation 
of customers all across the United States.
    They like service delivery options. And so I have some 
folks who say, ``Yes, I want to sit down and have a face-to-
face.'' I have others who are very happy and say, ``Oh, I do 
not have to come in? Great. I am happy to do this over the 
phone.''
    So I think the key in Montana and every other State is that 
we have options for customers. And that is face-to-face 
service. That is on the phones. That is online. And it is also 
video service delivery. And in my oral testimony, I said that 
we have video service delivery, especially in rural areas. The 
four reservations are in my service area. We have video service 
delivery at every IHS clinic there.
    And so, that means folks do not have to travel. They love 
having that video service delivery option, because a customer 
in the IHS clinic can directly see one of my employees in my 
office. The problem with that is, the IHS clinics have also 
been closed, so customers cannot come in there to have that 
service delivery channel.
    So I would say the most important thing is having all of 
the options. And that is what we want to advocate for. However 
people want to do business with us, should be the option that 
they have to do business with us. And that includes face-to-
face.
    And as far as employees coming back, I think that is a 
mixed bag. We were very, very nimble in being able to go to 
telework, more than we actually expected. My employees, 
particularly in Great Falls, MT, Havre, and Glasgow, were not 
excited to be teleworkers. Now they love it. So we have to 
balance that as well.
    The work that makes sense to do teleworking, great. The 
work that makes sense to do in the office, we want our 
employees back in the office as well.
    Senator Daines. Ms. Murphy, thank you. It is refreshing to 
hear your focus on the customer in terms of their needs and the 
multi-channel approach you apply towards customer service. 
Thank you.
    Ms. Kim, I know you have touched multiple times on Social 
Security's plan to return to normal operations, but could you 
talk about the back-to-work plan that takes into account the 
regional--the regional--differences?
    Ms. Kim. So currently, as I mentioned, we are still 
operating under our current workplace safety plan. So we are 
limited in the numbers of individuals that we can bring on 
site, and I want to make sure that anyone we do bring on site 
will be safe.
    So those plans to bring additional employees on within the 
parameters of our current workplace safety plan are really 
going to be dependent on where the workload need is. So the way 
we are--the way I am handling how we will be staffing up is 
really looking to my regional Commissioners. They are the 
primary executives in every region, and they are working with 
their area directors----
    Senator Daines. I am running out of time. Thank you. You 
answered my question.
    Squeezing in one last question, we hear a lot about scams 
targeting seniors. We hear news reports from Great Falls and 
elsewhere in Montana of scammers using local numbers to target 
the elderly. These scammers are pretending to be Social 
Security employees in an attempt to get seniors to hand over 
their Social Security numbers.
    Ms. Murphy, have you seen an uptick in Great Falls and 
other parts of Montana, during the pandemic, of these kind of 
scams?
    Ms. Murphy. Yes, Senator, we definitely have. And how we 
have been combating that is just basically by communication. 
Any person who calls us, we routinely are letting folks know, 
do not give your Social Security number out to anybody who 
calls. We will not ask you for your Social Security number. 
They have gotten more and more clever. They are using actual, 
it looks like a local phone number, and saying that they are 
the Social Security Administration.
    In my particular area in Montana, we also go the extra step 
to say the best way to spread the news is to tell somebody 
else. So tell your neighbors, tell your friends, tell your 
relatives: do not take any calls from these scammers. Do not 
give out your Social Security number. And if Social Security 
calls you, it is because you asked us to call you.
    So sometimes it is just spreading that message.
    Senator Daines. Thanks, Ms. Murphy. You just made a public 
service announcement for us. Thank you.
    Thanks, Mr. Chairman.
    The Chairman. That is very important. Thank you.
    Senator Whitehouse is next.
    [No response.]
    The Chairman. And then Senator Young.
    [No response.]
    The Chairman. And then Senator Hassan.
    [Pause.]
    The Chairman. Senator Hassan?
    Senator Hassan. Thank you very much, Mr. Chair, and thank 
you, Ranking Member Crapo, for holding this hearing. And thanks 
to the witnesses for being here to discuss this important 
topic. Social Security programs certainly serve as a lifeline 
to our most vulnerable citizens, and we have to ensure that 
these programs are accessible.
    I want to start with a question to you, Deputy Commissioner 
Kim. A year ago, I helped lead efforts to ensure that Social 
Security recipients automatically received Economic Impact 
Payments. Unfortunately, Social Security beneficiaries did not 
receive their latest automatic payment until more than a month 
after the American Rescue Plan was signed. I have also heard 
from constituents who have still not received their automatic 
payment.
    Deputy Commissioner Kim, how is the Social Security 
Administration working with the IRS to ensure that Economic 
Impact Payments reach beneficiaries who should have 
automatically received their payments but have not?
    Ms. Kim. So, Senator, the Commissioner is working directly 
with the IRS to ensure that SSI beneficiaries and recipients 
are automatically receiving their Economic Impact Payments. And 
it is something that the Commissioner has done with every 
Economic Impact Payment. We have shared information with the 
IRS to enable them to send the payments to our beneficiaries 
and SSI recipients.
    And, as we have done with the other Economic Impact 
Payments, we are providing information to our beneficiaries and 
recipients on our website. We are working through our advocate 
groups to share information about how they can get their 
questions answered about these Economic Impact Payments. And 
so, we are doing everything that we can to ensure that our 
beneficiaries and recipients will receive those payments 
automatically.
    Senator Hassan. Thank you. I appreciate that. I will urge 
you to keep trying to be as creative as you can be, and 
innovate there, because people really do need these Economic 
Impact Payments, and they are still having difficulty getting 
them automatically. So I look forward to continuing working 
with you and your agency on it.
    I want to turn to Ms. Murphy, to an issue that the chairman 
talked about at the top of this hearing with the Deputy 
Commissioner. Ms. Murphy, New Hampshire is one of five States 
where residents cannot request a replacement Social Security 
card online.
    Over the last year, with Social Security field offices 
closed for in-person services, my office heard from a number of 
constituents who sought to replace their Social Security cards 
and were directed to complete the process through the mail. It 
included mailing in driver's licenses, leaving individuals 
without their IDs for long periods of time.
    In March 2021, the Social Security Administration permitted 
individuals to use other forms of identification to meet this 
requirement, but they still required identification documents 
to be mailed.
    Ms. Murphy, how do you think the Social Security 
Administration can streamline this process, as field offices 
remain closed for most appointments, and make this process more 
accessible going forward?
    Ms. Murphy. Thank you for that question, Senator.
    Definitely, that has been one of our biggest challenges 
during the pandemic, is folks who would normally come into the 
office to take care of a simple transaction not having that 
opportunity. And moving forward, I would like to see that we do 
streamline that process, be it data exchange, so that we have 
opportunities to verify people's documents.
    Sometimes--this has caused us to really re-look at our 
policies and say, ``Why do we have to have this document?'' So 
I think we have done a good job of being flexible during this 
pandemic. And what I am really hoping--and I know Grace is 
too--is that we will be able to realize some of these things 
that we have had to put in place temporarily that really make 
sense, so that we can serve our customers in the way that is 
easiest for them.
    And the change in the policy for secondary evidence has 
really made a huge difference for the constituents in my area, 
and across the Nation, because it is easier to get one of those 
documents and part with it than is a driver's license.
    Senator Hassan. Well, thank you for that. And I thank you 
for your service and your work, and we really should just be 
focusing on our customers, our citizens.
    So I have one more question for the Deputy Commissioner. On 
Tuesday, I led an oversight hearing where we discussed the 
Federal Government's use of outdated legacy IT systems. The 
Social Security Administration's reliance on legacy IT and 
paper-based systems hurts the American people's ability to 
access benefits, increases security threats to the agency, and 
creates more opportunities for waste, fraud, and abuse, costing 
taxpayers money.
    So, Ms. Kim, how will you work with the Chief Information 
Officer at the Social Security Administration to execute the 
agency's modernization plans to these systems? And when can we 
expect the agency to fully dispose of its legacy IT platform?
    Ms. Kim. So that is an excellent question, Senator. And 
Operations is working hand-in-glove with Systems, as well as 
other components that all have a stake in the IT modernization 
effort underway with SSA. It is why it is so important that 
there continues to be investment in SSA's IT modernization, 
because for my employees especially--and this is something that 
we have learned and that was highlighted during the pandemic--
we do not have end-to-end systems that allow a customer to seek 
to do business with us, and that let our employees be able to, 
from end to end, process that transaction seamlessly.
    Instead, the pandemic highlighted the number of workarounds 
and stops and starts that we have because of the use of our 
legacy system. I do not have an end date yet for when all 
legacy systems will be eliminated, but we are making headway 
every day on our IT modernization plan. And I am very, very 
excited for the opportunity that modernizing our systems will 
bring Operations and all front-line employees.
    Senator Hassan. Well, thank you very much. And thank you, 
Mr. Chair, for your indulgence in letting us go over time.
    The Chairman. A very important question.
    Senator Hassan. It is very important. Thank you.
    The Chairman. Thank you, Senator Hassan, and for your good 
work.
    We are now waiting for several Senators who would like to 
ask questions. There is Senator Whitehouse. Very good. And I am 
going to run and go vote, and we have several other Senators 
who are going to ask questions, and then I want to make sure we 
wrap up with clear instructions about what needs to be done 
going forward.
    Senator Whitehouse? And thank you, Senator Crapo; we will 
go back and forth and keep this going.
    Senator Whitehouse?
    Senator Whitehouse. Thank you.
    I share the concerns of many of my colleagues who have 
heard from our constituents about a variety of problems that 
have followed from the transition to pandemic-safe remote work 
by Social Security. I appreciate the effort that you all have 
gone through to keep your employees safe, but it has had these 
effects. And the quicker they can be resolved, the better.
    Two questions. One is, where are we on finding other ways 
to have access to people's personal documentation, like 
passports, for identity verification? Because people get 
spooked when they have to put their passport physically in the 
mail. Have we solved that?
    Ms. Kim. Senator, I'm sorry, I needed to get off mute. 
Senator, what we are doing during the pandemic is allowing for 
individuals to use secondary evidence to verify their identity. 
The fact of the matter is, there are certain types of 
transactions, Social Security number transactions, that require 
us to look at primary forms of identity, and to meet with 
individuals in person. That is a regulatory requirement.
    Senator Whitehouse. Have you adapted that for Zoom? I mean, 
we are adapting everything for Zoom. This hearing is being done 
for Zoom. If you have somebody in front of you and they can 
show you, wave their passport at you, it seems to me that there 
are ways to make that work.
    Ms. Kim. There are. There are certain types of Social 
Security cards where we are able to successfully use video to 
verify someone's identity that way. But those are really no-
change replacement cards.
    But for original cards and other types of Social Security 
cards, the law does require us to verify primary forms of 
identity proofs, and also to interview the person in person. 
So----
    Senator Whitehouse. Can we change that legislatively? Or is 
the clock going to run out as you come back to work, so that 
this is a problem whose horizon is close enough that we do not 
need to take action?
    Ms. Kim. So we are currently looking at that very issue 
internally, Senator. And I hope that we will have an 
opportunity to revisit the legal requirements for what we need 
to do to process the Social Security card.
    But for purposes of the pandemic, we have tried to 
alleviate the burden on the public by allowing for secondary 
forms of evidence, or identity proofs, that do not require 
someone giving up their passport or their driver's license.
    So, in appropriate circumstances, individuals can use 
certified medical records or other forms of proof to verify 
their identity.
    Senator Whitehouse. Well, I would encourage you to try to 
get an answer to us within the window that the chairman is 
going to provide for questions for the record as to what you 
are going to need. Because we do not want to be in a situation 
where, because we are not getting a timely answer from Social 
Security, we end up not taking action that we could probably do 
with a huge bipartisan, instantaneous, almost unanimous consent 
on the Senate floor, and then we find out in fact this is a 
problem that is going to endure for several months and continue 
to bedevil our constituents.
    So I think, if Ranking Member Crapo and Chairman Wyden 
could get a clear signal from you within the QFR time about 
what is needed, we can then respond appropriately and not have 
people caught in this quagmire of indecision.
    A separate question for Ms. McGuinness. Just over half of 
Social Security Disability applications have been submitted 
online in 2020. Is there a way--what do you recommend--is there 
anything we should do to be able to make electronic submission 
of Social Security Disability applications more prevalent?
    Ms. McGuinness. I think it is really important to try to 
understand the beneficiaries' needs. There may be some 
beneficiaries for whom you will never move them online. There 
may be some beneficiaries for whom if the process were more 
straightforward, it would be easier to move online. And I think 
a close look at the trends in the pandemic would be the first 
step in trying to up the number of folks.
    Second is, we found in other benefit delivery experiments 
that complex online processing can be beaten by paper. So you 
may be driving people to in-person assistance because of the 
complexity of some online systems. So I think a closer look, 
really testing with folks you are serving, understanding what 
the feeling is of people to be able to move online--I suspect 
some of the Social Security population, as we have heard, 
really does need to go into the office. But trying to maximize 
the efficiency of folks who do not is going to be the first 
step.
    Senator Whitehouse. Well, you could, I think, help us if 
you could make a recommendation, again in the QFR window of 
this hearing. Treat it as a question for the record from me, if 
you must, and see if you can make a recommendation that is 
simple and clear and obvious enough that it would be amenable 
to unanimous consent by the Senate to work our way through this 
problem.
    I know there are going to be some complexities and some 
difficulties, but to the extent you can follow the KISS--keep 
it simple, you-know-what--rule and give us a recommendation, I 
think we would be in a position to act on it.
    Thank you all very much.
    Senator Crapo. Thank you, Senator Whitehouse.
    Next is Senator Warren.
    Senator Warren. Thank you very much.
    When the pandemic hit and Social Security offices across 
the country had to close their doors, millions of Americans 
faced delay in receiving their benefits, or they were unable to 
apply for benefits at all. And this is particularly the case 
for some of our most vulnerable Americans who depend on the 
Supplemental Security Income program, or SSI. SSI is the part 
of Social Security that serves as a lifeline for low-income 
seniors and people with severe disabilities, people who 
otherwise would have little or no income to live on.
    So SSI is really about survival. And it helps keep more 
than 8 million people, including a million children, afloat. 
But the program has been neglected for decades now. And it is 
not providing beneficiaries with the economic security they 
need.
    Mr. Causeya, you have helped hundreds of people in your 
community access SSI. Let me just get your opinion on this. Is 
the program doing enough to provide adequate support for people 
with disabilities, and seniors with very low incomes?
    Mr. Causeya. They are doing, I guess, what they can under 
the circumstances, but it is not--I would not say it is 
adequate. There are hundreds of people who need basic 
assistance that they are not able to get right now through SSI 
benefits.
    Senator Warren. Well, thank you. You know, we need to 
improve SSI so that Americans who are most in need have access 
to this support. And that is why I have called for increasing 
SSI benefits to at least the Federal poverty line, eliminating 
the asset limits that prevent beneficiaries from saving for the 
future, and ending the rules that force people to choose 
between their benefits and marrying the person they love.
    Now, President Biden also supports many of these reforms, 
and I joined several of my colleagues, including Senator Brown 
and Chair Wyden, in urging him to include them in the American 
Families Plan. Congress should make good on the President's 
promises and strengthen SSI now.
    Mr. Causeya, let me just ask you, would these SSI reforms--
increasing benefits, eliminating asset limits, ending outdated 
rules--would they meaningfully change the lives of the 
vulnerable Americans that you work with every day?
    Mr. Causeya. Absolutely. Absolutely. We have clients who 
comment about how being on benefits has changed their lives, 
has increased their hope in their lives.
    We have counselors who work with these people with severe 
and persistent mental illness all day, every day, and one of 
them wrote to us to say that they cannot tell us enough about 
how much of a change is made in people's lives when they have a 
stable income. They go from being very stuck and really 
struggling, to quickly making immense progress. Not only that, 
you know, it opens doors for people who are living on the 
street or who are at risk of being put out on the street, who 
are in shelters and transitional housing units, that are 
probably on a short-term grant for housing.
    So SSI is immense when it comes to improving the quality of 
lives.
    Senator Warren. Well, thank you. Thank you for the work you 
do, and thank you for your up-close and personal testimony 
about this.
    We need to strengthen SSI, but we also need to make sure 
that people have the help they need to access SSI and other 
benefits. SSI applications and awards have been at historic 
lows during the pandemic, a time when the program should have 
been helping more people, not fewer.
    Field office closings are one of the reasons, but another 
is decades of disinvestment in the Social Security 
Administration. Congress has starved the agency of funding for 
years. And its operating budget is now 12 percent smaller than 
it was a decade ago, even though the number of beneficiaries is 
up by 21 percent.
    Ms. McGuinness, I am running out of time, but can you just 
say very quickly what have been the consequences of this 
disinvestment in SSA on low-income seniors, people with 
disabilities, and other people who rely on benefits?
    Ms. McGuinness. Senator Warren, the consequences of 
disinvestment are real and formidable. Low-income families go 
without food. They are forced to move, and they scrimp on life-
saving medications. It is really clear that improving the 
process is necessary, but funding the fundamentals is 
essential. And State and Federal agencies must have the basics. 
It does not matter if the form is useful if there is no one 
there to pick up the phone.
    Senator Warren. Thank you. And thank you for your work.
    You know, for people with disabilities who rely on SSI to 
get by, these investments in our safety net are long overdue. 
We need to make it easier for people to access the benefits 
they desperately need, and we need to rewrite the rules of SSI 
so that recipients have a fighting chance at building some real 
economic security for themselves.
    President Biden should do this today.
    So thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you for having this 
hearing.
    Senator Crapo. Thank you, Senator Warren. And I am waiting 
right now for Senator Wyden to return. We have a number of 
Senators still on the list, but we are also in a vote. 
Actually, we are in the process of four consecutive votes, and 
we expect that that may cause a number of our Senators to be 
unable to return.
    Are there any Senators who have not had an opportunity to 
ask their questions who are with us?
    [No response.]
    Senator Crapo. All right; seeing that there are none, I am 
going to recess the hearing. I apologize for the delay to each 
of our witnesses, but I am going to recess our hearing 
temporarily while we wait for either one of our Senators to get 
back, or for the chairman to return and make the determination 
as to whether we should wrap the hearing up.
    So at this point in time, we will be in recess.
    [A brief recess is taken.]
    Senator Crapo. Mr. Chairman, this is Senator Crapo. I see 
that you have returned. I have put the hearing into recess 
awaiting your return, and so I think that if you are ready to 
begin again, you will just need to bring us back into order.
    The Chairman. You are ever gracious, Senator Crapo, and I 
thank you. I have one additional question, and then a short 
closer, and we will wrap up.
    Senator Crapo, do you have any additional questions you 
would like to ask?
    Senator Crapo. No, I do not.
    The Chairman. Okay.
    Mr. Causeya, thank you again for your good work and all you 
do to help the vulnerable in Portland. We have met so many 
times with Central City over the years. We are very 
appreciative.
    I would be interested in hearing what would be the major 
changes you would like to see at Social Security that could be 
helpful to your folks who come to Central City. I know that you 
really made the point about the acronyms and all the government 
lingo and the like that is just kind of a blizzard of verbiage 
for people. Are there other things that you think would be 
particularly helpful for the folks you see at Central City?
    Mr. Causeya. Yes; thanks for asking. I think that if the 
field offices could dedicate more time or more access for their 
claims reps with community partners, or people who are helping 
others, the non-attorney or attorney reps who are helping 
people file for Social Security, that would go a long way. 
Because like my organization, for example, we do our best to 
maintain contact with our clients. We go out in the streets and 
find them. We gather all the information that we need if Social 
Security has a request of them, and we do our best to ensure 
that that information gets to Social Security. That is one 
thing.
    I think there could possibly be kiosks in places where 
homeless populations frequent. That would be very helpful too. 
I mean, maybe there is a lot that might not be able to be done, 
but at the very least it could be a phone-in time for a 
scheduled phone call with the rep at Social Security to get 
your question answered, rather than having to wait on the phone 
for 40 minutes to an hour, or even longer, and then take the 
risk of, after you have been waiting for a while, getting hung 
up on because of technical issues.
    I think that making the Social Security application 
different, making it easier, would be a great help. We have a 
lot of people whom we serve who start the application process 
on their own because of the time it takes for us to get to 
them. So it would be great if they did not make so many errors 
in filing the application by not understanding what SSA is 
asking of them. And really a more flexible call-in time, more 
time for the public to actually reach out to Social Security.
    And I am not sure--I know that there are a lot of 
organizations that have been working face to face with people, 
like our clinics, or most clinics. They use plexiglass when 
they are having face-to-face interactions with clients. That is 
possibly something that Social Security could look into.
    So I just think that during this time--and we are looking 
at new ways to move forward during the pandemic, and possibly 
after the pandemic. I guess my major point would be that Social 
Security could engage more with community organizations that 
are helping people file for Social Security Disability.
    The Chairman. Thank you very much. And we just appreciate 
all your good work, and getting up early to make this important 
testimony.
    Ms. Kim, what kind of wrap-up do we have, kind of a game 
plan here going forward? Because we know that you are here 
testifying on behalf of the agency, but there are many parts of 
the agency that are involved in these issues.
    First, I believe that it is critically important to end 
this requirement that some people have to produce the original 
documents like driver's licenses in the mail to start this 
process of securing their benefits. And I will tell you, 
listening to my colleagues today, one Senator after another 
brought this up.
    This requirement is just a prescription for bedlam and 
making lives increasingly difficult, when I know that is not 
your intent. You have been a professional there in the field 
for a long time, and I know you care deeply about people.
    So my first request is, I would like a detailed plan, 
whether it is a tech fix--and it occurred to me, and I do a lot 
of privacy work, that you have to be scrupulous about 
protecting people's privacy. But it would seem to me that there 
are some questions with respect to whether you could get this 
data from the DMV in a way that protects people's privacy. But 
you know, the point is, we need a detailed plan with respect to 
how this is going to get done.
    Is it tech? Is it appropriations? Is it legislation? But 
this just is not right, period, full stop. So I would like to 
set a 2-week deadline to get from you what your plan is to not 
force vulnerable people to be sending hither and yon their 
driver's licenses and these original documents, because this is 
just unacceptable to me.
    Can we agree that we will get a plan within 2 weeks on how 
this is going to end?
    Ms. Kim. Yes; we will get you something, Senator.
    The Chairman. Very good. Thank you.
    Second, I think we already talked about the targeted 
outreach letters, and you indicated that you would get us the 
results of the letters and what you all are doing on that as 
well. Is that still acceptable to you?
    Ms. Kim. Yes. And I just want to reiterate we are going to 
start reaching out to the 1.2 million. We are sending out 
letters to them.
    The Chairman. Very good. Well, why don't you get us in 
writing what we discussed earlier: you know, the plan for using 
the data. And you touched on a number of things. I was trying 
to keep track of them, and I did not get them all. And so it 
would be helpful to do that as well.
    And then the third area that Senators were talking about is 
this 23-page application process where you have to get people 
through all of this verbiage and the like. And I think it was 
you, Ms. McGuinness, who was touching on some of the forms and 
trying them out on people before you went ahead, and the like.
    It would seem to me possibly there is a Kim-McGuinness 
alliance here that could figure out how we could get the 
process simplified there as well. Why don't we say, for 
purposes of that, Ms. Kim, how about over the next month you 
put together for the Finance Committee a plan on how we can 
reduce the size of all that. And I suspect Ms. McGuinness could 
be conscripted into working with you on all that. But again, it 
just seems that it cries out for simplification. Okay? All 
right.
    Those are the three follow-up requests, Ms. Kim, and we 
thank you for being here.
    And let me again note my respect for--I believe you have 
been at the agency for 30 years?
    Ms. Kim. That is correct; 33 to be exact.
    The Chairman. That is a long run of public service. And we 
say to you and to the many employees at Social Security, this 
has been obviously a year like none other. Back in the days 
before I was an elected official, I was co-director of the Gray 
Panthers. I ran the senior citizens law service. And I saw so 
many dedicated people who work at Social Security, and I think 
our challenge is that the kinds of issues we need follow-up on 
are not necessarily going to involve decisions that they make 
every single day. But we want their input. We want their ideas, 
and we want to get results for people who are walking an 
economic tightrope every day in America.
    So I want to thank our witnesses for their patience. And 
the information and questions for the record need to be 
submitted by the close of business on the 6th of May, a week 
from today.
    We thank our witnesses and all the Senators for their 
helpful questions. And with that, the Finance Committee is 
adjourned.
    [Whereupon, at 12:24 p.m., the hearing was concluded.]

                            A P P E N D I X

              Additional Material Submitted for the Record

                              ----------                              


       Prepared Statement of Kascadare Causeya, Program Manager, 
                          Central City Concern
    Chairman Wyden, Ranking Member Crapo, and members of the committee, 
hello, my name is Kascadare Causeya. I am the program manager for the 
Benefits and Entitlements Specialist Team (BEST) for Central City 
Concern, on the board of directors for New Narrative (formerly 
LukeDorf), and a member on SOAR's National Experts Panel; all 
organizations serving people experiencing poverty and homelessness. I 
have been working for Central City Concern and those suffering from 
severe medical and/or mental health conditions since 2008.

    I want to thank Chairman Wyden and this committee for the 
invitation to present here today, on this topic which impacts many 
people struggling with homelessness, and those at risk of homelessness, 
who suffer from severe and persistent conditions. I want to also say 
that although I will be addressing some of the issues caused by the 
closure of SSA offices, I have the utmost respect for those within SSA. 
They are tasked every day, for much of the day, with reading about, 
listening to and witnessing the pain and suffering that their fellow 
Americans endure; and so you know, that can, and does take a toll on 
you, many times in ways you don't even realize. However, for all of us 
serving that population, it is our passion to help others that gets us 
out of bed each morning and takes us to the place where we can assist 
those needing our help. In the work that my team does, we have been 
using the SOAR model for developing and filing our claims to SSA since 
BEST (Benefits and Entitlements Specialist Team) began in 2008. SOAR, a 
national project funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health 
Services Administration, was designed to help increase access for SSI/
SSDI for people with severe conditions that could not go through the 
SSA disability process on their own. It teaches social service and 
mental health providers how to help their clients submit a completed 
SSA applications, complete with records, testimonies and other 
supporting documents that show the claimant's difficulties functioning.

    Since March of 2020, the barriers for those needing Social Security 
benefits have increased in various ways.

    (1) Applicants can't just walk in to the field offices, and a pre-
arranged appointment is hard to get. This means people have trouble 
getting help understanding the nuances of going through the disability 
process: for example, a woman new to homelessness listening to the 
myths about SSA and disability, suffering from the residual effects of 
a serve bipolar decompensation, being so disorganized and afraid that 
she slept on the sidewalks during the day and began using meth to stay 
wake at night for fear of getting harmed. She is going to struggle 
until she finds help.

    (2) That even for those who have access to the various forms of 
technology needed to complete the application process, there has been 
an increase in the time demands on the claimant for completing the 
process, such as technical issues and dropped calls. This is hard for 
people: an example is a young woman who graduated cum laude from one of 
the major universities in the land, but suffered from severe depression 
since her teen years, and underwent over 30 electroconvulsive therapy 
(ECT) treatments, resulting in a significant loss of IQ points and 
extreme labile moods, and no longer has the ability to be patient or 
struggle to complete tasks.

    (3) For those without the necessary technology and understanding to 
begin and complete the process, there is limited or no access to SSA 
staff and information that could help them complete applications and 
the various other tasks requested of them: we helped a person with an 
intellectual disability who was estranged from his family and choosing 
to live on the streets rather than admit to his family he just couldn't 
understand things, which was a lifelong embarrassment for him.

    Also it should be recognized that many in these categories will be 
applying for SSI, and there is only a PDF application for SSI (which 
requires printing it out to complete) this creates another barrier 
because most people are not familiar with the SSA disability process 
and don't know the difference between SSI and SSDI. And people might 
not always have a working phone number, a mailing address, a printer or 
a way to check mail if Social Security tries to get in touch. Also if a 
person doesn't have enough earned income credits the online SSDI 
application will be denied, and for many without the knowledge of the 
disability process, believe that denial is for SSI as well.

    (4) For those whose conditions prevent them from being mentally and 
physically capable to respond to SSA requests, the closures of the 
field offices can cause many to fall through the cracks, such as a man 
in advanced years suffering from metastasized cancer and having one leg 
amputated, but continuing to work albeit in a supported employment 
role, not knowing the option of claiming early retirement benefits 
while applying for disability.

    (5) Increased hopelessness and feelings of apathy for those 
attempting to become more self-sufficient, like an older gentleman 
suffering from a multitude of conditions, who had been falling through 
social service cracks for decades, losing trust in systems, that his 
life will ever have meaning and even losing trust in those who attempt 
to help him.

    Fortunately, the people I have described here were the lucky ones 
because they were able to get help from BEST, but there are so many 
more that can't get access to my program, and are just as ill and 
vulnerable. Unfortunately our capacity is limited and we can only 
accept referrals from approved sources within our community. People 
referred are screened by the referral source, then screened by us to 
see if they meet our criteria for acceptance into the program.

    Although these issues exist in all homeless communities, it is 
particularly true for blacks, Native Americans, and Latinx communities, 
who disproportionately experience homelessness at higher rates, 
compared to their white counterparts.

    A few statistics from my program related to years prior to the 
pandemic, compared to during the pandemic:

    For the 3 years prior to March 2020 (2017-2019).

    We averaged 806 referrals a year.

    Time to an SSA decision was 79 days.

    Since March 2020.

    We received 673 referrals.

    Time to an SSA decision is 110 days.

    I know that a small program serving some of the community doesn't 
compare with all of those being served by SSA, but I share these 
numbers to show the impact office closures to walk-in clients has had. 
SSA closures can be expected to result in a significant impact to the 
wider community as well. National numbers reflect this local trend--
applications are down approximately 15 percent and awards for people 
with disabilities are at their lowest rate in 20 years. In Oregon, the 
average number of initial disability claims from 2017-2019 was 2202 a 
month; in 2020 it was 1907. That's a 13.4-percent drop. And even as 
applications went down, the number of people waiting for an initial 
decision went up 48.4 percent in Oregon comparing 2020 to the 3 years 
before it. SSI-only claims dropped even faster and the backlog rose an 
even greater percentage. When you consider the initial and 
reconsideration levels together, 139 more low-income, low-asset 
Oregonians received favorable disability determinations for SSI each 
month in 2017-2019 than in 2020. That's 139 children and adults every 
single month of 2020--we don't have the 2021 data yet. And Oregon is 
just one State.

    National numbers reflect this local trend.

    Many people suffering from severe and persistent conditions have 
nothing in the way of resources to help them survive. Many have a work 
history but their conditions have persisted for years and in some cases 
decades, so by the time they can qualify for disability benefits, they 
are completely dependent on these funds. The $794 a month they get from 
SSI is still below the Federal poverty level, but can open housing 
doors, offer the ability to get from place to place using public 
transportation for things like primary care appointments and 
counseling, can offer them some hope for the future, and allow them to 
set their own level of self-sufficiency and quality of life, that 
previously wasn't available to them. These benefits are needed, 
appreciated, and life-changing. We often have people comment how this 
has changed their lives, saved their lives, and we get to see them with 
a new sense of hope. A counselor at Central City Concern, who works 
daily with those with severe and persistent mental illness wrote to us: 
``I cannot tell you enough how much of a change it makes for people to 
have secure income, it is often the thing that gets people from being 
very stuck and really struggling to really quickly making immense 
progress and improvement.''

    So here are some possible solutions:

      Safely re-open field offices for drop-in appointments. Many 
clinics are and have been doing this for many months now.

      Simplify the SSI application and make it more accessible. Many 
people struggle with SSA terminology and understanding what to the 
trained person seems a simple question.

      The current My Social Security electronic access is too 
complicated for most people, and requires an email address that not 
everyone has or can remember passwords to. People should be able to 
access SSA services with their SSN, even if all they can do is schedule 
a phone call. Please remember that wait times can be very difficult on 
a person with severe mental health issues. A remedy for this might be 
kiosks that are located in places like grocery stores, libraries, 
homeless resource centers, etc., kiosks located in places where people 
in poverty and without homes frequent, these would provide a viable 
option to walking into the local branch. For those with phones, 
symptoms of mental illness are barriers to having the ability to sit on 
hold and be hung up on multiple times when calling the general line. 
People also don't have phone minutes to wait on a 40-minute hold 
period. People need something between the My Social Security site and 
the option of walking in the office. This could also be a resource for 
SSA communicating with people for things like replacement SS cards, 
reporting additional income, benefit verification letters (often needed 
for housing), and other services the field offices provide. 
Communication between SSA and the public is an absolute necessity; it 
was time consuming before the pandemic, and now it's become prohibitive 
for many.

      More funding for nonprofit organizations to help vulnerable 
people to apply for SSI/SSDI through SOAR. Many people who need SSI 
will not be able to get through the complex form on their own. There is 
and will be a backlog of cases this year, due to the delays resulting 
from the pandemic.

      More flexible and scheduled call in times for the public.

      More access to reliable community based mailing addresses so 
people have a place that will receive and hold their mail for them.

    In the Portland area, SSA has established the Auburn/WSU (Work 
Support Unit). Many of the disability claims that go to that unit are 
for people over age 62 and eligible for early retirement benefits, 
which they could receive while a decision on their disability claim was 
pending, but because of not being able to communicate directly with 
staff there, claimants are not able to make an informed decision based 
on the details of their claim. It would be very helpful if this and 
other SSA offices were to commit resources to increasing claimants' and 
their representatives' accessibility to SSA staff; especially since the 
representatives are doing the work to maintain contact as well as walk 
these very vulnerable people through the complicated process of 
applying for disability and other needed resources they may be entitled 
to.

    Another challenge is SSA's tendency now to move away from checks, 
encouraging claimants to choose direct deposit or Direct Express, or a 
third-party debit card. Unfortunately, many don't have bank accounts 
for various reasons, and it's difficult to communicate with customer 
service staff if they have Direct Express or a third party debit card. 
Many people suffering from severe mental health issues often do not 
have the best memories and need help figuring out what they need to do: 
like a homeless gentleman we had as a client, so disorganized that he 
couldn't keep track of his important documents, wallet, phone or keys. 
Remembering his current and past addresses was also a problem which 
resulted in the inability to prove his identity to the staff at Direct 
Express so they would help him. It's understood that many of these 
measures are in place to protect the claimant, but they rely on the 
person having adequate memory and a certain level of organization.

    The COVID pandemic has caused us to rethink how we can do what 
needs to be done, and what the new normal will look like. Let's 
consider making things a little easier for those whose abilities are a 
little more challenged than ours.

    Thank you for listening to my testimony today. I look forward to 
answering any questions you may have.

                                 ______
                                 
        Questions Submitted for the Record to Kascadare Causeya
                 Questions Submitted by Hon. Ron Wyden
    Question. What is the BEST program, Central City Concern and the 
community doing to address the barriers faced by SSA field office 
closures?

    Answer. We remind community partners and clients that the SSA 
disability process is slow during the best of times, and to expect an 
even longer process now that we are in a pandemic.

    We have created interview rooms complete with phones, computers, 
and webcams so that clients who can get to our office can have privacy 
for their appointments with SSA and treating sources. We have also gone 
to three party calls with SSA for those with cell phones and who can 
find a private place to talk. Many programs are handing out cell 
phones, unfortunately our benefits programs doesn't have the budget for 
this.

    We have tried to increase involving community partners in the 
process for getting documents signed, helping their clients with a 
private place with a phone for interviews with BEST and SSA. Many 
outreach workers are considered essential during the pandemic and in 
more and more instances we are relying on them to help us maintain 
contact with clients who are living on the streets without a means to 
be contacted.

    We are asking primary care clinics to put flags in patient's files 
for them to reach out to us when we or SSA need additional information.

    We have relied heavily on using the US postal system for getting 
documents signed by clients and to SSA.

    We are keeping clients files open longer than we should once their 
benefits have been awarded and are flowing, in case there are payment 
or payee issues post eligibility.

    Question. Two practical ideas stand out from your testimony. You 
mentioned the struggle people have contacting SSA by phone and suggest 
``people should be able to access SSA services with their SSN, even if 
all they can do is schedule a phone call,'' and later you state, 
``people need something between the My Social Security website and the 
option of walking in the office.''

    Can you tell the committee more about what you have in mind for 
this new communication option?

    Answer. When a person walks into a field office, they have to sign 
in using a kiosk which notifies claims representative they are in the 
office and ready to be seen. Our idea is that if we could place kiosks 
in various places throughout the community, people needing help from 
SSA could use them to schedule phone calls at a specific time with a 
specific representative; they could use them to check the status of 
claims or requested information; use them to document income; and use 
them to get the SSA address, email address or fax number to submit 
documents. This would cut down on call wait times as well as in some 
rudimentary way could let the person know that SSA needs something from 
them, as well as let SSA know what the person needs something from it 
(we would hope that these kiosks would be a little more interactive 
than those if the field offices). They could be used much like ``chat 
with an operator'' features when visiting various sites for information 
and technical help.

    Simplify the SSI application and put it online just as the SSDI 
application is. Also use common language instead of SSA terminology, or 
offer a help screen where people can look-up the terms.

    Simplify My SSA log-in and navigation. Consider that many of the 
people using it will have mental health issues as well as limited 
computer skills. Many will have intellectual barriers, and struggle 
with normal activities in life. Understanding and going through the SSA 
process is beyond their ability to understand it.

    Have SSA and DDS develop more work flows and grant more access to 
certain non-profit community partners and to programs like BEST, who 
are committed to making SSA's jobs easier by doing all they can to make 
sure the claimant understands and is getting SSA the needed information 
in a timely manner.

    Safely reopen field offices for limited walk-in clients. It can be 
done safely by using screening before entry, masks, sanitizer, cleaning 
and plexiglas stations for face to face interactions. Kiosks in the 
community could be helpful in scheduling these walk-in appointments.

    Question. The committee was informed that a SOAR program found it 
useful to provide clients with a smartphone. When asked about this, a 
program official remarked, ``We absolutely believe that smartphone 
access would improve access to SSA benefits and help beneficiaries with 
managing and maintaining their benefits. It's also key to their ongoing 
communication and support with case management, housing providers, etc. 
and so it leads to greater stability in the community.'' Do you agree 
that smartphone would help SOAR clients? Does Central City Concern have 
a similar program?

    Answer. Yes, I absolutely believe smartphones would be helpful to 
people in poverty manage and maintain their benefits or in the 
application process. CCC does have several programs that are able to 
offer their clients smart phones. Unfortunately my program is not one 
of them, due to limited and restricted funding. One of the regrettable 
things we have had to do is put potential clients on a waitlist, 
because we we're not able to make or maintain contact with them. After 
COVID closures there have been many who couldn't get in to see 
providers face to face, case managers and in many cases addiction 
service providers. Phones would allow those people to be reached and 
have virtual or phone visits, whereas without them they have none; and 
when their condition or symptoms become to problematic to cope, they 
resort to using emergency rooms or are picked up by police for causing 
disturbances. Smart phones for those living in poverty with severe 
medical and or mental health issues would be a great help in 
maintaining their connection to the people and programs in place to 
help them, as well as with SSA.

    Question. Regarding smartphones, I recently learned that Treasury's 
Direct Express card cannot be used by Apple Pay or Google Wallet. I 
contacted Treasury about this and Treasury reported that they are 
working with Comerica Bank on a potential solution. Similar to having 
transit benefits on a smart phone, it seems it would be useful for 
smart phones to be set up to pay with Direct Express. Do you agree or 
do you see any concerns with allowing phones to pay with Direct 
Express?

    Answer. My concern would be for those who have a tendency to lose 
track of documents and possessions or have them stolen (which happens 
frequently with some people experiencing homelessness). However the 
ability to access all ones needed information and pay for goods or 
services all with the phone, would be a great convenience for many. The 
new normal after and during COVID is going rely more and more on phones 
and computers. People with severe limitations will need all the help 
they can get to make their lives more manageable. The use of the phone 
will go a long way in helping many to recognize and reach their own 
level of self-sufficiency and independence. There are many people with 
medical issues, like heart, respiratory and mobility issues that this 
will add a chance for more independence in their lives. And I have to 
add, reduce the risk of a vulnerable person being taken advantage of 
for carrying cash and needing to pull it out for routine purchases.

                                 ______
                                 
                 Question Submitted by Hon. Rob Portman
    Question. During my questioning, I discussed how critical it is to 
ensure that the Social Security trust funds remain solvent. Can you 
discuss the human costs that would occur if we run into a situation 
where we reached insolvency and the Social Security Administration were 
forced to trim benefits?

    Answer. If Social Security benefits were to decrease or further 
limit eligibility we would see an increase in homelessness, housing 
insecurity, food insecurity, and disrupted access to health care. It 
would become difficult or impossible for people to purchase basic 
household supplies, transportation, clothing, pay rent, or any other 
obligations that require income. People would become even more reliant 
on things like SNAP, food banks, emergency room care, and increase the 
likelihood that someone will lose their housing and end up sleeping in 
shelters or on the street. All of these things cause stress, trauma and 
social instability that can and will exacerbate underlying mental 
illness, substance use disorders and chronic health conditions that 
lead people to apply for and obtain social security benefits.

                                 ______
                                 
                Prepared Statement of Hon. Mike Crapo, 
                       a U.S. Senator From Idaho
    Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for holding today's hearing on Social 
Security service delivery during the pandemic.

    Social Security employees were informed in March of last year that 
they would be teleworking indefinitely and that field offices would be 
closed to the public because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Within days of 
announcing a shutdown, the majority of field office employees and a 
large number of teleservice center employees were teleworking.

    Initial challenges included lack of equipment, software licensing, 
and data capacity. The leadership, management, and the workforce at the 
Social Security Administration--or SSA--responded rapidly to increase 
data capacity and stabilize networks after only a few weeks.

    During the pandemic, conducting office and processing-center work 
in-person was not possible because of lockdowns and worker-safety 
concerns. With those constraints, SSA has had to innovate, relax some 
procedural rules, and perform in many previously untested ways. Thus 
far, the agency has performed admirably and rapidly to ensure that 
beneficiaries, including at-risk populations, obtain the services they 
need.

    I have been impressed by the dedication and diligence of SSA's 
workforce, field office and processing center managers, and leadership, 
all the way to the top. Customer service and service delivery have been 
at the forefront of their efforts during the pandemic.

    We are fortunate to have SSA's head of operations, Ms. Grace Kim, 
with us today. I am interested in her assessment of where SSA has been 
during the pandemic, where things stand currently, and lessons learned 
thus far to help inform the future.

    From the beginning of the pandemic, field office management staff 
have continued to physically go into offices to handle incoming and 
outgoing mail, scan documents to support those working from home, 
provide in-person service for critical need cases, and handle facility-
related duties. Ms. Peggy Murphy is also with us today, and I look 
forward to hearing about her experiences and insights as a 
representative of field office management.

    I am also interested in the experiences and service-delivery 
perspectives of our other two witnesses, Ms. McGuinness and Mr. 
Causeya.

    During the pandemic, it has been important to focus on at-risk 
populations, including many on Supplemental Security Income, Disability 
Insurance beneficiaries, and homeless beneficiaries.

    I am interested in hearing today about service delivery to at-risk 
beneficiaries and outreach. My understanding is that the Social 
Security Administration has engaged in an unprecedented amount of 
outreach to community organizations, beneficiary-advocate 
organizations, and directly to at-risk beneficiaries themselves. I 
commend the Social Security Administration's commitment and dedication 
to ensure that beneficiaries receive service and benefits.

    Commissioner Saul has stayed true to the focus on beneficiary 
service that we all expected when he was confirmed, on a bipartisan 
basis, by this committee and the full Senate. Solid leadership and a 
dedicated workforce have been key to enabling the agency to confront 
the service-delivery shock of the pandemic. Thus far, SSA has risen to 
the challenge.

    Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

                                 ______
                                 
         Prepared Statement of Grace Kim, Deputy Commissioner 
             for Operations, Social Security Administration
    Chairman Wyden, Ranking Member Crapo, and members of this 
committee, I am Grace Kim, Deputy Commissioner for Operations. In my 
current position, as a former Regional Commissioner, and as a career 
employee with more than 30 years of service with the Social Security 
Administration (SSA), I understand how vital SSA's programs and 
services are to the public. Thank you for the opportunity to discuss 
service delivery at SSA. Today, I will share some of our 
accomplishments and challenges as we work to keep our employees and the 
public safe while delivering vital services during the Coronavirus 
(COVID-19) pandemic.

    I am honored to lead a team of over 44,000 Federal employees 
providing critical services across our vast network of over 1,200 
community-based field offices, 24 teleservice centers (TSC), 8 regional 
processing centers and our support offices across the country. I am 
equally proud to oversee the work of the nearly 15,000 employees in the 
State offices responsible for making medical determinations for Social 
Security's disability programs. Our employees help millions of people, 
often at significant and stressful points of their lives, like the 
birth of a child, onset of a disability, retirement, or death of a 
loved one. During this unprecedented time, I am inspired by their 
resilience and dedication as we adapt our business processes to 
continue to meet the needs of the people we serve, especially the most 
vulnerable and those directly affected by the pandemic.
                               our agency
    For more than 85 years, SSA has provided income protection for 
retirees, individuals with disabilities, or for families that lose a 
wage-earner. Almost 90 percent of seniors over the age of 65 receive 
Social Security benefits. To provide context for our services during 
the pandemic, I would like to highlight some of our pre-
pandemic service delivery measures. In fiscal year (FY) 2019, we paid 
more than $1 trillion in benefits to over 70 million Social Security 
beneficiaries and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients; 
assisted 43 million individuals in our 
community-based field offices; processed 18 million applications for 
SSN cards, 10 million of those in our field offices; handled 33 million 
calls on our 800 number; processed 288 million annual earnings reports 
in our processing centers; and conducted nearly 2.7 million non-medical 
reviews (redeterminations and limited issues) and 713,000 full medical 
continuing disability reviews (CDR) to ensure program stewardship.

    Our field offices serve a critical role for individuals 
experiencing homelessness, those with mental illness, people 
transitioning between incarceration and temporary living arrangements, 
and those in need of Federal, State, and local benefits, such as 
housing support and temporary assistance for needy families. Our 
programs are also a critical gateway to health care, including Medicare 
and Medicaid.
                   overview: response to the pandemic
    Since the beginning of this public health crisis, Commissioner 
Saul's priority has been keeping our employees and the public we serve 
safe. The people we serve--older individuals and people who have 
serious health conditions--are also often vulnerable to the most 
serious effects of COVID-19.

    For this reason, in March 2020, we made the unprecedented decision 
to direct employees to work from home and limit in-person services to 
limited critical situations by appointment only, which allows us to 
implement physical distancing and limit close contact. This decision 
presented a significant change -- to quickly shift nearly all 
operations to a remote work environment.

    While prior to the pandemic less than 25 percent of our front-line 
employees had experience teleworking, all employees had laptops that 
enabled a rapid shift to remote work. We deployed hardware such as 
headsets to answer calls on agency laptops, cell phones and Internet 
hotspots, training, and technology support to our employees. Within a 
few weeks, by early April 2020, we successfully redeployed over 90 
percent of our Operations' employees to remote work. During this 
period, all SSA offices continued to provide ongoing service to the 
public by phone, with a small number of employees, most of them 
managers, on site to handle non-portable work and critical in-office 
interviews.

    We worked as a team to overcome challenges. For example, our 800 
number platform requires specialized equipment to enable agents to work 
remotely. We had approximately 1,300 of these remote answering kits for 
the 4,500 agents who serve the public in our TSCs, so we engineered a 
solution that allowed 800 number calls to transfer to softphone 
technology installed on the laptops of another 2,000 agents within 10 
days and the remaining 1,200 agents within 30 days. As a result, we 
were quickly able to reestablish our 800 number service and provide 
millions of callers who need our services critical access to our 
telephone agents. This softphone technology also allows employees in 
our local offices to answer calls from the public as if they were in 
the office.

    In the State Disability Determination Services (DDS), the component 
responsible for making medical determinations on our behalf, only two 
sites initially possessed the experience and equipment to telework when 
we moved to a remote work environment. However, within 10 days, we 
established a virtual private network (VPN) solution to provide a 
secure option for State DDS employees to work from home using their 
desktop computers.

    To communicate with the public, we have continued to update our 
website, social media, and our Social Security Matters blog, featuring 
posts about how to reach us, online services, and benefit programs. We 
marketed our field office telephone lines, so the public could directly 
reach employees in local offices by telephone. We posted signs in our 
offices, messaging the availability of services online, by mail, 
telephone, and limited in-office appointments. We are also working with 
the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships and 
have entered into an unprecedented partnership with claimant advocates 
and other organizations to promote our services and ensure they are 
accessible to our most vulnerable populations.
         supporting the public: emergency policies and actions
    We understand the challenges that the public has faced during the 
pandemic and we have been working hard to implement policies and engage 
in activities that support the public during this difficult time. In 
our field offices, we implemented emergency policy flexibilities and 
initially limited services to concentrate on delivering mission-
critical workloads. For example, we expanded telephone attestation 
procedures in place of requiring wet signatures; enhanced telephone 
authentication procedures in place of in-person identity proofing; 
extended time frames for the submission of evidence and appeals due to 
mail delays or limited access to our offices; suspended policies that 
adversely impacted beneficiaries, such as failure to cooperate and 
failure to provide information; expanded our evidence policy to accept 
secondary proof of identity for replacement SSN cards instead of 
requiring primary evidence such as an original driver's license or U.S. 
passport; promoted existing policies that enabled benefit continuation 
throughout the administrative appeals process and expanded the ability 
to sign and submit certain forms online; focused on key workloads 
during the initial weeks of the pandemic, including disability claims 
intake, payment for priority disability claims such as terminal 
illness, Presumptive Disability, Quick Disability, Compassionate 
Allowances, and Veterans Affairs permanent and total disability claims, 
and other payments and reinstatement of benefits, such as adjudicating 
claims allowances, reinstatements, and appeal awards; prioritized 
Medicare enrollments and adjustments and SSI claims for those in need 
of Medicaid to ensure ongoing access to health care for seniors, 
individuals who have limited income and resources, and children with 
disabilities; and limited in-person SSN replacement card services, 
which can be completed by mail and online in most States using our 
Internet SSN Replacement Card application.

    At the same time, we temporarily deferred specific workloads to 
protect beneficiaries' income and health care during a critical time in 
the pandemic, including certain program integrity workloads and actions 
that rely on evidence from the claimant, third parties, and medical 
service providers. Given the uncertain duration of the pandemic and our 
stewardship obligations, we resumed processing adverse actions in 
September and October of 2020. We continue to apply maximum flexibility 
when deciding whether to extend good cause provisions related to the 
timely filing of applications as well as the submission of evidence, 
appeals, hearings, redeterminations, and continuing disability reviews.

    In addition, we continue to work with our Treasury partners to 
ensure our beneficiaries get their economic impact payments (EIPs) 
quickly. From the first round of EIPs, Commissioner Saul has pushed to 
ensure our beneficiaries receive their payments automatically, and he 
continues to reach out to vulnerable populations to ensure those who 
qualify for payments for themselves or their dependents receive them.

    To further help the public, we published an interim final rule to 
streamline the overpayment waiver process for beneficiaries who 
incurred overpayment debts between March and September 2020 due to our 
deferral of certain workloads. Under the streamlined waiver process, we 
can more quickly waive recovery upon receiving a verbal request for 
qualified debts.

    We also minimally increased the number of employees on site in our 
field offices to support non-portable work and critical in-office 
interviews that cannot be handled online, through the mail, or over the 
phone. For the small number of employees and public in our offices, we 
implemented health and safety protocols based on Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance and model safety principles. 
Employees and visitors perform a self-screening for COVID-19 symptoms, 
and masks and physical distancing have been, and continue to be, 
mandatory. We provide masks and hand sanitizer for anyone entering our 
facilities (employees, public, and contractors), provide gloves for 
employees to use as desired such as for mail handling, and installed 
protective barriers between the public and our employees in our field 
offices.
             online and virtual service delivery expansion
    The pandemic has presented challenges for many organizations 
including ours; however, it has also driven service delivery 
innovation. Our workforce is strongly committed to serving the public, 
as is evidenced by the employees who have volunteered to work on site 
during the pandemic and by other employees working behind the scenes to 
adapt business processes and push service improvements through. We are 
a large organization with a nationwide footprint; yet, we have learned 
that we are more nimble than we realized.

    We are using external online video platforms to access our 
customers virtually, expanding access to my Social Security online 
services, and adding options for individuals to complete, sign and 
submit certain forms online. We are also testing new business models 
for handling in-person workloads and engaging in broad and targeted 
outreach campaigns to reach vulnerable customers who are seeking our 
services, such as elderly beneficiaries, children with disabilities, 
and those with limited English proficiency. For example:

        In April 2020, as unemployment nationwide spiked, we quickly 
implemented an online process for handling Medicare Part B Supplemental 
Medical Coverage (Form CMS-40B) applications for seniors suddenly 
unemployed and without employer-sponsored health-care coverage. To 
date, more than 350,000 seniors at risk of losing their employer-
sponsored health care have used our online and fax applications to 
apply for Medicare Part B Supplemental Medical Insurance coverage.
        We have continued to work with the States to expand the 
availability of our Internet SSN replacement card application, and we 
are testing an online video process that allows certain U.S. citizens 
to apply for replacement cards remotely.
        We launched an online video solution for hearings conducted in 
our Office of Hearings Operations and for State Protection and Advocacy 
grantees conducting payee-monitoring reviews.
        We now accept electronic signatures on notices of Appointment 
of Representative (Form SSA-1696), allowing claimants and their 
representatives to submit the form electronically. We implemented an 
online application for representatives and their clients to complete 
the entire representative appointment process online.
        We implemented an electronic transfer of non-medical paper 
appeals from our field offices to the Office of Hearings Operations for 
processing.
               new in-person service delivery initiatives
    Some workloads continue to require in-person appointments and the 
inspection of original evidence. For these workloads, and for customers 
who may not have access or would prefer not to use technology, we are 
exploring several solutions. For example, we tested an evidence drop- 
box option in 100 high-traffic enumeration offices, offering customers 
a secure drop-off location for applications and original evidence 
documents and will continue to use this service based on local office 
needs. We tested an express interview process in 81 offices to limit 
in-person transaction time to reduce the risk of exposure to COVID-19, 
and are expanding this service option.
                   outreach to vulnerable populations
    The pandemic continues to impose hardships on our country's most 
vulnerable citizens, many of whom are elderly, have low incomes, 
limited English proficiency, face homelessness, or suffer from mental 
illness. We realize that these populations may rely on in-person 
service, so we have made outreach to this population a priority during 
the pandemic. We are monitoring our progress as we continue these 
efforts.

    To ensure awareness of and access to our benefit programs, we have 
worked extremely closely with the advocate community for many months. 
In fact, our collaboration with advocacy groups has been 
unprecedented--both in scope of outreach and in our commitment to 
ongoing dialogue. For example, we conducted a national outreach 
campaign blanketing thousands of organizations with information. Many 
of these organizations committed to broadcast our message, reaching 
millions of people across the Nation. Likewise, we established two 
advocate-executive workgroups, the Workgroup on COVID-19 Emergency 
Response and Service Delivery Outreach and the Workgroup on SSI/SSDI 
Administrative Simplifications and Evidence-Based Outreach, to address 
outreach to vulnerable populations. Participants in these workgroups 
include SSA executives and a diverse group of advocates with varying 
missions and from numerous geographic locations who assist our 
applicants and beneficiaries. It has been an honor to work together 
with our partners in the advocacy community to reach the people we are 
here to serve.

    We have also enhanced our communications and online content 
targeted to people who can help others file for benefits, resolve an 
overpayment debt, or appeal a decision. We added online tools and 
information pages to our website including a national advertising 
campaign to support all outreach efforts on TV, radio, and social 
media, with special emphasis on children with disabilities; a dedicated 
webpage with resources for people helping others; outreach materials 
for partner groups; and information for Faith-Based and Community 
Groups including a new toolkit in collaboration with White House Office 
of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.

    In March 2021, we hosted a national conference call with more than 
1,500 attendees interested in learning more about how they can partner 
with SSA to share information about our programs, assist in taking SSI 
claims, or actively refer individuals potentially eligible for SSI to 
our field offices. Participants included representatives of the non-
profit community, health-care organizations, private industry, Federal, 
State, and local government, and Congress.

    We are also conducting mailed outreach to individuals who may be 
eligible for SSI. Between December 2020 and March 2021, we released 
approximately 200,000 notices to current Social Security beneficiaries 
who may be eligible for SSI, encouraging them to contact us to apply. 
While this first effort focused on elderly and limited English 
proficiency populations, we are planning to continue this type of 
mailed outreach, by reaching out to other targeted groups in the 
future.
                          workload challenges
    While we have implemented flexibilities and workarounds, not all of 
our work is portable. The ability for our employees to work virtually 
rests on a small number of mostly managers and volunteers handling non-
portable workloads and in-person appointments. In the early days of the 
pandemic, out of more than 27,000 field office employees, only 2,000 
were on site daily. Over this past year, we have slowly increased on-
site staff to about 3,000 employees--most of whom are managers--which 
represent about 10 percent of all field office employees. These 
employees handle an ever-increasing volume of in-person appointments 
each month in addition to all other non-portable workloads and their 
managerial responsibilities.

    Limiting visitors has also resulted in an influx of incoming mail 
and phone calls. To illustrate the magnitude of this increase, before 
the pandemic, field offices scanned and uploaded about 150,000 paper 
documents weekly for processing. Offices are currently scanning and 
uploading approximately one and a half million paper documents weekly. 
In FY 2020, the unit time for the 47 million field office actions 
increased by 20 percent in part due to scanning, copying, indexing, and 
returning mailed documents, which significantly reduced our 
productivity. Throughout the pandemic we have worked hard to reduce the 
volume of mailed documents we receive by establishing paperless 
workarounds, like accepting electronic signatures, creating electronic 
forms, and marketing and expanding our online services, but we continue 
to see increases in these non-portable workloads due to the nature of 
our services.

    Similarly, field offices are now handling three times as many phone 
calls as they did pre-pandemic. We are on track to answer over 60 
million calls in our field offices in FY 2021--up from 20 million calls 
handled in FY 2019.

    Further, many of the workarounds we had to put in place to enable 
employees to work remotely are inefficient and erode productivity. For 
example, when an individual mails to us inaccurate or unacceptable 
evidence or incomplete forms, employees must make additional contacts 
with the individual through mail or phone calls, requiring the employee 
and individual to handle documents and evidence multiple times. It is 
also harder to reach people when we need to re-contact them, 
particularly more vulnerable populations, such as those people who may 
have been forced to move during the pandemic and no longer receive mail 
at their address of record. The pervasive nature of phone scams also 
makes customers hesitant to take our phone calls. By comparison, before 
the pandemic, our employees could frequently complete all or most of a 
customer's business at the first point of contact, with minimal need 
for additional re-contacts, and the ability to quickly obtain needed 
documentation in our offices.

    Obtaining evidence needed to adjudicate claims in both initial and 
post-entitlement situations has also been challenging throughout the 
pandemic. For example, at least 30 percent of all disability 
applications require a consultative examination (CE) to determine 
disability. The pandemic has made it more difficult for our customers 
to schedule medical providers for routine appointments and access 
public transportation to attend scheduled meetings. Some may also have 
limited phone access for telehealth appointments. In addition, only 
about 72 percent of our CE service providers nationwide are scheduling 
in-person CEs. Scheduling CE appointments and obtaining evidence is 
taking almost twice as long now, up from 21 days before the pandemic to 
37 days during the pandemic. When the Department of Health and Human 
Services temporarily modified the enforcement of the Privacy, Security, 
and Breach Notification rules under the Health Insurance Portability 
and Accountability Act (HIPAA), we expanded plans to use video 
communication technology to offer CEs via telehealth appointment, but 
we were constrained to only psychiatric and psychological examinations. 
Additionally, organizations we depend on for other types of evidence, 
such as schools, community and State advocates, and social service 
agencies, are also experiencing their own challenges adapting to the 
current environment.

    All these challenges have strained our resources, particularly 
given significant increases in costs that we do not control, such as 
government-wide pay increases. Moreover, due to the pandemic, some 
program integrity work, such as CDRs and SSI redeterminations, has 
slowed, which also affects our funding. We deferred these workloads in 
the early part of the pandemic to protect beneficiaries' income and 
health care, and to reduce the burden on the medical community, which 
had stopped most elective services. While we restarted these workloads 
at the end of FY 2020, we are handling them through the mail and over 
the phone. During the pandemic, these complex workloads often require 
multiple contacts with a beneficiary, which slows our ability to 
complete this work. In addition, over 30 percent of CDRs require a CE. 
We have focused our limited CE capacity on initial disability claims to 
ensure that we can provide benefits to people who qualify. As a result 
of these pandemic-related challenges, including the need to prioritize 
processing of initial disability claims in FY 2021, we reduced our 
planned full medical CDRs by almost 30 percent, the lowest level since 
FY 2013.
                               conclusion
    Like much of the world, we have not escaped the challenges caused 
by the pandemic.While we have made tremendous strides in quickly 
enabling a remote work posture to keep everyone safe and continue 
service during the pandemic, the last year has made clear that we have 
more work to do. We have some workloads that are not portable or are 
not as efficient to handle remotely, and we are working on solutions, 
including getting input from our unions, employees, and managers. 
Technology has proven vital and reminded us again that we must continue 
to press forward on modernization even after the pandemic.

    We are doing everything we can within our available resources, but 
our current budget will challenge our recovery. The FY 2022 SSA 
discretionary request of $14.2 billion, which is $1.3 billion more than 
what we received this year to operate our agency, will strengthen our 
service to the public. No one anticipated the duration of the pandemic 
and the ongoing challenges it presents. We hope you will consider these 
challenges and support this request to help us improve service.

    I want to thank the public, our extraordinary employees, and you 
for being patient and supportive of our mission during this national 
emergency.

    I look forward to answering any questions you may have.

                                 ______
                                 
            Questions Submitted for the Record to Grace Kim
                 Questions Submitted by Hon. Ron Wyden
    Question. As I mentioned in my statement, one of the problems 
delivering first rate service is the requirement that people put their 
most sensitive and important documents in the U.S. mail. I understand 
some people are reluctant to do that and I understand why. Some people 
just cannot go without their driver's license. If they do mail their 
documents--it can take weeks to get the documents back. Tell me more 
about what Social Security is doing to fix this clearly unacceptable 
issue?

    Answer. Please see our COVID-19 Pandemic SSN Service Delivery 
Improvement Plan provided to the committee on May 13th.

    Question. Do you agree with Ms. Murphy's testimony that a 
``comprehensive remote printing initiative'' should be developed? If 
so, what is the status of that initiative?

    Answer. We agree that a remote printing capacity could improve our 
efficiency and ability to operate during unforeseen events. The 
pandemic has clearly highlighted this issue. We are currently pursuing 
offsite vendor printing options through the Government Publishing 
Office, and will keep you updated on our progress.

    Question. What is the status of the on-line application for SSI?

    Answer. We are converting the current SSI application into a 
fillable PDF document that our third-party partners can use to help 
individuals complete their applications.

    We have a number of initiatives underway to expand service delivery 
to individuals interested in applying for SSI.

    In the near term, we are working on an online service to allow the 
public to indicate their interest in filing for SSI benefits. This 
service will establish a protective filing date \1\ and will provide a 
lead to one of our technicians to schedule an appointment to complete 
the SSI application. We are hoping to have this service live this 
summer.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \1\ In general, SSA establishes a ``protective filing date'' on the 
date SSA receives a written statement of intent to file for title II, 
title VIII, or title XVI benefits or an oral inquiry about title XVI 
benefits, https://secure.ssa.gov/apps10/poms.nsf/lnx/0200204010.

    We are also expanding our telephone services so that an individual 
interested in filing for SSI can use the automated interactive voice 
response system to protect their intent to file for SSI at the earliest 
possible date. We will give the individual the option to have us call 
them back so they do not need to wait on hold. Our technicians can 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
assist in scheduling an appointment.

    For more information on the SSI filing experience and our efforts 
to improve the process, please see the attached Plan for Simplifying 
the Supplemental Security Income Application (as requested by this 
committee) that we sent under separate cover on May 27th.

    Question. SSA has a work group to redesign the application process 
for SSI, which I think everyone would agree is needed. Mr. Causeya 
mentioned printing out the PDF for SSI--the form is 23 pages long! 
That's pretty daunting, especially for someone who may be in a 
challenging situation health and income wise. I want to highlight work 
done by the State of Michigan that Ms. McGuinness referred to about 
improving a 40-page application form: ``After an intensive user-
centered redesign that spanned almost 2 years, the process resulted in 
a beautiful, streamlined application that was 80-percent shorter and 
could be processed in nearly half the time.'' It seems to me the 
Michigan case is one model SSA should study. Do you agree?

    Answer. We are interested in studying successful efforts to 
streamline applications for government benefits, and we agree to look 
at the revamped Michigan application.

    We would note that our application seeks a lot of information from 
SSI applicants given the statutory requirements of the complex SSI 
program. That said, as noted above, we have begun a number of 
initiatives to make it easier for individuals to apply for SSI.

    Question. In the Agency Financial Report for 2016 (Table 2.3--page 
190), SSA ``developed a process for addressing all 80 items on the 
original Potential Entitlement workload list and have defined 
deliverables for each stage of that process.'' Please provide the 
committee with the list of 80 items that were identified by the 
dedicated Potential Entitlements workgroup.

    Answer. The 2016 AFR referenced the attached list of potential 
entitlements, which SSA created in 2013. Creating the list is part of 
an ongoing effort to consider a range of input--including internal 
quality review findings, audit findings, and recommendations from 
external sources--to explore groups of people who might be eligible for 
a new type of benefit or who might be due a higher benefit on a current 
record. These situations of potential entitlement might be due to 
changed circumstances over time or needed improvements in agency 
processes.

    Since that time, we have completed numerous Potential Entitlement 
projects to date that have resulted in approximately 768,000 notices 
released; 221,000 claims filed as a result of the notices; and $529.5 
million in retroactive and total monthly benefit increases paid.

    Question. In the most recent Agency Financial Report, SSA indicates 
it will conduct outreach this year to 20,000 disabled workers whose 
children were not awarded benefits because SSA did not properly close 
out applications for the children. What is the status of this year's 
outreach to these families? What were the errors that led to the 
children missing benefits and what corrective action has been taken 
since the error was discovered? What evidence is available to establish 
that the corrective action has solved the problem?

    Answer. We are in the process of data mining to identify the 
universe of specific cases that meet the selected criteria.

    There are numerous reasons why these claims may not have been 
filed. In some cases, the agency may not have done sufficient follow-up 
outreach to beneficiaries. In other cases, beneficiaries may not know 
the whereabouts of the children, and SSA may not be able to locate 
them. We must evaluate each case individually.

    In 2016, we implemented enhancements to address this issue, 
including:

        Reminding technicians to address potential entitlement for 
each listed child on the application.
        Enhancing the diary function to control this workload.
        Improving notice language on the beneficiary's award letter to 
provide information regarding potential entitlement for the children 
listed on the application.

    Once we identify these cases, we will conduct outreach and take 
claims as appropriate. We will also track outcomes and ensure that the 
problem is no longer recurring based on the enhancements we have made.

    Question. The 20,000 cases of missed child benefits appears to be 
for 1 year's worth of applications. How many children in total does the 
agency estimate have been affected prior to SSA's discovery of the 
error? Does the agency have any plans to contact other disabled 
families who did not receive benefits?

    Answer. The 20,000 cases cover May 2011 through May 2016, when we 
implemented improvements to prevent this situation from recurring.

    Question. In the most recent Agency Financial Report, SSA indicates 
it has postponed analysis to identify potential entitlements due 
competing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic-related workload priorities. 
Given that potential entitlements mean children, widows, veterans, low-
income Americans, and others may not be receiving benefits, this work 
seems like it should be one of SSA's top priorities. Why was this work 
postponed? What is needed to get this work done and to prevent any 
future postponements?

    Answer. We agree these initiatives are of great importance. We 
temporarily postponed two potential entitlement initiatives in 2020 as 
we focused on ensuring continuity of service during the COVID-19 
pandemic. The two initiatives include outreach to approximately 3,000 
retirement beneficiaries and 500 SSI recipients who may be due 
additional benefits. In March 2021, we resumed work on these two 
initiatives.

    Additionally, recognizing the importance of reaching people facing 
barriers, between December 2020 and March 2021, SSA mailed 200,000 
notices to potential Social Security beneficiaries--individuals 
receiving benefits less than the Federal benefit rate for SSI--to 
encourage SSI filing. Because of this outreach, since December, SSA has 
received 5,162 applications, approved 2,271 SSI applications, and paid 
over $451,000 in underpayments. As noted in our attached May 7th 
Supplemental Security Income Targeted Mailers Progress Report to the 
committee on this initiative, we continue to review the results of this 
mailing, and will begin mailing notices to the remaining population of 
about 1.2 million Social Security beneficiaries potentially eligible 
for SSI benefits.

    Four additional potential entitlement projects are scheduled to 
begin over the remainder of this Fiscal Year.


------------------------------------------------------------------------
              Project                            Description
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unreduced Aged Widow Claims with     This project identifies claimants
 Retroactive Aged Wife Entitlement    who could be eligible for
                                      retroactive benefits as a spouse
                                      based on a current entitlement as
                                      a survivor.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cases that have been awarded Social  This project is to determine
 Security/SSI benefits but have not   whether claimants were determined
 been paid                            to be eligible for benefits but
                                      not yet paid.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Individuals with Lawfully Admitted   This project investigates claimants
 Permanent Residence completed in     who have Lawfully Admitted
 our records yet payments withheld    Permanent Residence status issue
 pending citizen status               completed on the MBR yet payments
                                      are missing or not being paid.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Child named on parent's application  This project identifies if a child
                                      was named on a parent's
                                      application and no claims were
                                      taken.
------------------------------------------------------------------------


    The pandemic drove us to make hard choices. Going forward, we will 
continue to balance our post-entitlement work with our other priority 
workloads. The FY 2022 SSA discretionary request of $14.2 billion, an 
$1.3 billion increase over FY 2021, will strengthen our service to the 
public, including performing important potential entitlement work.

    Question. SSA has policies to provide benefits quickly--such as 
presumptive disability (PD) and compassionate allowance (CAL)--that 
should be especially helpful during a pandemic.

    Has there been an increase in the use of these policies?

    Answer. Use of our expedited processes to adjudicate claims for 
disability or SSI benefits has remained consistent.

    Question. How does SSA measure the effectiveness of these policies?

    Answer. We measure the effectiveness of our presumptive disability 
(PD) policies by comparing the level of PD usage with the denial rate 
of cases that received PD status. The effectiveness of the CAL policy 
is measured by the overall processing time for cases identified as CAL.

    Question. Are there plans to expand these policies, such as 
presumptive disability for title II or CAL for applicants in hospice 
care or the homeless with chronic mental disorders?

    Answer. We continually evaluate new conditions to add to our CAL 
process. From 2017 to 2020, SSA added 17 new CAL conditions, and are 
evaluating additional potential conditions in FY21.

    Presumptive disability (PD) benefits are authorized by statute only 
for SSI benefits (42 U.S.C. 1383(a)(4)(B); we do not have authority to 
offer PD benefits under Social Security Disability Insurance.

    We are reviewing whether additional impairments should be 
considered under our PD policy. However, hospice claims are generally 
identified as terminal illness claims and, on average, processed faster 
than presumptive disability findings.

    Claims involving homelessness and chronic mental impairment do not 
have a higher allowance rate; therefore, we do not make presumptive 
disability findings for mental impairments, other than intellectual 
disability or neurodevelopmental impairments meeting certain criteria.

    Question. I'm very interested in Targeted Denial Reviews. I--
working with Senator Grassley--amended the FY 2020 Budget Resolution 
during Budget Committee consideration to potentially allow SSA to use 
program integrity funds to conduct Targeted Denial Reviews. Ideally, 
SSA would review denied applications at a similar level to the 
statutory requirements to review allowances. What are SSA's plans to 
increase the use of Targeted Denial Reviews?

    Answer. The Targeted Denial Review (TDR) is a discretionary 
workload that uses a predictive model to identify disability 
determination services (DDS) denials most likely to be reversed to 
allowances. In the developing the predictive model, we considered 
variables with a statistically significant correlation to decision 
reversal. The current predictive model uses age of the applicant, the 
type of application (title II or title XVI), the primary impairment 
code, the secondary impairment code, and the regulation basis code of 
the denial determination. The model scores each case on the likelihood 
the initial denial would be reversed if that case were selected for 
TDR. The highest scoring cases are selected for review, up to a 
threshold set to meet the annual workload target.

    We determine the volume of TDR cases we conduct in light of our 
mandatory workloads (such as quality assurance and pre-effectuation 
reviews), our available resources, and our other priorities. In FY 
2020, we reviewed 36,786 TDR cases, with a reversal rate of 
approximately 10 percent. We plan to review 25,000 cases in FY 2021 and 
increase the review of TDRs to 75,000 cases in FY 2022.

    Question. Overpayments often occur because earning reports from 
beneficiaries are not processed timely. Many have described the 
agency's overpayment waiver process as cumbersome and time-consuming. 
What steps is SSA taking to improve the over payment waiver process?

    Answer. To help the public during the pandemic, we published an 
interim final rule to streamline the overpayment debt waiver process 
for beneficiaries who incurred overpayment debts between March and 
September 2020 due to our deferral of certain workloads. Under the 
streamlined waiver process, we can more quickly waive recovery upon 
receiving a verbal request for qualified debts.

    Beyond the pandemic, we have been looking at ways to streamline and 
improve the waiver process more broadly. Our focus has been on 
modernizing the systems we use to manage debts, including how we 
recover overpayment debt and the ways the public can request that we 
waive recovery of debt. In addition to enhancing our systems, we are 
evaluating ways to reduce administrative burdens for individuals who 
request a waiver such as by exploring how we might improve our form.

    Question. SSA strives to pay the right person, the right amount at 
the right time to reduce improper payments. Both under payments and 
over payments are improper payments. What policies are in place to 
prevent or remedy underpayments and ensure that claimants and 
beneficiaries receive all benefits to which they are eligible? How much 
of SSA's program integrity spending is used to reduce underpayments and 
ensure claimants and beneficiaries are receiving all eligible benefits?

    Answer. We conduct annual stewardship reviews that identify and 
quantify the amount of improper payments, both overpayments and 
underpayments, in our programs, as well as the leading causes of error. 
In addition, we conduct other targeted reviews of complex and therefore 
error-prone workloads that may lead to the identification of improper 
payments. We take corrective action whenever we identify an improper 
payment.

    We have policies in place to ensure that claimants and 
beneficiaries receive all benefits to which they are eligible.

    Post-adjudication, our systems detect most underpayments. For SSI, 
during redeterminations, policy instructs technicians to consider 
recipients' potential eligibility to other benefits. Employees are 
required to explore any allegations or statements made by recipients or 
their representative payees during the redetermination interview that 
indicate potential entitlement to other benefits. We explore potential 
eligibility for title II benefits and other benefits such as Federal 
employment, military service, railroad, State or local government, 
private employer, or foreign government.

    We use dedicated program integrity (PI) funding to conduct 
continuing disability reviews, SSI non-medical redeterminations, work 
CDRs, and in support of our Cooperative Disability Investigation units 
and Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys. The funding is used to ensure 
beneficiaries and recipients continue to qualify for benefits and meet 
program requirements. We do not capture the amount of PI funding spent 
on cases with identified underpayments.

    Question. I have heard reports that ALJ hearings involving paper 
documents (in contrast to cases involving electronic files) have been 
subject to great delay. Is this accurate? What steps has SSA taken to 
ensure that claimants appealing ``paper cases'' get due process and 
timely decisions on their case?

    Answer. When hearing offices closed in March 2020 due to the COVID-
19 pandemic, SSA temporarily paused processing paper-based cases while 
we worked through options to address this non-portable work. Since 
then, we have implemented information technology enhancements that 
improve our business processes for paper cases, which allowed us to 
resume processing both disability and non-
disability paper cases in September 2020.

    Question. As you know, Economic Impact Payments (EIP) are excluded 
as a countable resource for SSI for 12 months after receipt. Yet the 
committee has been informed by advocates that SSA has suspended SSI 
benefits and assessed overpayments due to excess resources for months 
when EIP have not been properly excluded for 12 months after receipt. 
What steps has SSA taken to prevent these overpayments and suspensions 
from occurring? Will SSA require each individual negatively impacted to 
file an appeal?

    Answer. In April 2020, we instructed technicians that EIPs are 
excluded from income, and that any retained balances the month after 
the month of receipt are excluded from resources for 12 months, as 
these payments are considered advanced tax credits. Before the end of 
the 12-month exclusion period, we issued guidance to hold any resource 
decisions on EIPs until we issue new guidance, and we recently issued 
our updated guidance about excluding payments from resources.

    Question. I'm concerned about time between when a disability case 
is approved and when the claimant receives monthly benefits. What data 
does SSA collect and what goals does SSA have for the timeliness and 
accuracy of effectuating disability benefits once a favorable decision 
has been issued?

    Answer. We have goals for overall processing time for initial 
claims and for effectuating hearing level decisions. Our goal is to 
process 95 percent of favorable hearing decisions within 60 days, with 
most processed within 30 days. We are meeting our goals for 
effectuating favorable decisions.

    Question. How does the time to effectuation differ depending on if 
the claim is SSI only, title II only, or concurrent?

    Answer. The agency's FY 2021 goal for overall average processing 
time for all initial disability claims (SSI, Social Security 
Disability, and concurrent) is 171 days. Our overall average processing 
time for initial claims through March 2021 is 166 days. Average overall 
processing time to adjudicate initial SSI Blind and Disabled claims is 
174 days through March 2021; average overall processing time to 
adjudicate initial Social Security Disability claims is 157 days 
through March 2021.

    Question. Does SSA track payment of retroactive benefits separately 
from starting ongoing benefits?

    Answer. Yes, we do.

    Question. Does SSA track whether benefits are properly withheld for 
a representative fee?

    Answer. Yes. As part of an every 3-year review of initial claim 
awards and disallowances, we review claimant representative fees to 
determine whether they were correctly withheld or not withheld, based 
on the information in file at the time of claim adjudication.

    Question. Does SSA track whether the authorized fee is paid to the 
representative?

    Answer. Yes. Our automated programs generate alerts in our 
processing centers (PCs) to track payments to representatives. When we 
withhold to pay fees from beneficiaries' retroactive benefits, 
technicians receive alerts until corresponding representative fee 
payments are resolved.

    Question. Does SSA track cases separately depending on what stage 
of the application process (initial, reconsideration, ALJ hearing, 
Appeals Council) the award was made?

    Answer. Yes, we track awards for each stage of the application 
process. We are providing below two charts with data for each stage of 
the application process. The first chart contains the average 
processing time for FYTD through March 31, 2021 for initial claims and 
reconsiderations. The second chart contains the average processing time 
for FYTD through March 31, 2021 for ALJ hearings and Appeals Council 
cases.


                       FYTD Through March 31, 2021
------------------------------------------------------------------------
        Stage of Application               Average Processing Time
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Initial Claims                       166 days
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reconsiderations                     141 days
------------------------------------------------------------------------
ALJ Hearings                         314 days
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Appeals Council                      163 days
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Question. Are there specific types of cases that take especially 
long to effectuate or where SSA's accuracy is especially low? What 
steps is SSA taking to improve those cases?

    Answer. We are not aware of specific types of disability claims 
meeting that description.

    Question. How does SSA's statistics on these issues during the 
pandemic compare to the year before the pandemic? Looking back over the 
last 10 years, what trends stand out?

    Answer. Below are SSA's statistics on these issues with comparison 
points from FY 2019, FY 2020, and FY 2021. We are compiling the data 
over the last 10 years for trend analysis.

    The overall average time for processing claims has steadily 
increased throughout the pandemic. We ended FY 2019 at 120 days and at 
the start of the pandemic, we were around 127 days. For FY 2019, the 
overall average processing time was 126 days for SSI Blind and Disabled 
claims and 115 days for Social Security Disability claims.

    When the pandemic began in March 2020, the overall average 
processing time was 134 days for SSI Blind and Disabled claims and 121 
days for Social Security Disability claims.

               FY 2019 to FYTD 2021 Through March 31, 2021
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                     Overall Average    Overall Average
                 Overall Average     Social Security       SSI Blind/
                 Processing Time       Disability           Disabled
 Fiscal Year      for  Initial          Insurance       Processing Time
                     Claims          Processing Time      for  Initial
                                   for Initial Claims        Claims
------------------------------------------------------------------------
FYTD 2021      166 days            157 days            174 days
------------------------------------------------------------------------
FY 2020        132 days            126 days            139 days
------------------------------------------------------------------------
FY 2019        120 days            115 days            126 days
------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Question. In preparing for this hearing, my staff attempted to find 
an SSI application on the SSA website. My staff was not able to use the 
website to find the application. It was only when my staff Googled 
``SSI application PDF'' that this link was discovered--https://
www.ssa.gov/legislation/Attachment%20for%20SSA%20Testimo
ny%207_25_12%20Human%20Resources%20Sub%20Hearing.pdf--and from the 
looks of that link, it looks like the document is related to a 
congressional hearing. My staff asked advocates if this is a common 
situation. Here are the replies that were received:

        The advocates I know who work on applications know to Google 
        ``SSA Form 8000'' in order to get a copy. When we complained 
        about the lack of access to the form, SSA said they have 
        declined to do it because it is not designed for the public--it 
        is too complex for the general public! . . . when completed and 
        submitted by third parties, SSA staff have to key in all the 
        information all over again anyway. SSA IT staff said this would 
        be the case even with a fillable PDF version. When a person 
        starts an SSDI application and indicates interest in SSI, there 
        is an instruction to file the SSI app separately but no actual 
        information, link, instruction, etc.

        I have an SSI application in PDF form from years ago that I 
        still use. Or if we do an SSDI claim, in the remarks I say to 
        treat it also as an SSI claim.

        Our sub-workgroup on the SSI application has repeatedly asked 
        SSA to make the PDF of an application form (there are two--Form 
        8000 and 8001) available on their website, and they say no. SSA 
        states that it is not a ``self-help'' form, i.e., not a form 
        that a member of the public can complete successfully on their 
        own . . . [advocates] know the number of the forms, and if you 
        google it, you can find a PDF of the form online and print it 
        off (the 8000 is 23 pages long), complete it with your client, 
        and mail or fax in that hard copy. Even though it is not 
        publicly available on their website, they still receive lots of 
        hard copies this way. . . .

        . . . some people can file the SSI application online but only 
        if they are age 18-64, never married, never made another SSI or 
        title II claim, and not blind. So you can imagine that leaves 
        out a lot of claimants. . . .

    What is going on here? Why is the SSI application form not easily 
available on the SSA website?

    Answer. For information on the SSI filing experience and our 
efforts to improve the process, please see the Plan for Simplifying the 
Supplemental Security Income Application provided to the committee on 
May 27th.

                                 ______
                                 
               Question Submitted by Hon. Maria Cantwell
                               broadband
    Question. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced us to rethink 
longstanding systems, including the delivery of Social Security 
benefits. Over the past year, the Social Security Administration (SSA) 
has worked to transition services to their online platform. While 
accessing services online instead of in-person may be more convenient 
for some, it is important to remember that millions of Americans around 
the country still do not have access to reliable Internet and millions 
more find it difficult to pay the monthly cost of broadband service.

    Beneficiaries have been left to navigate the complex system of 
applying for benefits and submitting appeals online, reduced assistance 
from SSA due to the closure of field offices, and long wait times for 
phone calls. I have heard from constituents who waited on hold for 5 
hours to verify a document scanned and sent to SSA. We must work to 
ensure that the SSA has the adequate technology to handle online 
services and that more people in rural and underserved areas have 
access to reliable, affordable broadband connections.

    Moving forward beyond the pandemic, how will SSA determine which 
components will remain online and which will be in-person? How could 
expanded broadband help support SSA?

    Answer. We provide multiple service channels for people to reach 
us. Our goal is to provide effective online services because many 
people prefer to do business that way. These self-service options then 
free up resources for us to help people who cannot use them. During the 
pandemic, we have further strengthened our outreach and partnership 
with advocacy groups to improve access to our programs and services. 
This partnership will inform future improvements to our service model. 
Expanded broadband is an important tool that helps customers in rural 
areas reach us.

                                 ______
                                 
             Questions Submitted by Hon. Benjamin L. Cardin
    Question. Will SSA commit to reestablishing meaningful labor-
management forums and actively participating in them?

    Answer. We are fully committed to maintaining and fostering a 
culture of compliance, civility, and compromise in all of our labor 
relations. In 2021, we increased official union time for two of our 
unions by thousands of hours, offered to renegotiate all collective 
bargaining agreement articles with one of our unions, successfully 
bargained mid-term agreements with all three unions, and engaged on a 
variety of other workplace matters. These efforts will continue even as 
we deal with the many challenges and pressures related to our pandemic 
response.

    Question. SSA has indicated it will follow Executive Order 14003 
and reopen the collective bargaining agreement with AFGE, which was 
bargained under directives from previous executive orders issued by the 
last administration. When does SSA anticipate that process beginning 
with the union?

    Answer. We are in full compliance with Executive Order (EO) 14003, 
``Protecting the Federal Workforce.'' EO 14003 does not require an 
automatic reopening/
renegotiation of entire collective bargaining agreements (CBAs). 
Rather, EO 14003 required agencies to identify select actions related 
to the three rescinded EOs issued by President Trump in May 2018 and, 
``as soon as practicable, suspend, revise, or rescind'' those actions. 
We promptly conducted a review from January 25-28, 2021, identified 
relevant actions taken pursuant to the three rescinded EOs from May 
2018, and reviewed personnel policies as required.

    On March 18, 2021, we expanded our review of the CBAs, in 
accordance with OPM guidance issued on March 5, 2021. On April 23, 
2021, we informed AFGE that we had completed the review required by EO 
14003, and invited AFGE to meet to discuss the preliminary findings of 
the review and to receive any additional input the union may have 
before finalizing the results. On April 29, 2021, AFGE declined to meet 
and requested that we provide preliminary findings in writing. We 
provided these preliminary findings in a written format on May 19. We 
will continue to engage AFGE on this topic in good faith and as 
required by EO 14003. Once the findings of the review are finalized, we 
will engage AFGE to suspend, revise, or rescind the actions covered in 
identified CBA provisions.

    Question. Will SSA commit to including bargaining for telework in 
the bargaining for a new CBA?

    Answer. We have offered to renegotiate all articles in the 
collective bargaining agreement with the Association of Administrative 
Law Judges (AALJ), including the telework article. We have not yet 
determined whether we will seek to renegotiate either the SSA-AFGE 
National Agreement or the SSA-NTEU National Agreement when the two 
current agreements expire in 2025. We are currently assessing changes 
to pre-pandemic telework plans. We will comply with all contractual and 
statutory obligations related to any renegotiation when that time 
comes.

    Question. Legal services advocates in my State have raised concerns 
over an uptick in the number of SSI applications denied due to failure 
to cooperate, or FTC, since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

    What is the process for contacting an applicant before denying a 
case for this reason?

    Answer. We work to prevent denying claims based on ``failure to 
cooperate.'' For initial claims, our employees assist applicants and 
pursue all leads before considering denying the claim. In some 
situations, we may also provide a good cause exception to extend the 
time requirement to provide us with the evidence. We instruct our 
employees to contact the claimant directly (or third parties) to 
provide assistance. We:

    1.  Issue a written request providing 30 days to respond and 
provide the necessary information.
    2.  Send a reminder after 15 days to ensure the claimant knows we 
have not received the information.
    3.  Contact the claimant by telephone making several attempts at 
different times on different days. We also contact other sources, such 
as relatives, friends, medical professionals, or community 
organizations, to try to reach claimants and provide assistance.
    4.  Document our attempts before denying the claim.

    Question. Do you agree that there has been an increase in the 
number of cases denied for this reason nationwide in the last year? If 
so, what factors do you believe drive this increase?

    Answer. We agree there has been an increase in the raw number of 
cases denied for failure to cooperate during 2021 as compared to 2020, 
given that we are now processing adverse actions that we had deferred 
processing during 2020. We have not, however, seen a significant change 
in the rate of FTC denials during 2021 as compared to pre-pandemic 
levels.

    We recently conducted a quality review study to assess whether 
State Disability Determination Service (DDS) employees were incorrectly 
denying applicants for insufficient evidence or failure to cooperate 
(FTC). A cadre of experts reviewed 450 randomly sampled cases and found 
that DDSs generally followed emergency procedures. The cadre also 
offered recommendations for improving outreach to identify and involve 
third parties in cases that require special handling.

    Question. What policy changes have you considered or are you 
considering to ensure that field offices are taking every possible step 
to avoid denying cases for this reason?

    Answer. We have extended several policy flexibilities, including 
allowing 
pandemic-related issues to be good cause for late filing and providing 
leniency with our failure to cooperate policies.

    Question. The issuance of expedited disability allowance policies 
for clearly eligible disabled individuals, like the presumptive 
disability and compassionate allowance policies, has declined in recent 
years.

    Why does the agency believe that this decline has occurred?

    Answer. Use of our expedited processes is consistent over the past 
3 fiscal years (FY). For FYs 2018, 2019, and 2020 the CAL percentages 
are 3.4 percent, 3.5 percent, and 3.5 percent respectively; and the PD 
percentages are 3.7 percent, 3.6 percent, and 3.3 percent respectively.

    Question. What programmatic responses has the agency considered or 
is the agency considering to respond to this decline and to reduce 
administrative burdens to accessing benefits for clearly eligible 
disabled individuals?

    Answer. We have not seen a meaningful decline in PD or CAL cases.

    Question. Will SSA consider expanding the criteria for such 
allowances, for example, to include those in hospice care and/or 
homeless individuals with chronic mental health disorders?

    Answer. SSA continually evaluates new conditions potentially to add 
to our CAL process. From 2017 to 2020, we added 17 new CAL conditions.

    PD benefits are authorized by statute only for SSI benefits (42 
U.S.C. 1383(a)(4)(B); therefore, there are no plans at this time to 
offer PD benefits under Social Security.

    We are reviewing whether additional impairments should be 
considered under our presumptive disability policy. However, hospice 
claims are generally identified as terminal illness claims and on 
average, processed faster than presumptive disability findings.

    Claims involving homelessness and chronic mental impairment have 
neither a medical denial rate that is well outside the national average 
nor a higher allowance rate; therefore, we do not make presumptive 
disability findings for mental impairments, other than intellectual 
disability or neurodevelopmental impairments meeting certain criteria.

    Question. The current system of reviewing disability eligibility 
decisions places significant focus on reviewing allowances, while 
denials do not receive the same level of scrutiny. As you know, the 
system of Targeted Denial Reviews is discretionary and results in a 
very small percentage of denials reviewed. A much higher percentage of 
allowances are reviewed. This imbalance may improperly influence 
adjudicators' decision making.

    How does SSA plan to ensure greater parity between reviews of 
denials and terminations of benefits and allowance reviews?

    Answer. The Targeted Denial Review (TDR) is a discretionary 
workload that uses a predictive model to identify disability 
determination services (DDS) denials most likely to be reversed to 
allowances. Our current target for FY 2022 is 75,000 cases.

    Question. Reducing fraud and overpayments is important work. Just 
as critical to program integrity is the prevention of wrongful denials 
and erroneous terminations of benefits.

    How does SSA plan to expand the scope of current program integrity 
work to include not just improper overpayments, but improper 
underpayments?

    Answer. We conduct an annual stewardship review that identifies and 
quantifies the amount of improper payments (overpayments and 
underpayments) in our programs, as well as the leading causes of error. 
In addition, we conduct other targeted reviews of error-prone workloads 
that may lead to the identification of improper payments. We take 
corrective action whenever we discover an improper payment.

    Redeterminations of eligibility are an effective way to identify 
changes that result in improper payments, as they can uncover 
underpayment errors as well as overpayment errors. These 
redeterminations are periodic reviews of non-medical eligibility 
factors, such as income and resources, for the means-tested SSI program 
and can result in a revision of the individual's benefit level. Also, 
SSI recipients are more likely to initiate a redetermination of 
eligibility if they believe there are underpayments. We anticipate 
completing approximately 2.4 million redeterminations in FY 2021, and 
2.9 million in FY 2022.

    Question. As you know, Economic Impact Payments (EIPs) are supposed 
to be excluded as a countable resource for SSI for 12 months after 
receipt. We understand from advocates that SSA has already begun 
suspending SSI benefits and charging recipients with overpayments due 
to excess resources for months during which EIP payments have not been 
properly excluded. SSA could obtain EIP data from the IRS that would 
allow the agency to avoid generating these improper actions in the 
first place without placing the onus on elderly and disabled 
individuals to appeal suspensions during a pandemic. During the 
hearing, you commented that SSA is currently considering how to handle 
such cases and that you would be supportive of automatic re-instatement 
of benefits ``in appropriate circumstances.''

    Will you commit to effectively implementing this EIP resource 
exclusion protection, as well as automatically reinstating benefits for 
those who have been suspended improperly?

    Answer. In April 2020, we instructed technicians that EIPs are 
excluded from income and that any retained balances the month after the 
month of receipt are excluded from resources for 12 months, as these 
payments are considered advanced tax credits. Before the end of the 12-
month exclusion period, we issued guidance to hold any resource 
decisions on EIPs until we issue new guidance. We recently issued new 
guidance about excluding these payments from resources beyond 12 
months.

                                 ______
                                 
               Questions Submitted by Hon. Sherrod Brown
    Question. Legal services advocates are reporting that their clients 
are receiving Notice SSA-L8155-U2. Is the Social Security 
Administration reducing, suspending, or terminating SSI benefits for 
otherwise eligible beneficiaries as a result of them receiving any 
Economic Impact Payment?

    How many reductions, suspensions, or terminations have occurred as 
a result of otherwise eligible beneficiaries receiving any Economic 
Impact Payment?

    How is the Social Security Administration determining whether 
otherwise eligible beneficiaries who have resources in excess of the 
statutory limit are over the resource limit due to the second and third 
Economic Impact Payments, issued to SSI recipients in January 2021 and 
April 2021?

    If otherwise eligible beneficiaries who have resources in excess of 
the statutory limit are over the resource limit due to the second and/
or third Economic Impact Payments, does the Social Security 
Administration agree that eligible beneficiaries are facing SSI 
reduction, suspension, or termination in error?

    How do you plan to rectify this urgent problem, given that SSI 
beneficiaries losing critical economic support is clearly contrary to 
Congress's intent when authorizing relief through the EIPs?

    Answer. We agree that ensuring SSI recipients have access to 
economic support is critical and have worked make sure that SSI 
recipients received their EIP payments automatically.

    Under the Social Security Act, EIPs should be excluded from 
resources for 12 months. We published additional policy guidance, 
released supplemental training, and provided verbal reminders on 
national, regional, and all manager calls about the need for employees 
to carefully adjudicate all types of pandemic-related assistance 
excludable under our rules, and in particular, the receipt of EIPs. We 
recently released new guidance about excluding these payments from 
resources beyond 12 months.

    We do not have a specific count of reductions, suspensions, or 
terminations that occurred as a result of EIPs received by SSI 
recipients. However, we are reviewing SSI reductions, suspensions, and 
terminations resulting from receipt of EIPs that individuals may have 
held in their financial accounts. For these cases, we will determine 
whether employees properly applied policy that excludes the EIP from 
counting as a resource for 12 months. We will correct any errors, such 
as by reinstating suspended benefits.

    Question. In 2019, SSA's telework pilot ended. Before the COVID-19 
pandemic, this meant the 12,000 affected workers were required to 
return to their duty stations. After the end of telework pilot, and 
before the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, what was Commissioner 
Saul's official duty station and how often was he physically present 
there?

    Answer. The Commissioner's official duty station was SSA's 
Washington, DC office. He also reported to the agency's headquarters in 
Baltimore, MD.

                                 ______
                                 
             Questions Submitted by Hon. Sheldon Whitehouse
    Question. As you know, field office closures have disrupted how the 
SSA delivers its services to beneficiaries.

    Given the increasing number of Americans who have received COVID-19 
vaccinations, does SSA have a timeline for when they expect to have 
field offices open to the public?

    Answer. We want to emphasize that throughout the pandemic, we have 
been and remain open for business. Most SSA services are available 
online and by telephone. We also provide in-person appointments for 
limited, critical situations such as individuals without shelter who 
have the need to apply for or reinstate benefits, or individuals who 
need to update SSN information to obtain income, resources, or medical 
care. Social Security continues to operate under our Workplace Safety 
Plan (WSP),\2\ consistent with the President's executive order \3\ and 
government-wide guidance.\4\ This WSP is currently being updated in 
accordance with more recent government-wide instructions.\5\ We are in 
the process of increasing on-site staffing, which should result in 
service improvement. We are also engaged in post-implementation 
bargaining of the WSP.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \2\ https://www.ssa.gov/coronavirus/assets/materials/ssa-covid-19-
workplace-safety-plan.pdf.
    \3\ https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/
2021/01/20/executive-order-protecting-the-federal-workforce-and-
requiring-mask-wearing/.
    \4\ https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/M-21-
15.pdf.
    \5\ https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/M-21-
25.pdf.

    Question. What does the SSA need in order to ensure a safe and 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
productive environment for workers and the public?

    Answer. We are following government-wide health guidance, our 
workplace safety plan, and planning and preparing for a safe increased 
return to physical workplaces as appropriate . We are also encouraging 
employees to get vaccinated and allowing administrative time to do so.

    Question. What are the metrics that you will use to determine when 
a field office should be opened back up to the public? Would it be 
based on COVID-19 infection and vaccination rates?

    Answer. We will continue to follow government-wide guidance, 
include health and safety guidance informed by science. In the interim, 
we are increasing on-site staffing within our WSP, as noted in our 
previous answer above.

    Question. Social Security offices also provide the essential 
service of assisting seniors with enrolling in Medicare and helping 
individuals to decide which coverage is right for them. In addition, if 
an individual doesn't enroll in Medicare when they first become 
eligible, they can face financial penalties for the duration of the 
time they are enrolled in the program. What affect has the closure of 
Social Security offices had on your ability to help seniors enroll in 
Medicare?

    Answer. We are aware that because of pandemic-related job losses, 
beneficiaries may have lost their employment-related medical coverage 
and needed Medicare Part B Supplementary Medical Insurance coverage 
through a special enrollment period (SEP).

    Working in collaboration with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid 
Services (CMS), we initiated two new service delivery channels: fax and 
online application options. Both of these options expedite the handling 
of beneficiaries requesting enrollment in Medicare Part B under the SEP 
provisions. The new service channels offer the beneficiaries the 
ability to fax or submit online the forms CMS-40B, Application for 
Enrollment in Medicare--Part B (Medical Insurance) and the CMS-L564, 
Request for Employment Information applications for enrollment in 
Medicare Part B.

    As of May 3, 2021, we received and cleared 105,770 Medicare 
enrollment requests from the fax option and processed 238,002 
applications through the online application.

    In addition, working with CMS during the onset of the pandemic, we 
extended certain time frames for beneficiaries requesting enrollment in 
Medicare. We also offered an extended equitable relief period to those 
eligible individuals who could not submit a timely Medicare enrollment 
due to the impact COVID pandemic-related national emergency had on 
SSA's processing.

    Question. Due to office closures, some applicants have had to 
physically send in their personal documentation, like a driver's 
license or passport, to verify their identity. I have heard from Rhode 
Islanders concerned about this process, which is inefficient and opens 
up applicants to a host of potential security issues if they are 
without their identification.

    Answer. Please see our COVID-19 Pandemic SSN Service Delivery 
Improvement Plan, which outlines the steps we are taking now to reduce 
or eliminate the need to mail original important documents.

    Question. How can the SSA better coordinate with other Federal, 
State, and local government agencies to improve security and 
application processing?

    Answer. Please see our COVID-19 Pandemic SSN Service Delivery 
Improvement Plan for descriptions of our decades-long partnerships with 
Federal and State governments to automate SSN service delivery and more 
recently to provide an online application for certain replacement card 
requests.

    We continue to work to increase the scope of these service delivery 
options. For example, we are working with the Department of Homeland 
Security (DHS) to expand Enumeration Beyond Entry (EBE) to noncitizens 
who DHS approves for lawful permanent residence (LPR) and naturalized 
U.S. citizenship. Through EBE, DHS collects and verifies the 
information we need to assign an SSN when approving the request for 
work authorization. DHS then sends the information to us. We assign an 
SSN and issue the card automatically. If the noncitizen already has an 
SSN, we issue a replacement card. EBE is currently limited to 
noncitizens whose work authorization DHS approves. Expanding it to 
those granted LPR and naturalized status would automate the processing 
of an estimated 1.3 million SSN requests a year.

    We are also working to expand our online replacement card 
application, known as Internet Social Security Number Replacement Cards 
(iSSNRC). iSSNRC is available in all but six States--Minnesota, Nevada, 
New Hampshire, Oklahoma, West Virginia, and Alaska.\6\ Expanding iSSNRC 
to these States would affect approximately 5 percent of the population.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \6\ As of May 28, 2021, the State of Alaska decided to no longer 
participate in the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators 
(AAMVA) Driver's License Data Verification (DLDV) service. Therefore, 
Alaska residents can no longer request a replacement card online. SSA 
is working with AAMVA and the State of Alaska to identify a solution 
for resuming their participation in iSSNRC.

    Question. What recommendations do you have for Congress to address 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
this issue legislatively?

    Answer. We appreciate the offer of support and will advise Congress 
should we identify a need for legislative change.

                                 ______
                                 
           Questions Submitted by Hon. Catherine Cortez Masto
    Question. In your testimony you mentioned various flexibilities 
that have been implemented to address the challenges brought on by the 
pandemic and field office closures. Nevadans, like many others, are 
experiencing long wait times on the phone or getting disconnected with 
SSA representatives, drop boxes are only offered for a couple of hours 
once a week or a couple of days, field offices are not offering in-
person appointments, and there's a lack of Spanish-speaking services 
for them to assist with appeals. All of these limitations have further 
delayed constituents getting their needs met. My office has also 
received inquiries regarding foster youth facing issues requesting a 
replacement card, as Nevada is one of five states that is not currently 
participating in the program that allows for Social Security card 
replacements to be done online. I appreciate SSA's work with the State 
and DMV in Nevada in getting this program up and running, until this is 
active, Nevadan's are still faced with mailing sensitive documents to 
SSA. While my office was able to coordinate a temporary solution for 
our foster youth facing this issue in Clark County, many Nevadans have 
had to endure this procedure.

    What has the Administration done to raise awareness of these 
flexibilities among entities like legal aid organizations that help 
clients navigate SSA benefits?

    Answer. SSA is actively engaging external stakeholders to raise 
awareness of service flexibilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. 
Beginning over a year ago, agency leadership began holding recurring 
meetings with national advocacy groups to share updates on service 
changes and receive feedback on service challenges. Those meetings 
evolved into two advocate-executive workgroups--one focused on solving 
short-term challenges caused by the pandemic and another focused on 
solving long-term challenges that pre-dated the pandemic. 
Representatives of legal aid and other legal professional organizations 
nationwide participate in both work groups.

    In addition to providing suggestions for short- and long-term 
service improvements, the advocate workgroup members have advised on, 
and assisted with, disseminating emergency communications to the 
public. For example, they suggested new topics for questions and 
answers on the agency's COVID-19 website,\7\ including using certified 
secondary identity documents, rather than primary identity documents, 
for a replacement Social Security card. Advocate workgroup members also 
provided critical input on new outreach resources that we launched for 
anyone assisting a person with accessing our services and benefits, 
such as our new Information for People Helping Others website.\8\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \7\ https://www.ssa.gov/coronavirus/.
    \8\ https://www.ssa.gov/thirdparty/.

    Other agency communications to the public on service flexibilities 
during the COVID-19 pandemic have included: press releases; article 
placements online and in print; email blasts; social media and blog 
posts; search engine marketing; radio and television public service 
announcements; mailers; and national conference calls on serving the 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
public during the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Additionally, SSA has established the Interventional Cooperative 
Agreement Program (ICAP) to provide a process through which we can 
systematically review proposals from outside organizations and enter 
into cooperative agreements with them for data sharing, funding, and 
waivers. ICAP will prioritize research that examines the structural 
barriers in the labor market, including for racial, ethnic, or other 
underserved communities. We envision ICAP will help us leverage local, 
external knowledge about potential interventions relevant to SSA 
beneficiaries, especially those in underserved communities, so that we 
can better serve our recipients.

    Question. My office has heard that Nevada is working closely with 
the Administration and is expected to start participating in the online 
replacement card application. If this issue is addressed how will SSA 
work with beneficiaries that were unable to submit their identification 
to waive any potential delays or penalties?

    Answer. We look forward to providing Nevadans with replacement 
cards via our online iSSNRC process.

    Question. If greater changes are to be implemented after the public 
health emergency to streamline the process and delivery of services in 
the administration, how do you plan to work with states to reduce the 
potential for any delay in the use of a new process?

    Answer. Working well with our State partners is integral to the 
success of many service delivery enhancements we deploy. Providing 
time, support, and clear communication has proven a useful model for 
successful deployment of improvements in our processes and equipment.

    Question. Does the Administration have a timeline as to when 
District offices will reopen to the public once again?

    Answer. We want to emphasize that throughout the pandemic, we have 
been and remain open for business. Most SSA services are available 
online and by telephone. We also provide in-person appointments for 
limited, critical situations such as individuals without shelter who 
have the need to apply for or reinstate benefits, or individuals who 
need to update SSN information to obtain income, resources, or medical 
care. Social Security continues to operate under our Workplace Safety 
Plan (WSP),\9\ consistent with the President's executive order \10\ and 
government-wide guidance.\11\ This WSP is currently being updated in 
accordance with more recent government-wide instructions.\12\ We are in 
the process of increasing on-site staffing, which should result in 
service improvement. We are also engaged in post-implementation 
bargaining of the WSP.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \9\ https://www.ssa.gov/coronavirus/assets/materials/ssa-covid-19-
workplace-safety-plan.pdf.
    \10\ https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/
2021/01/20/executive-order-protecting-the-federal-workforce-and-
requiring-mask-wearing/.
    \11\ https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/M-21-
15.pdf.
    \12\ https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/M-21-
25.pdf.

    Question. Is it the intention of Social Security Administration to 
resume in-person appeals hearings or offer both virtual and in person 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
at the beneficiaries' preference?

    Answer. We do intend to resume in-person hearings, focusing first 
on critical and aged cases for individuals who have declined telephone 
or online video hearings during the COVID-19 pandemic. We plan to 
continue offering telephone and online video hearings as voluntary 
hearing options.

    Question. With a lot of conversation around digitizing the process, 
do you believe SSA will move to accepting e-signatures for the 
appointment of personal representatives? Why has the agency expended 
the resources to litigate this issue rather than move the agency to an 
electronic format?

    Answer. We currently accept electronic signatures for the 
appointment of personal representatives. On March 8, 2021, we released 
an electronic version of the Claimant's Appointment of Representative 
form (e1696), which allows users to complete the form to appoint a 
representative electronically, including electronic signing, via Adobe 
Sign technology. The e1696 is the third release in a series, and is 
located on our website, on the representative webpage at www.ssa.gov/
representation.

    To complete the e1696, representatives can begin an electronic 
password-protected submission of the form, and they and their clients 
(claimants) can complete, sign, and submit the form to the agency 
entirely electronically.

    Question. What specific actions will SSA take to address the 
serious backlog of cases and the drop in awards for people that are 
disabled? How long does SSA anticipate this work will take?

    Answer. Disruptions due to the pandemic caused a backlog of initial 
disability cases. Between September 2019 and April 2021, the backlog 
grew by approximately 115,000 cases. While applications for benefits 
were lower than we projected prior to the pandemic, our pending level 
of cases rose significantly because we were not able to complete as 
many cases. It was difficult to complete disability cases due to a 
reduced number of medical providers to conduct Consultative Exams, an 
inability to reach individuals by phone, and a lag in receiving mailed 
documents. These factors, along with the operating adjustments made to 
safely serve the public, reduced our ability to complete our workloads 
and contributed to increased backlogs and wait times.

    We must work down this backlog while also handling an increase in 
disability applications that we project to see in the second half of FY 
2021 and in FY 2022. We received nearly 190,000 fewer applications in 
FY 2020 than we expected. We expect many of these individuals to apply 
for benefits as we emerge from the pandemic. During the pandemic, some 
people may have been isolated from the community groups who would 
normally assist them and provide them with information about our 
programs. We are conducting outreach to reach these communities.

    In FY 2021, we are replacing DDS staff losses and providing an 
additional 1,300 hires to position the DDSs to address the disability 
claims backlog and a potential spike in claims.

    With the President's FY 2022 budget, we plan to maintain these new 
hires in FY 2022 and fund increased overtime for a total FY 2022 
increase of nearly 1,400 work years, or 10 percent, allowing us to 
significantly increase our capacity to process disability claims. 
Compared to FY 2020, we plan to complete nearly 300,000 more claims in 
FY 2021 and over 700,000 more claims in FY 2022.

    In FY 2016, we began implementing our Compassionate and Responsive 
Service plan to reduce the backlog of hearings. With Congress's support 
and the hard work of our employees, we have dramatically improved 
service. From September 2017 through April 2021, we have reduced the 
average monthly wait time for a hearing by 310 days. We expect to 
eliminate the hearings backlog and reduce the average annual wait time 
to 270 days by the end of FY 2022.

    Question. What can Congress do to support SSA in addressing the 
issues around service delivery that have been amplified by the 
pandemic?

    Answer. Congress can continue to assist us through your support of 
the President's budget. Over the past year, technology has proven vital 
and reminded us again that we must continue to press forward on IT 
modernization even after the pandemic. The FY 2022 SSA discretionary 
request of $14.2 billion, which is a $1.3 billion increase over FY 2021 
enacted, will strengthen our service to the public.

                                 ______
                                 
                 Questions Submitted by Hon. Mike Crapo
    Question. Some constituents have expressed concerns about providing 
original documents, such as a driver's license, to SSA in order to gain 
certain beneficiary services. For example, understandably, people are 
apprehensive about sending a driver's license through the mail. I 
understand, however, that SSA has responded to concerns in a number of 
ways, including installation of more drop boxes. I wonder if you could 
discuss how SSA is handling original or sensitive document processing.

    Answer. Please see our COVID-19 Pandemic SSN Service Delivery 
Improvement Plan, which outlines the steps we are taking now to reduce 
or eliminate the need to mail important documents.

    Question. Please briefly discuss telephone responsiveness at SSA 
prior to the pandemic, during the pandemic, and where you think SSA 
will be working to improve responsiveness.

    Answer. Before the pandemic, we were improving telephone service on 
SSA's national 800 number network. The average length of time it took a 
caller to reach an agent was almost 24 minutes in fiscal year 2018 and 
just over 20 minutes in fiscal year 2019. By February of 2020, the 
average wait time had improved to 15 minutes. In addition, the 
percentage of calls that could not reach an agent went from nearly 15 
percent in fiscal year 2018 to 14 percent in fiscal year 2019 to 11 
percent in February of 2020.

    During the initial stage of the pandemic, the agency worked quickly 
to enable 800 number agents to work remotely. Although the months of 
March and April were challenging, by the end of 2020, the average time 
it took callers to reach an agent was just over 16 minutes and the 
percentage of calls unable to reach an agent due to all agents being 
busy was 7.4 percent.

    The average wait time through April 2021 is 16.9 minutes and the 
agent busy rate is down to 0.3 percent. Moving forward post-pandemic, 
we will focus on process efficiencies and more self-service 
opportunities to reduce the wait time and keep the percentage of 
unanswered calls low.

    Question. Under the leadership of Commissioner Saul and Deputy 
Commissioner Black, SSA has been remarkably transparent with Congress 
about its responses to challenges generally, and those presented by the 
pandemic in particular. SSA has provided briefings from senior 
officials to staff of the Senate Finance Committee and House Ways and 
Means Social Security Subcommittee on at least a weekly basis, and on a 
daily basis during the onset of the pandemic. Between mid-March and the 
date of our hearing, SSA officials have spent an estimated 2,600 hours 
of SSA staff time to preparing for and executing 160 conference calls 
with congressional staff of the Finance Committee and Ways and Mean 
Social Security subcommittee, lasting roughly 105 hours in total. SSA 
has also engaged in unprecedented outreach to community, faith-based, 
and advocacy organizations with attention paid to service deliver for 
``at risk'' populations. Please provide data and information on SSA's 
outreach efforts to those populations during the pandemic.

    Answer. We have prioritized ongoing communications with all our 
external stakeholders during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a focus on at-
risk populations and those assisting them.

    As we have discussed with you, during the pandemic we experienced a 
reduction in applications for benefits, particularly Supplemental 
Security Income (SSI) and Disability benefits, and we are concerned 
that there may be a significant number of Americans facing barriers who 
needed our help but were unable to reach us. Since the start of the 
pandemic, we conducted more than 46,000 outreach activities.

    In response, we are conducting community outreach to ensure that 
people facing barriers and the most under-resourced communities, 
including homeless individuals, children with disabilities, and those 
with mental and intellectual disabilities can access our programs. We 
are implementing strategies to address the complex challenges facing 
underserved communities. We are working with the White House Office of 
Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, claimant advocates, and 
other organizations to ensure our services are accessible to those most 
in need. We created a liaison position in our field offices to 
complement the work of other regional employees in reaching out to 
community based groups, asking them to help their constituents apply 
for benefits. In March 2021, we enhanced our outreach to focus on 
partnerships with groups that could help us reach at-risk populations. 
Many of these organizations agreed to assist us by referring applicants 
for SSI benefits and completing applications.

    We created new public information products and implemented 
additional outreach activities. For example, we launched our COVID-19 
website with answers to common service questions; created a new 
Information for People Helping Others website to assist anyone helping 
another person access our services and benefits; published new outreach 
toolkits for partners, including faith and community leaders; expanded 
communication through print and social media, mailers, radio and 
television advertising; established advocate-executive workgroups to 
receive continuous feedback on short- and long-term service challenges; 
and continued other agency communications to the public on service 
flexibilities during the COVID-19 pandemic, including press releases, 
article placements online and in print, email blasts, social media and 
blog posts, search engine marketing, radio and television public 
service announcements, mailers, and national conference calls on 
serving the public during the COVID-19 pandemic.

    We will continue to prioritize external engagement with all our 
external stakeholders to ensure continuous service to the public, with 
a particular focus on at-risk populations and the people serving them.

    Please refer to the 2022 Congressional Justifications for 
additional details regarding FY 2021 outreach efforts and planned 
actions for FY 2022.

    Question. It was asserted in the hearing that SSA's operating 
budget is 12 percent smaller than it was a decade ago. Similar 
assertions about double-digit declines in SSA's budget have been put 
forward repeatedly in the past by groups outside of SSA, and are 
typically subject to numerous qualifiers, such as: some notion of a 
``core operating budget;'' crude ``inflation adjustments,'' and the 
like. SSA identifies in its FY 2021 Congressional Justification that 
its ``main administrative budget'' is the Limitation on Administrative 
Expense (LAE) account. Please provide a time series of enacted LAE 
amounts over the period 2000 through the most recently available 
enacted data.

    Answer. Below is a table with our Limitation on Administrative 
Expenses history from 2000-2021.


------------------------------------------------------------------------
                Limitation on Administrative        Program Integrity
    Year         Expenses Appropriations \1\       Funding  (dollars in
                    (dollars in millions)           millions) \2\, \3\
------------------------------------------------------------------------
2000                                  $6,572.00                     $605
------------------------------------------------------------------------
2001                                  $7,124.00                     $650
------------------------------------------------------------------------
2002                                  $7,562.10                     $633
------------------------------------------------------------------------
2003                                  $7,885.10                        -
------------------------------------------------------------------------
2004                                  $8,313.20                        -
------------------------------------------------------------------------
2005                                  $8,732.50                        -
------------------------------------------------------------------------
2006                                  $9,108.60                        -
------------------------------------------------------------------------
2007                                  $9,297.60                        -
------------------------------------------------------------------------
2008                                  $9,744.60                        -
------------------------------------------------------------------------
2009                                 $10,453.50                     $504
------------------------------------------------------------------------
2010                                 $11,446.50                     $758
------------------------------------------------------------------------
2011                                 $11,423.60                     $756
------------------------------------------------------------------------
2012                                 $11,446.20                     $756
------------------------------------------------------------------------
2013                                 $11,045.60                     $743
------------------------------------------------------------------------
2014                                 $11,697.00                   $1,197
------------------------------------------------------------------------
2015                                 $11,806.00                   $1,396
------------------------------------------------------------------------
2016                                 $12,161.90                   $1,426
------------------------------------------------------------------------
2017                                 $12,481.90                   $1,819
------------------------------------------------------------------------
2018                                 $12,872.90                   $1,735
------------------------------------------------------------------------
2019                                 $12,876.90                   $1,683
------------------------------------------------------------------------
2020                                 $12,870.90                   $1,582
------------------------------------------------------------------------
2021                                 $12,930.90                   $1,575
------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Total LAE includes funding for program integrity and user fees.
\2\ Program integrity is a subset of total LAE.
\3\ Congress did not authorize or appropriate dedicated funding for
  program integrity workloads from FY 2003-2008.

    Question. There were assertions made in late March that nearly 30 
million Social Security and Supplemental Security Income beneficiaries 
were awaiting economic impact payments because SSA had not sent payment 
files to the IRS. Indications from SSA's Office of Inspector General 
are that such an assertion, at best, ignores constraints, protocols, 
legal and funding restrictions, and that attributing delays to SSA or 
any of its officials is inaccurate. Please identify whether SSA 
followed all requirements--legal, budgetary, and otherwise--in sharing 
data to facilitate economic impact payments with IRS and/or the 
Treasury Department generally, and whether any unnecessary delays were 
introduced.

    Answer. We followed all requirements--legal, budgetary, and 
otherwise--to assist the IRS in its issuance of the third round of 
Economic Impact Payments (EIP 3). The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, 
enacted March 11, 2021, authorized EIP 3, but did not provide direct 
funding to SSA. We worked quickly with IRS to sign a Memorandum of 
Understanding and Reimbursable Agreement (RA) by March 17, 2021, and 
released the necessary files to support IRS on March 24 and 25.

    The SSA Press Release,\13\ Statement from Andrew Saul, Commissioner 
of Social Security About Economic Impact Payments, dated March 25, 2021 
describes our work to assist IRS.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \13\ https://www.ssa.gov/news/press/releases/2021/#3-2021-4.

    Question. It currently appears that the overwhelming majority of 
SSA staff in the office presently are volunteers. Please identify how 
SSA is able to find an adequate number of volunteers, and how the 
agency has communicated with and safely brought in the very small 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
number of non-volunteers that have been needed.

    Answer. We have had volunteers coming into our field offices since 
the beginning of the pandemic. This small number of employees has 
continued to be the backbone of our service, working on site to upload 
paper documents so that their co-workers can work safely from home. In 
July 2020, the agency instituted several health and safety policies in 
compliance with CDC guidance. These policies included, but are not 
limited to, mandatory face coverings, temporary barriers, physical 
distancing restrictions, screening protocols for both employees and the 
public, and cleaning protocols. We have shared and enforced these 
policies down to the employee level, and remind on-site staff of safety 
protocols. When we identify a workload need, local on-site managers 
discuss with local union officials and solicit volunteers.

    In the minority of instances where there are not sufficient 
volunteers, we direct employees without underlying conditions or 
dependent care responsibilities to rotate in office responsibilities. 
This rotation could be 1-5 days per week, depending on the workload 
need.

    Question. Testimony for the hearing has addressed the importance of 
fully funding SSA's program integrity activities. For FY 2022, the 
President has requested $1.9 billion for these activities, marking a 
$283 million increase over the FY 2021 enacted level. Please elaborate 
on how program integrity activities ensure beneficiaries are well-
served and while safeguarding taxpayer resources.

    Answer. We take seriously our responsibilities to ensure eligible 
individuals receive the benefits to which they are entitled, and to 
safeguard the integrity of benefit programs to better serve recipients. 
We have a number of strategies in place to serve the public while also 
protecting the public's tax dollars. Program integrity funding helps 
ensure eligible individuals receive the benefits to which they are 
entitled, and it safeguards the integrity of benefit programs to better 
serve recipients by confirming eligibility and preventing fraud. 
Dedicated program integrity funding helped us to eliminate the backlog 
of CDRs in FY 2018. In addition, program integrity funding allows us to 
conduct SSI redeterminations, expand the anti-fraud CDI program, and 
support special attorneys for fraud prosecutions.

    Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we completed fewer full medical CDRs 
and SSI redeterminations in FY 2020 than we have in recent years 
because we temporarily deferred certain workloads during a critical 
time in the pandemic, such as medical CDRs, so that we could prioritize 
service to the public and maintain beneficiaries' payments and 
healthcare. In addition, we initially implemented a moratorium on 
scheduling in-person CEs to protect the safety of claimants and reduce 
the burden on the medical community. We are working to restore our 
program integrity workloads to our pre-pandemic levels and anticipate 
eliminating the CDR backlog in 2023.

    The budget includes $1.7 billion in dedicated funding for PI 
activities, including a $1.4-billion allocation adjustment. This is a 
$150-million decrease from the discretionary request for PI released on 
April 9, 2021, and a $133-million increase over FY 2021. Our LAE 
topline remains unchanged, and using PI carryover allows us to devote 
more resources to improve frontline services while maintaining our 
commitment to completing PI work. We are using $150 million of 
unanticipated carryover from FY 2021 resulting from COVID-related 
impacts to support the same level of PI activities in the discretionary 
request.

    The proposed funding is essential in providing the resources needed 
to carry out associated activities that provide effective stewardship 
of program dollars. Access to approximately $20 billion in 
discretionary funding over 10 years, including approximately $17 
billion in allocation adjustments, would produce $73 billion in gross 
Federal savings ($54 billion from allocation adjustments), with net 
deficit savings of approximately $37 billion in the 10-year window and 
additional savings in the outyears (the budget excludes funding for the 
now withdrawn proposed rule regarding increasing the number and 
frequency of CDRs).

    Full funding of CDRs and redeterminations will save billions of 
taxpayer dollars. We estimate that CDRs conducted in FY 2022 will yield 
net Federal program savings over the next 10 years of roughly $9 on 
average per $1 budgeted for dedicated program integrity funding, 
including OASDI, SSI, Medicare, and Medicaid effects. Our estimates 
indicate that non-medical redeterminations conducted in FY 2020 will 
yield a return on investment of about $3 on average of net Federal 
program savings over 10 years per $1 budgeted for dedicated program 
integrity funding, including SSI and Medicaid program effects.

                                 ______
                                 
               Questions Submitted by Hon. Chuck Grassley
    Question. Scam artists often use an emergency that disrupts normal 
practices and procedures to their advantage. I've received a number of 
reports from my constituents that they have received fraudulent phone 
calls and letters claiming their benefits were in danger due to the 
closure of Social Security offices. Could you speak to what types of 
scams you have seen using the pandemic and recent changes in procedures 
to prey on vulnerable seniors? Also, please, address what SSA is doing 
to alert seniors of potential scams and how to avoid being defrauded.

    Answer. We take reports of Social Security-related and government 
imposter scams seriously, and we have continued to work closely with 
our Office of Inspector General (OIG) to educate the public about the 
potential scams during the pandemic.

    On March 20, 2020, during the pandemic's initial stage, the OIG 
issued a fraud advisory \14\ warning to alert the public that SSA will 
not suspend or discontinue Social Security payments, or offer a benefit 
increase, as a result of us suspending in-person service during the 
pandemic. The advisory urged the public to be cautious of any 
unsolicited calls, letters, emails, or texts offering a benefit 
increase. To help spread the word, we posted the advisory to our 
website and blog. We also worked with OIG to update its online scam 
reporting form in May 2020. This update enabled OIG to begin monitoring 
COVID-19 related scams. For the first half of this FY, OIG reports that 
these scams represent only about 1 percent of the allegations they 
receive.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \14\ https://oig.ssa.gov/newsroom/news-releases/march20-advisory.

    We also keep our COVID-19 web page up-to-date with the latest scam 
information, help publicize additional OIG fraud advisories, and 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
continue to increase our outreach efforts. A few examples include:

        Publishing information on our COVID-19 web page \15\ alerting 
the public to fraud and scam schemes and how to report them.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \15\ https://www.ssa.gov/coronavirus/.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
        Blogging frequently about scam awareness, new scam trends, and 
OIG fraud advisories.
        Adding ``scam alert'' messages to routine correspondence with 
the public--to date that is over 274 million mailed envelopes.
        The United States Postal Service displaying scam awareness 
posters in over 30,000 Post Offices.
        Collaborating with OIG to hold our second annual ``Slam the 
Scam'' Day, which included a series of social media events and 
partnerships with Walmart and CVS to help spread the word.

    We appreciate the interest in this topic. Scammers create fear and 
wreak havoc on their victims. They also potentially damage trust in 
government programs. We would appreciate help in educating the public 
and below are links to two fact sheets to share with your constituents:

    Slam The Scam--Beware of Phone Scams (https://oig.ssa.gov/sites/
default/files/Beware%20of%20Phone%20Scams%20Infographic_0.pdf)

    Protecting Personal Information (https://oig.ssa.gov/sites/default/
files/Protecting%20Personal%20Information_2.pdf)

    Question. As life starts to return to normal, how are you going 
about serving more people in your field offices? What is the strategy 
for a full return to in-person services?

    Answer. We want to emphasize that throughout the pandemic, we have 
been and remain open for business. Most SSA services are available 
online and by telephone. We also provide in-person appointments for 
limited, critical situations such as individuals without shelter who 
have the need to apply for or reinstate benefits, or individuals who 
need to update SSN information to obtain income, resources, or medical 
care. Social Security continues to operate under our Workplace Safety 
Plan (WSP),\16\ consistent with the President's executive order \17\ 
and government-wide guidance.\18\ This WSP is currently being updated 
in accordance with more recent government-wide instructions.\19\ We are 
in the process of increasing on-site staffing, which should result in 
service improvement. We are also engaged in post-implementation 
bargaining of the WSP.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \16\ https://www.ssa.gov/coronavirus/assets/materials/ssa-covid-19-
workplace-safety-plan.pdf.
    \17\ https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/
2021/01/20/executive-order-protecting-the-federal-workforce-and-
requiring-mask-wearing/.
    \18\ https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/M-21-
15.pdf.
    \19\ https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/M-21-
25.pdf.

    Question. During my time in the Senate, I have worked to combat 
fraud in our Federal benefit programs, including Social Security. 
Agencies play a crucial role in reducing the risk of fraud within their 
own programs. In Fiscal Year 2019, the Social Security Administration 
developed the disability fraud risk profile and completed two 
additional fraud risk assessments focused on key electronic services 
and administrative areas, such as payroll, contracts, and travel 
purchase cards. You also finalized your Enterprise Fraud Risk 
Management strategy. What were the key takeaways from these 
assessments? What policies have you implemented or plan to implement as 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
a result of these assessments?

    Answer. Our Enterprise Fraud Risk Management (EFRM) Program has 
provided us with valuable insights into our major fraud risk areas and 
created a thorough and strategic process to evaluate and address our 
fraud risks. Some of our key takeaways from these assessments include:

    1.  We have already put many controls in place to prevent and 
detect fraud, making the residual risk for the vast majority of our 
risks either low or very low.
    2.  Developing a comprehensive and enterprise wide fraud risk 
assessment process has helped enhance awareness and knowledge of fraud 
risk management strategies across SSA, resulting in more proactive 
consideration of fraud risks when program changes are considered.
    3.  Effective fraud risk assessments and management requires 
collaboration and buy-in from all parts of the agency, and our EFRM 
Program has done an excellent job in ensuring all key stakeholders 
(Operations, Policy, Systems, etc.) are at the table in the development 
of fraud risk assessments and in the planning of new mitigation 
strategies to further reduce our fraud risks.

    After we complete a fraud risk assessment, our senior leadership 
reviews each risk identified and determines whether the current 
controls reduce the residual risk to an acceptable level, or whether 
certain risks need additional mitigation strategies. In response to our 
Disability Fraud Risk Assessment, we identified 18 new mitigation 
strategies to help further reduce specific risks, to include training, 
expansion of our Cooperative Disability Investigation Units, and 
enhancements to our OIG referral process. We have implemented 8 of 
those 18 mitigations thus far and the remaining mitigations are on 
track to be implemented by the established implementation dates.

    We are also in the process of implementing mitigations to our 
eServices Fraud Risk Assessment and are developing a mitigation plan in 
response to our Representative Payee Fraud Risk Assessment. Our 
mitigation strategies are both preventive and detective in nature, and 
encompass a wide range of strategies to include strengthening our 
digital identity procedures for online services, training for front 
line staff, and conducting studies to determine the extent of potential 
fraud in certain areas.

    Question. A common concern I've heard from Iowans during the 
pandemic is the requirement to mail in certain original documents, 
including driver's licenses and certificates of citizenship, to apply 
for benefits. One of my constituents has reported that when SSA mailed 
her documents back, her daughter's certificate of citizenship was 
missing. My staff is currently working with SSA to try and locate the 
document for the constituent. Could you discuss how SSA is handling 
original or sensitive document processing?

    Answer. We take our duty to protect personally identifiable 
information seriously and do our best to carefully handle evidence we 
receive. Unfortunately, we know that errors happen, and we are working 
to reduce and even eliminate the need to mail important documents. For 
more information about our plans, please see our COVID-19 SSN Service 
Delivery Improvement Plan.

    When we become aware of missing or lost documents, we provide 
reimbursement for the cost of the document and offer credit monitoring.

                                 ______
                                 
                 Question Submitted by Hon. Rob Portman
    Question. During my questioning, I discussed how critical it is to 
ensure that the Social Security trust funds remain solvent. Can you 
discuss the human costs that would occur if we run into a situation 
where we reached insolvency and the Social Security Administration were 
forced to trim benefits?

    Answer. The administration is committed to protecting and 
strengthening Social Security. We understand how vital SSA's programs 
and services are to the public. For more than 80 years, SSA has 
provided income protection for retirees, individuals with disabilities, 
or for families that lose a wage-earner. Almost 90 percent of seniors 
over the age of 65 receive Social Security benefits. Our programs are 
also a critical gateway to healthcare, including Medicare and Medicaid.

    Under current law, the 2020 Social Security Trustees report 
predicts that the combined trust funds will deplete their reserves in 
2035, after which time Social Security will only be able pay 
approximately 79 percent of scheduled benefits. While this does not 
present near-term risks to either beneficiaries or the Nation's 
finances, the President is committed to working with Congress to 
address this important long-term challenge and ensure that this country 
will always meet its commitments to seniors and people with 
disabilities.

                                 ______
                                 
                 Questions Submitted by Hon. Todd Young
    Question. Over the course of the pandemic, men and women of the 
Social Security Administration (SSA) have worked tirelessly to serve 
Hoosiers. Over the past year, my office has worked to secure over a 
million dollars in benefits owed to Hoosiers. This was made possible in 
no small part thanks to the tireless efforts of SSA employees.

    Amid great uncertainty, the SSA rapidly adapted to a new mode of 
work, going from an in-person service model to one almost entirely 
telework-based within a matter of weeks. Of course, challenges still 
persist, and I would like to explore further your thoughts on the past 
year and the SSA's ability to adapt and meet future challenges.

    Can you please briefly share one or two of the SSA's greatest 
successes over the past year?
                     transitioning to work at home
    Answer. In March 2020, to keep the public and our employees safe 
and continue key services, we made the unprecedented decision to direct 
employees to work from home and limit in-person services. This decision 
presented a significant change--to quickly shift nearly all of 
Operations 44,000 employees to a remote work environment. Before the 
pandemic less than 25 percent of our front-line employees had 
experience teleworking. We adapted procedures, provided training, 
deployed hardware and software that enabled a rapid shift to remote 
work. Within a few weeks, by early April 2020, we successfully 
redeployed over 90 percent of our Operations' employees to remote work 
and currently serve more than 90,000 in-office visitors each month. In 
a normal year we answer around 20 million phone calls in our field 
offices. A key shift was to channel the public online and to our 
phones, including having the same employees who would have seen the 
public in person in the office handle that work by phone. In FY 2020, 
we answered 33 million phone calls in our field offices and we are on 
track to answer 60 million phone calls in FY 2021. We also relied on 
mail to accomplish some work, which increased our mail volume ten-fold 
to 1.5 million items received each week. Finally, in April 2020, our 
customers successfully completed 18.5 million online transactions with 
us. One year later, in April 2021, our customers successfully completed 
31.5 million online transactions, which is approximately 13 million 
more than 2020.
                 reconstituting the national 800 number
    We worked as a team to overcome challenges on our national 800 
number. Our 800 number platform requires specialized equipment to 
enable agents to work remotely. We had approximately 1,300 of these 
remote answering kits for the 4,500 agents who serve the public in our 
Teleservice Centers (TSCs), so we engineered a solution that allowed 
800 number calls to transfer to softphone technology installed on the 
laptops of another 2,000 agents within 10 days and the remaining 1,200 
agents within 30 days. As a result, we were quickly able to reestablish 
our 800 number service and provide millions of callers who need our 
services critical access to our telephone agents.

    Question. What are the SSA's most significant ongoing challenges, 
and what is the SSA doing to address them?

    Answer. Our most significant and ongoing challenges are handling 
non-portable workloads and in-person appointments with a small number 
of staff on site ranging from 7 to 9.5 percent of our overall field 
office staff, which we are currently increasing to the maximum allowed 
per our WSP. This cadre of on-site staff handles an ever-increasing 
demand and must use systems not designed for that purpose to make non-
portable work like mail actionable for remote workers.

    Workarounds including telephone appointments and mailed evidence in 
lieu of in-person options have resulted in an influx of incoming mail 
and phone calls. Before the pandemic, field offices scanned and 
uploaded about 150,000 paper documents weekly for processing. Offices 
are currently scanning and uploading 1.5 million paper documents 
weekly.

    Some of how we have operated during the pandemic is intended as 
temporary workarounds to allow us to better serve our recipients. 
However, these challenges are also opportunities to rethink the status 
quo. We are breaking our processes down to better understand the 
customer experience. For example, we realize that many office visits 
happen because we need something (evidence) from someone but we do not 
need to interview the person. Thus, we are considering how we can 
safely and efficiently get the evidence we need without requiring a 
person to come to or wait in an office. We have been expanding the use 
of the appointment only process we have used during the pandemic, which 
allows us to predict who is coming in for what reason and to staff 
accordingly and to quickly serve the customer. We can also reduce the 
time a customer must spend in our office for a SSN card by asking the 
person to complete the application in advance of the appointment, 
reducing time spent in the office. While we initially took this step to 
limit close contact during the pandemic, it is an efficiency for us and 
better service for the public.

    Other steps we have taken include: in April 2020, as unemployment 
nationwide spiked to unprecedented levels, we quickly implemented an 
online process for handling Medicare Part B Supplemental Medical 
Coverage (Form CMS-40B) applications for seniors suddenly unemployed 
without employer-sponsored health-care coverage. To date, more than 
300,000 seniors at risk of losing their employer-sponsored health care 
have used our online and fax applications to apply for Medicare Part B 
Supplemental Medical Insurance coverage.

    We launched a video solution for hearings conducted in our Office 
of Hearings Operations, and for use by State Protection and Advocacy 
grantees conducting payee- monitoring reviews. In November 2020, we 
tested the use of video to 100 of our high-volume SSN card sites to 
process simple replacement cards for U.S. citizens using the same data 
exchange we use to verify identity evidence for the online replacement 
SSN card. We are interested in exploring how video might be a part of 
our service delivery in the future.

    We have also continued to work with the States to expand the 
availability of our online SSN replacement card application during the 
pandemic. This service, which is located behind our secure my Social 
Security portal, allows adult U.S. citizens to apply for a no-change 
replacement card using a data exchange with the American Association of 
Motor Vehicle Administrators that electronically verifies the 
individual's State ID or driver's license in real-time.

    In our disability program, the greatest ongoing challenge involves 
reducing pending workloads relates to scheduling and conducting 
consultative examinations (CE). Some of the common CE challenges 
reported by the State DDSs include the following: lack of available CE 
providers within the State--nationally, 73.9-percent availability as of 
April 23, 2021; and CE provider safety protocols in place due to COVID 
concerns, and claimant reluctance to attend in-person CEs, and those 
who opt out of telehealth appointments.

    Question. As we all know, this pandemic has presented unique 
hardships for Americans and has had a disproportionate impact on those 
who were medically and economically vulnerable. From the onset, 
Commissioner Andrew Saul and Deputy Commissioner David Black have shown 
great leadership in their outreach to at-risk beneficiaries, 
particularly homeless individuals and those that depend on Supplemental 
Security Income, to ensure they have access to the resources they 
desperately need.

    In your opening testimony you outlined several steps the SSA has 
taken to address this issue. Can you please speak to the impact you 
have seen on these at-risk beneficiaries as a result of those efforts?

    Answer. We have engaged with our partners in the advocate community 
and are working to find new ways to reach people facing barriers. Since 
June 2020, we have been engaging in a vast community-based outreach 
campaign, blanketing communities with our message. That grassroots 
campaign yielded thousands of organizations committing to broadcast our 
message that our offices are reachable by phone to help people. This 
campaign has reached millions of people across the Nation.

    We have also enhanced our online resources dedicated to people 
helping others to assist with inquiries like filing for benefits, 
resolving an overpayment, or appealing a decision. In March, we 
circulated a new toolkit we created for faith-based organizations, and 
recently hosted a national session with more than 2,000 registered 
attendees interested in learning more about how they can partner with 
SSA to share information about our programs, assist in taking SSI 
claims, or actively refer individuals potentially eligible for SSI to 
our field offices.

    We are also conducting mailed outreach to individuals who may be 
eligible for SSI. Between December 2020 and March 2021, we released 
approximately 200,000 notices to beneficiaries potentially eligible for 
SSI benefits, encouraging them to contact us to apply. This effort, 
which is the first of many, focused on elderly and limited English 
proficiency populations. We are planning on continuing mailed outreach 
later this summer and in FY 2022. For more information about this 
effort, please see the report provided to the committee on May 7th.

    More recently, we began a new initiative seeking the help of 
organizations to assist people in their community access SSI benefits. 
We continue to work with our partners to ensure we find and serve those 
facing barriers during this challenging time.

    Please refer to the 2022 Congressional Justifications for 
additional details regarding FY 2021 outreach efforts and planned 
actions for FY 2022.

    Question. What metrics does the SSA use to track success in its 
outreach efforts and, ultimately, service delivery?

    Answer. We rely on feedback through a variety of sources to help us 
gauge our success in outreach and service delivery. Our longstanding 
relationship with advocacy groups continues to inform opportunities to 
improve our services through valuable feedback. We also use other 
mechanisms to solicit feedback from the public. For example, we use the 
Foresee survey to inform level of satisfaction of our online services 
and occasionally hire private contractors to conduct surveys directly 
with the public for their opinions on our service.

    Additionally, we strengthened our outreach communication to raise 
awareness of our programs and how to access them. Since the beginning 
of the pandemic, we have reached out to thousands of organizations to 
help reach underserved individuals. We continue to monitor application 
trends to help measure the success of our outreach efforts.

    Question. How has the delivery of services to at-risk populations 
shifted amid the pandemic protocols?

    Answer. As discussed, reaching at-risk populations has been one of 
the greatest challenges we currently face.

    We are serving the majority of customers today by telephone, 
online, and via mail. We continue to limit our in-person services to 
certain critical situations by appointment only. The appointment-only 
model is the best way to balance the safety of our staff and your 
constituents with our mission of public service.

    For individuals able to access the Internet, online services will 
often be the easiest way to conduct business with us during this time. 
Those people who cannot use our online services should call their local 
office or use our national 800 number for assistance. For needs that we 
cannot handle by phone, the local office can determine whether an in-
person appointment is needed or another option may be available.

    Our office locator is available at https://secure.ssa.gov/ICON/
main.jsp. Constituents who are unable to use our online office locator 
may call our national 800 number at 1-800-772-1213 and use the 
automated prompts to obtain the phone number for their local office.

    Question. What unique challenges have been presented when trying to 
access vulnerable populations in urban areas as opposed to rural?

    Answer. Based on our outreach efforts, it is clear that 
homelessness and transiency pose significant barriers to being able to 
reach and maintain contact with people. We also identified challenges 
through some of the demonstration programs, such as travel time, lack 
of local resources, and lack of high-speed Internet access.

    Another of the greatest challenges we face accessing people with 
barriers--whether in rural or urban areas--is identifying third-party 
partners who can assist. Some organizations report they are interested 
in working with us but have resource constraints, including staffing 
and technology limitations. Other organizations interested in working 
with us report their facilities are closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic 
and they do not currently have access or contacts with those who are in 
the greatest need. We appreciate how helpful our third-party partners 
have been and understand how crucial they are to helping individuals.

    Question. While the adaptations made to accommodate remote work in 
the SSA have been impressive, we have all come to understand over the 
last year the limitations of remote work. For example, I have heard 
from a number of constituents who have been told by the SSA to send 
original documents such as birth certificates or passports by mail. 
While I understand that SSA policy has recently shifted to allow 
secondary documentation to be used in place of a driver's license, 
there is still concern about parting with these items for an indefinite 
period of time.

    Answer. To keep our visitors and employees safe during the 
pandemic, we implemented temporary workarounds for some workloads. For 
example, we agree that people need their important documents. As you 
note, in February 2021, we instituted a temporary policy flexibility to 
accept alternative forms of evidence of identity for replacement cards; 
however, while this flexibility provides some relief, we are also 
increasing service options to address SSN card requests, including 
additional in-person express appointments. For more information about 
our plans, please see our COVID-19 SSN Service Delivery Improvement 
Plan, which balances safely improving service during the pandemic with 
our obligation to protect the integrity of the SSN issuance 
process.Through our plan, we will reduce or eliminate the need to mail 
important documents.

    Question. Is there an SSA policy in place regarding the maximum 
amount of time these documents can be held?

    Answer. No, although we strive to review and return documents as 
quickly as possible. We are adding additional staffing to our offices 
consistent with our Workplace Safety Plan to be able to expedite 
handling mail. At the same time, we are expanding express appointments, 
which do not rely on mailed evidence.

    Question. How quickly are these documents being processed and 
returned to the owner?

    Answer. We have a goal of processing all mail within a 2-week 
period. However, the amount of time to return documents varies based on 
mail time and limited on-site staffing and may range from 4-8 weeks, 
which we agree is too long. We are increasing staffing in our offices 
consistent with the Workplace Safety Plan to respond timelier to mail 
and reduce reliance on mail by expanding express appointments.

    Question. Given the concern of documents getting lost or damaged in 
the mail, does the SSA provide tracking information to the recipients 
when returning the documents?

    Answer. We generally return documents via USPS certified mail or 
UPS. We receive tracking information that reduces the likelihood of 
lost documents, but unfortunately, occasionally some documents are 
lost. When we become aware of missing or lost documents, we provide 
reimbursement for the cost of the document and offer credit monitoring.

    Question. In addition to the concern about not having access to 
these original documents, there is also a risk that documents could be 
lost or damaged during the mailing process. I understand that field 
offices have begun to set up secure drop boxes for members of the 
public to safely submit this documentation.

    Could you please share some information about the implementation of 
these drop boxes, including a list of locations where operational drop 
boxes can be found?

    Answer. Our COVID-19 SSN Service Delivery Improvement Plan focuses 
on adding express interview options so that individuals can keep their 
important documents with them at all times. Moving forward, we expect 
to reserve the drop box option for customers dropping off information 
for initial claims, reconsiderations, hearings, and other workloads.

    We tested drop boxes in 100 offices with the highest number of 
critical, in-person appointments. After successful testing, we began 
national implementation of drop boxes in mid-March 2021. We currently 
have 376 offices providing this service and expect to have about 875 
drop boxes in use in the near future.

    We have submitted an attachment which contains the list of 
locations where operational drop boxes can be found.

    Question. How exactly do these secure systems work? Are individuals 
able to submit as well as retrieve their original documents through 
them?

    Answer. Drop boxes are located securely within SSA offices, either 
in a vestibule or reception area and within sight of security guards 
and SSA management. Customers can drop off their documents during 
office hours, and we return them via mail or UPS.

    Question. As the Nation returns to normal and the SSA moves to 
reopen its field offices and operation centers, it is worth examining 
the investments and modifications made by the SSA in response to the 
pandemic.

    As Americans are vaccinated and the immediate threat of the 
pandemic subsides, how is the SSA planning to reopen field offices for 
in-person services?

    Answer. We want to emphasize that throughout the pandemic, we have 
been and remain open for business. Most SSA services are available 
online and by telephone. We also provide in-person appointments for 
limited, critical situations such as individuals without shelter who 
have the need to apply for or reinstate benefits, or individuals who 
need to update SSN information to obtain income, resources, or medical 
care. Social Security continues to operate under our Workplace Safety 
Plan (WSP),\20\ consistent with the President's executive order \21\ 
and government-wide guidance.\22\ This WSP is currently being updated 
in accordance with more recent government-wide instructions.\23\ We are 
in the process of increasing on-site staffing, which should result in 
service improvement. We are also engaged in post-implementation 
bargaining of the WSP.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \20\ https://www.ssa.gov/coronavirus/assets/materials/ssa-covid-19-
workplace-safety-plan.pdf.
    \21\ https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/
2021/01/20/executive-order-protecting-the-federal-workforce-and-
requiring-mask-wearing/.
    \22\ https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/M-21-
15.pdf.
    \23\ https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/M-21-
25.pdf.

    Question. How do you envision the experiences of the past year 
shaping the long-term management at the SSA? Are there any 
modifications resulting from the pandemic that improved the SSA's 
ability to fulfill its mission and should be adopted on a permanent 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
basis?

    Answer. Much of the public has embraced phone, online, and video 
services, which frees resources to focus on people facing barriers and 
those who cannot use alternate service options.

    We also plan to continue the use of drop boxes and express 
interviews for customers.

                                 ______
                                 

            COVID-19 Pandemic Social Security Number (SSN) 
                   Service Delivery Improvement Plan

May 2021

Background

On April 29, 2021, the Senate Committee on Finance held a hearing 
titled, ``Social Security During COVID: How the Pandemic Hampered 
Access to Benefits and Strategies for Improving Service Delivery.'' 
During the hearing, Committee Members discussed concerns that 
constituents who seek replacement Social Security cards need to mail 
their evidence, including driver's licenses or passports. Chairman 
Wyden asked us to submit a plan within two weeks for how we can improve 
service by not requiring people, especially vulnerable populations, who 
apply for Social Security Numbers (SSNs) and replacement cards to mail 
important original documents to us.

Pre-Pandemic SSN Service Delivery

In Fiscal Year (FY) 2019, we processed about 17.5 million SSN requests, 
including assigning about 5.5 million new SSNs (we refer to these as 
``original SSNs'') and issuing about 12 million replacement SSN cards. 
We have a number of decades-long partnerships with Federal and State 
governments to automate the issuance of certain original and 
replacement cards. Because we obtain the information we need directly 
from government entities--the custodians of record for the physical 
evidence we require--these partnerships ensure the security and 
integrity of our SSN issuance processes, and eliminate the need for an 
in-person visit to present original documentary evidence. The 
individual simply asks the government agency to share their information 
with us so that we can issue the number or card.

In 2015, we implemented a new online service, known as the Internet 
Social Security Number Replacement Card (iSSNRC), to allow adult United 
States (U.S.) citizens seeking certain replacement cards to apply 
online through our my Social Security portal. Through iSSRNC, we 
establish the identity of the applicant using information from 
applicants' evidence--a State-issued driver's license (DL) or 
identification (ID) card--and directly verifying the information with 
the State's Department of Motor Vehicles. iSSNRC is available in 45 
States.

In FY 2019, we issued about one-third of SSN cards through these 
automated and online options.\1\ We processed the remaining 11.87 
million in our field offices and card centers. Our COVID-19 Pandemic 
SSN Service Delivery Improvement Plan focuses on SSN cards issued by 
field offices.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \1\ To learn more about these automated and online services, as 
well as our evidentiary requirements, please see the Appendix.


       SSNs Processed in Field Offices and Card Centers in FY 2019
                              (in millions)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
          Grand Total In-Office SSN Actions                  11.87
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Original SSNs
------------------------------------------------------------------------
U.S. Citizens                                                       .16
 
Noncitizens                                                         .95
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total                                                              1.11
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Replacement SSNs
------------------------------------------------------------------------
U.S. Citizens                                                     10.05
------------------------------------------------------------------------
    No Change                                                      5.95
 
    Change                                                         4.11
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Noncitizens                                                          .7
------------------------------------------------------------------------
    No Change                                                       .42
 
    Change                                                          .28
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total                                                             10.76
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Current SSN Service Delivery

To protect those we serve and our employees during the COVID-19 
pandemic, we provide in-person service by appointment only for critical 
services that we cannot handle online or over the phone. Accordingly, 
we prioritized requests for in-person SSN services for individuals:

      Age 12 or older applying for their first SSN card,\2\ or
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \2\ Our longstanding regulations at 20 CFR Sec. 422.107 require in-
person interviews for these individuals.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
      Who need to update or correct their SSN information (such as 
their name, date of birth, or citizenship) to obtain income, resources, 
or medical care or coverage, or other services or benefits (for 
example, filing a tax return, applying for housing, or seeking an 
Economic Impact Payment).

U.S. citizens not eligible for in-person services may request 
replacement cards online through iSSNRC, or mail the SSN card 
application with original evidence.

We recognize people need their important documents, and in February 
2021, we instituted a temporary policy flexibility to accept 
alternative forms of evidence of identity for replacement cards. 
Temporarily, U.S. citizens who mail a replacement card application are 
not required to submit primary evidence of identity (i.e., State-issued 
DL or ID card, or U.S. passport). Instead, applicants may mail 
unexpired and valid secondary evidence (e.g., U.S. military dependent 
identification card, Certificate of Naturalization, etc.), or other 
evidence when secondary evidence is not available.\3\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \3\ https://secure.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0110210420.

While this flexibility provides some relief, we are increasing service 
options to address requests for SSN cards.

Service Delivery Moving Forward During the COVID-19 Pandemic

We will improve SSN service delivery during the pandemic for original 
SSNs and replacement cards by ending the need to mail SSN applications 
and evidence. Specifically, we will:

      Direct eligible individuals to use iSSNRC because it is the 
easiest and fastest option to obtain a replacement SSN card if the 
individual is not seeking a change to our records.\4\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \4\ ``No change'' replacement cards are duplicate SSN card 
requests. ``Change'' replacement cards are those where the applicant 
requests a change to their SSN record, including a name, date of birth, 
or citizenship status change.

      Expand video service delivery to U.S. citizens and noncitizens 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
for replacement SSN cards if they are unable to use iSSNRC.

      Expand in-person service delivery by appointment for original 
and replacement SSN cards for individuals who we are unable to serve 
online or via video.

We are starting to implement these service improvements now, within the 
framework of our Workplace Safety Plan (WSP), which was approved in 
accordance with Executive Order (EO) 13991, Protecting the Federal 
Workforce, and M-21-15 COVID-19 Safe Federal Workplace: Agency Model 
Safety Principles. To ensure we have capacity in our field offices and 
card centers to help those who must visit us, we will direct customers 
to online and video options first. Video options afford us flexibility 
in meeting fluctuating demands for service across the country, provide 
a convenient and secure option for the public, and allow an employee to 
process an SSN application without geographic limitations.

We will incrementally increase our in-office staff within the WSP 
guidelines to handle additional in-office appointments. We will monitor 
the effect of our plan on reducing the need to mail applications and 
evidence, evaluate customer feedback, and make adjustments as needed.

Details regarding in-person and video service delivery follow.
 Microsoft (MS) Teams--U.S. Citizen ``No Change'' Replacement Cards
We will expand the use of MS Teams video interviews for replacement SSN 
cards nationwide.\5\ MS Teams will be available to U.S. citizens 
requesting ``no change'' replacement cards if they are unable to use 
iSSNRC.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \5\ MS Teams requires a verification with the State DMV, just like 
iSSNRC. Accordingly, MS Teams will not be available in the five States 
that do not yet participate in iSSNRC.

Through MS Teams, individuals can securely apply from any location 
using a computer, tablet, or smartphone with Internet service, and our 
employees will conduct a remote video interview.\6\ We will send the 
applicant a link to the MS Teams application; the applicant does not 
need to download any software to participate in the interview. During 
the interview, our employee asks knowledge-based questions, views the 
individual's evidence--either a State-issued DL or ID card--and 
verifies the information from the evidence directly with the State 
Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \6\ These devices must have a working camera capable of interacting 
with MS Teams.

We will continue to engage with the union on these changes.
 Video Service Delivery (VSD) Expansion--U.S. Citizen ``Change'' 
        Replacement Cards; All Noncitizen Replacement Cards
We will expand our use of VSD to provide replacement card services to 
U.S. citizens and test it for noncitizens. We will direct U.S. citizens 
requesting ``no change'' replacement cards to iSSNRC or MS Teams first, 
reserving VSD for U.S. citizens who do not have a State-issued DL or ID 
card or who need to change information in our records, and for 
noncitizen replacement SSN card requests.

Through VSD, an employee visually inspects the authenticity of evidence 
of identity or immigration status, as well as evidence to support 
requests for changes (e.g., marriage record for name changes, birth 
certificates for date of birth changes). VSD offers high-resolution 
magnification--1920  1080P, the resolution available on most High 
Definition Televisions--and black light capability, allowing for in-
depth review of the security features and authenticity of the evidence 
presented.

Applicants must visit one of our offices or a participating third-party 
partner site to use VSD. We are adding software to our employees' 
laptops so they can connect to the in-office VSD equipment from their 
remote workstations.\7\ We currently have VSD units in approximately 
half of our field offices, and in 97 third-party sites. We have begun 
shipping an additional 170 VSD units to field offices with high volumes 
of noncitizen SSN requests, with a focus on States that do not 
currently have iSSNRC.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \7\ VSD is currently available to U.S. citizens requesting no-
change replacement SSN cards. However, the current capability requires 
employees and applicants to be in our offices. Thus, this expansion 
allows more applicants to use VSD and our employees to assist the 
public remotely.

    We will continue to engage with the union on these changes.
 In-Person Express Appointments--Original SSN Requests and More, As 
        Needed
We will expand capacity at field offices and card centers to increase 
the number of express in-person appointments we offer for individuals 
we are unable to serve through iSSNRC and video appointments. When 
scheduling these interviews, we ask the applicant to complete the paper 
SSN application prior to their visit, and advise them of the evidence 
documents they will need to bring. We have found that this model 
minimizes the time spent in office to 5-7 minutes.

We will expand these appointments in accordance with the safety 
measures in our WSP. We are iteratively increasing staff over the 
coming weeks subject to WSP limits, as explained to Congressional staff 
in a briefing on April 22, 2021.

Appendix:

SSN Eligibility Requirements
Section 205(c)(2)(B)(ii) of the Social Security Act requires that we 
obtain evidence of age, identity, and citizenship or current work-
authorized immigration status from applicants for original SSNs. 
Generally, newborns receive an original SSN through our automated 
Enumeration at Birth program. Individuals (other than newborns) must 
come into a field office or Social Security Card Center to apply for an 
original SSN. We require an in-person interview for all original SSN 
applicants age 12 or older. During the interview, we attempt to locate 
a prior SSN to help ensure that we do not assign an SSN to an 
individual assuming a false identity.

For replacement SSN cards, we require proof of identity from U.S. 
citizens. For noncitizens, we require evidence of current immigration/
work authorization status as well. Individuals needing to update their 
SSN record must present evidence to support the update--a marriage 
certificate, divorce decree, or birth certificate, etc.

For noncitizen original SSN and replacement card requests, we verify 
work authorization and immigration status directly with Department of 
Homeland Security (DHS) via an electronic process called the Systematic 
Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) Program. If DHS does not 
verify the applicant's status, we will not assign an SSN. Per our SAVE 
agreement with DHS, we must visually inspect the original immigration/
work authorization document presented by the applicant.

These stringent policies comply with requirements enacted by Congress 
in the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 (Pub. 
L. 108-485), which include:

      Rigorous minimum standards for verification of documents 
submitted in connection with an SSN;

      Adding death and fraud indicators to SSN verification routines 
for employers and for State agencies issuing driver's licenses and 
identity cards; and,

      Limiting individuals to 3 replacement SSN cards per year and 10 
per lifetime (with limited exceptions).

Automated SSN Services

Enumeration at Birth

The Enumeration at Birth (EAB) program--established in 1987--allows 
parents to obtain SSNs for their newborns as part of the birth 
registration process. The evidence required to process an SSN 
application is the same evidence gathered by hospitals and birthing 
facilities and verified by bureaus of vital statistics (BVS) during the 
birth registration process. Through EAB, BVSs electronically send us 
the information we need; we assign the number and issue an original 
card. Today, all 50 States plus Puerto Rico, New York City and the 
District of Columbia participate. The vast majority of parents choose 
to use EAB. In FY 2019, we assigned 3.8 million original SSNs through 
EAB, which represents nearly 99 percent of original SSN cards for 
children under the age of one.

Enumeration at Entry

The Enumeration at Entry (EAE) program--established in 2002--allows 
lawful permanent residents to obtain SSNs as part of the immigrant visa 
process. Once Department of State approves the visa, it transmits 
identifying information from the visa application to DHS; DHS then 
transmits to us the data we need when the person enters the country. We 
assign the number and issue an original card. If the permanent resident 
already has an SSN, we issue a replacement card. In FY 2019, we 
assigned almost 213,000 SSNs and issued almost 17,000 replacement cards 
through EAE.

Enumeration Beyond Entry

The Enumeration Beyond Entry (EBE) program--our newest automated 
program, implemented in 2017--allows lawfully present noncitizens to 
obtain an SSN when DHS provides them temporary work authorization. DHS 
sends us the information it collected and verified when approving the 
request for work authorization. We assign the number and issue an 
original card. If the noncitizen already has an SSN, we issue a 
replacement card. In FY 2019, we assigned about 350,000 SSNs and issued 
almost 63,000 replacement cards through EBE.

Online Replacement SSN Card Service

Internet Social Security Number Replacement Cards (iSSNRC)--implemented 
in 2015--allows U.S. citizens requesting ``no change'' replacement 
cards to apply online through our partnerships with States' Departments 
of Motor Vehicles. To mitigate the potential risk of eliminating face-
to-face interviews and in-person visual document inspections, iSSNRC 
has built-in controls. For example, iSSNRC is behind the my Social 
Security portal to take advantage of the portal's authentication 
protocols. It also includes a verification of the DL and ID card 
information submitted as proof of identity with the States' DMVs 
through the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators. 
iSSNRC is available in all but five States: Minnesota, Nevada, New 
Hampshire, Oklahoma, and West Virginia. In FY 2019, we issued about 1.3 
million replacement cards through iSSNRC.

                                 ______
                                 

                 Plan for Simplifying the Supplemental 
                      Security Income Application

May 2021

Background

On April 29, 2021, the Senate Committee on Finance held a hearing 
titled, ``Social Security During COVID: How the Pandemic Hampered 
Access to Benefits and Strategies for Improving Service Delivery.'' 
During the hearing, Chairman Wyden asked us to submit within a month a 
plan for how we can simplify the application for Supplemental Security 
Income (SSI) benefits.

The Supplemental Security Income Program

Congress enacted the SSI program in 1972 to replace the varied Federal-
State programs of Old-Age Assistance, Aid to the Blind, and Aid to the 
Permanently and Totally Disabled in the 50 States and the District of 
Columbia. In 1974, the SSI program began paying benefits.

The program provides monthly benefits to people who are blind, 
disabled, or at least age 65. The maximum monthly benefit amount in 
2021 is $794 for individuals (about 75 percent of the Federal, 
individual poverty line) and $1,191 for couples where both members are 
eligible and either married or ``holding themselves out'' to their 
community as being married.

About 8 million people currently receive monthly Federal SSI benefits. 
The States can--and in some cases must--provide supplemental benefits 
to residents who are eligible for SSI. In 12 States, we determine on 
behalf of the State whether SSI beneficiaries are eligible and pay the 
appropriate amount of the State supplement, using the criteria set 
forth in an agreement we reach with that State.

The law requires us to determine a person's eligibility for SSI 
benefits every month, using information verified from independent and 
collateral sources. This includes not only accounting for all of the 
income and resources that the beneficiary or applicant has or can 
access, but also accounting for the income and resources of spouses 
(from either a legal marriage or holding-out relationship, as mentioned 
above), parents (of child beneficiaries under 18), and sponsors (of 
certain noncitizen beneficiaries) who live in the household.\1\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \1\ We are also required to consider the income and resources of a 
sponsor even if the sponsor doesn't live with the beneficiary.

Eligibility for and the amount of SSI benefits depend on a person's 
countable income. The Social Security Act defines income broadly and 
requires us to count more than 20 types of income, such as wages, self-
employment, and pensions, as well as support and maintenance provided 
``in-kind,'' which can include the provision of food or payment of all 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
or some of a person's household expenses.

The law distinguishes between income that is ``earned'' and income that 
is ``unearned,'' and applies different basic exclusions to each type; 
we exclude up to $20 of a person's unearned income. If a person has 
less than $20 in unearned income, we apply the remainder of this 
exclusion to their earned income. We then exclude $65 plus one-half of 
the remainder of earned income.

The Social Security Act and other Federal laws further exclude from 
counting some or all of over 86 other types of income, including 
assistance based on need, advance refundable tax credits, disaster 
assistance, earned income of students of a certain age, certain 
payments for participation in clinical trials, various payments Tribes 
provide their members, and payments in reparation for Nazi genocide or 
certain eugenics programs. Please see the Appendix for a list of these 
exclusions.

Eligibility also depends on a person's countable resources. The Social 
Security Act allows someone to own up to $2,000 in resources and a 
couple to own up to $3,000 in resources; when resources equal or exceed 
these limits, the person or couple are ineligible for SSI.

The Social Security Act also provides specific procedures for 
evaluating certain resources, such as a home, burial expenses, the cash 
surrender value of life insurance, and trusts. The Social Security Act 
and Federal law further exclude some or all of the value of dozens of 
other types of resources, some indefinitely and others for only a 
certain period. Finally, the law requires us to consider a person's 
resources for the 3-year period before he or she filed for SSI in order 
to determine whether the applicant sold or disposed of any assets for 
less than fair market value, which can result in a period of 
ineligibility for SSI. The Appendix also has a list of the SSI resource 
exclusions.

In addition to income and resources, the law requires us to consider a 
host of other factors in determining whether a person is eligible and 
the amount of benefits he or she will receive. People who reside in a 
hospital operated by a State are not eligible, whereas those who reside 
in a private hospital are eligible, although their monthly benefit may 
be capped at $30 per month if Medical Assistance is paying a 
substantial portion of their care. Individuals are not eligible for SSI 
benefits if they fail to apply for other benefits for which they may be 
eligible, are fleeing to avoid prosecution or confinement for a felony, 
or are violating a condition of probation or parole. Individuals who 
reside outside the United States are not eligible,\2\ but students or 
the children of American service members temporarily abroad remain 
eligible.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \2\ Residents of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands 
are eligible for SSI. However, residents of Guam, American Samoa, the 
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or the U.S. Virgin Islands are not 
eligible.

The rules concerning eligibility for people who are noncitizens are 
particularly complex, requiring us to, for example, evaluate a person's 
current immigration status and prior statuses and when they were 
attained, as well as the person's work history and in some cases the 
work history of a parent or spouse. The additional factors that apply 
only to people who are noncitizens determine whether the person must 
serve a waiting period before receiving SSI, whether the person can be 
eligible for SSI immediately and indefinitely, and whether the person's 
eligibility will be limited to seven years from first obtaining a 
qualifying immigration status.

Plan for Simplifying the SSI Application

Commissioner Saul has made improving the administration of the SSI 
program a top priority for SSA. We appreciate the Committee's interest 
in this topic. Paper applications are long and detailed, which make 
them challenging for many people to complete on their own. Although the 
applications are used to gather the information needed to decide 
whether someone is eligible for this complex program,\3\ we generally 
do not expect people to complete the applications on their own. When 
someone applies for SSI, we do not require them to complete the paper 
forms. Rather, we interview the applicant, and that conversation allows 
us to explain the questions and the program rules and answer any 
questions.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \3\ When we refer to ``applications'' in this plan, we mean the 
SSA-8000, the ``full'' SSI application that includes all questions, and 
the SSA-8001, a shorter application we use when we defer asking some 
questions and development until after we've decided whether the 
applicant is disabled.

The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the need for more simple SSI 
applications. Simpler applications would make it easier for 
organizations to help us reach people who have been unable to 
participate in the traditional interview. In the longer term, simpler 
applications will facilitate the development of an online application 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
for SSI.

Outlined below is our plan to simplify the SSI applications, as well as 
other efforts to improve the overall application process, including 
plans to use our existing authority to administratively simplify the 
program rules.

As we proceed, we must balance the need for simplification with our 
obligations to be good stewards of taxpayer funds and to provide timely 
and efficient service to everyone who needs our help. We must ensure 
that the simplified applications continue to collect the level of 
information needed for us to accurately determine eligibility for this 
complex program. Furthermore, the simplified applications must continue 
to allow us to determine early in the application process whether a 
person is ineligible for benefits. This ensures that we provide good 
service and a timely decision on such applications. It also conserves 
the resources of the Disability Determination Services--which perform 
the critical function of determining whether people meet the program's 
disability standards--by reducing the likelihood that we forward to 
them an application from someone who is ineligible for SSI based on 
other factors.

 Creating a Fillable, PDF Version of the Application for SSI (SSA-8000-
                    BK) (by May 2021)

We have enlisted the aid of national and community-based advocates and 
organizations to help us ensure that vulnerable people across the 
country can continue to access our programs during the pandemic. We 
have trained these groups on how they can help someone complete an SSI 
application. To help these organizations help people apply for SSI, we 
are creating a fillable PDF application. This meaningful step will make 
it easier for these trusted partners to complete the form. After the 
applicant signs the application, our partners will fax it to us.

We plan to make this version available by the end of May 2021.

 Streamlining the Applications for Supplemental Security Income 
                    (Recommendations by the End of September 2021)

We are reviewing the applications and are developing recommendations on 
ways to simplify them further while still ensuring we capture the 
information needed. We expect to have these recommendations by the end 
of September 2021.

After internal review and revision of the applications is complete, we 
will request feedback from advocates and stakeholders on the draft, 
revised applications. We will test the revised applications to ensure 
that the public can understand and successfully complete them. And any 
new applications will ultimately require approval by the Office of 
Management and Budget. We will keep the Committee apprised of our 
progress as we finalize the recommendations and determine 
implementation dates.

 Implementing Online and Automated Telephone Protective Filing Services 
                    (by the End of September 2021)

We will also implement an online and automated telephone service to 
allow the public to record their interest in filing for SSI. Although 
this will not be an application, this service will provide the 
important function of allowing a person to establish a ``protective 
filing date,'' which ensures that benefits are not lost when an 
application cannot be immediately filed (SSI benefits can be paid no 
earlier than the month of filing). When someone uses this service, we 
will contact them to obtain the actual application.

We plan to implement these services by the end of September 2021.

 Updating Our Claims Systems and Implementing an Online, SSI-only 
                    Application (by November 2023)

Once we have revised the SSI applications, we will make any necessary 
corresponding updates to the software our technicians use to take 
applications. We will also use the simplified forms as the basis for 
developing and implementing an online, SSI-only application that can be 
used by many people to apply for benefits. Since April 2017, we have 
allowed people who meet certain criteria to file an SSI application 
when they also file online for Social Security Disability Insurance 
Benefits (DIB). However, that option is not available to everyone and 
it collects only the bare minimum of information needed to start an SSI 
application. By November 2023, we plan to implement a more robust 
online application, for use when a person is only eligible for SSI or 
for people who are 65 and older.

 Administrative Simplifications (by the end of Fiscal Year 2022)

In addition to our efforts improve the applications, we intend to make 
the following improvements to SSI policies under our existing 
authority.

 Rules Regarding In-Kind Support and Maintenance (ISM)

In 2005, we revised our rules to stop counting the value of clothing 
given to SSI recipients as in- kind support and maintenance. We will 
explore what other similar changes to our rules we might make.

Increase the $5 Sharing Tolerance to $20

When figuring whether a beneficiary pays for his or her pro rata share 
of the household expenses (a step in determining whether a beneficiary 
is receiving in-kind support and maintenance), we consider 
beneficiaries to be paying their share when they contribute within $5 
of the actual, pro rata amount. We intend to increase this tolerance to 
$20.

 Streamline Process for Temporarily Institutionalized (TI) Individuals

Beneficiaries can remain eligible for up to the full amount of SSI 
benefits for the first 90 days in which they reside in an institution, 
provided they request they need the benefits to pay the expenses of the 
household they intend to return to and an attending physician certifies 
that the person's stay is expected to be 90 days or less. We intend to 
improve the process by creating a standard form to collect this 
information from a physician. We also intend to develop a demonstration 
project to assess the effect of automatically providing these temporary 
benefits in the first 90 days without requiring the person to 
demonstrate their need to maintain household expenses or provide the 
physician's certification.

Appendix--Current Program Exclusions

Earned Income Exclusions

      Any refund of Federal income taxes received under section 32 of 
the Internal Revenue Code (relating to earned income tax credit (EITC)) 
and any payment received under section 3507 of the Internal Revenue 
Code (relating to advance payment of EITC);

      Amounts received pursuant to the Making Work Pay tax credit set 
forth in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009;

      Any refundable child tax credit;

      The first $30 of earned income in a quarter if it is infrequent 
or irregular, that is: (1) if it is received only once in a calendar 
quarter from a single source and is not also received in the month 
immediately preceding or the month immediately following the month of 
receipt regardless of whether or not these payments occur in different 
calendar quarters; or (2) if its receipt cannot reasonably be expected;

      Up to $1,930 per month but not more than $7,770 in a calendar 
year received by a blind or disabled recipient who is a working student 
under age 22 and regularly attending school;

      Any portion of the monthly $20 exclusion not used to exclude 
unearned income;

      $65 of earned income in a month;

      Amounts used to pay impairment-related work expenses if a 
recipient is disabled (but not blind) and under age 65 or is disabled 
(but not blind) and receiving SSI (or disability payments under a 
former State plan) before age 65;

      One-half of remaining earned income in a month;

      Earned income used to meet any expenses reasonably attributable 
to the earning of the income if the recipient is blind and under age 65 
or if he or she received SSI as a blind person prior to age 65;

      Any earned income received and used to fulfill an approved plan 
to achieve self-support if the recipient is blind or disabled and under 
age 65 or is blind or disabled and received SSI as a blind or disabled 
individual in the month before he or she attained age 65;

      Cash or in-kind income provided under an AmeriCorps program;

      Any earned income deposited into either a Temporary Assistance 
for Needy Families (TANF) or ``Assets for Independence Act'' Individual 
Development Account (IDA); and

Unearned Income Exclusions

      Any public agency's refund of taxes on real property or food;

      Assistance based on need wholly funded by a State or one of its 
political subdivisions. This exclusion includes State supplementation 
of Federal SSI benefits but does not include payments under a Federal/
State grant program such as TANF;

      Any portion of a grant, scholarship, fellowship, or gift to an 
individual used for paying tuition, fees, or other necessary 
educational expenses;

      Food raised by a household if it is consumed by that household;

      Assistance received under the Disaster Relief and Emergency 
Assistance Act and assistance provided under any Federal statute 
because of a catastrophe that the President of the United States 
declares to be a major disaster;

      Assistance received under a program for flood mitigation 
activities;

      The first $60 of unearned income in a quarter if it is 
infrequent or irregular, that is: (1) if it is received only once in a 
calendar quarter from a single source and is not also received in the 
month immediately preceding or the month immediately following the 
month of receipt regardless of whether or not these payments occur in 
different calendar quarters; or (2) if its receipt cannot reasonably be 
expected;

      Any unearned income received and used to fulfill an approved 
plan to achieve self-support if the recipient is blind or disabled and 
under age 65, or if the recipient is blind or disabled and received SSI 
as a blind or disabled individual in the month before he or she 
attained age 65;

      Periodic payments made by a State under a program established 
before July 1, 1973 and based solely on the recipient's length of 
residence and attainment of age 65;

      Payments for providing foster care to an ineligible child placed 
in the recipient's home by a public or private nonprofit child 
placement or child care agency;

      Any interest earned on excluded burial funds and any 
appreciation in the value of an excluded burial arrangement left to 
accumulate and become part of the separately identifiable burial fund;

      Certain support and maintenance assistance provided in the form 
of home energy assistance;

      One-third of support payments made by an absent parent if the 
recipient is a child;

      The first $20 of unearned income in a month other than income in 
the form of in-kind support and maintenance received in the household 
of another and income based on need;

      The value of any assistance paid with respect to a dwelling unit 
under the United States Housing Act of 1937, the National Housing Act, 
section 101 of the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1965, Title V 
of the Housing Act of 1949, or section 202(h) of the Housing Act of 
1959;

      Any interest accrued on and left to accumulate as part of the 
value of an excluded burial space purchase agreement (effective April 
1, 1990) and any interest earned on the value of nonexcludable burial 
funds and burial space purchase agreements is excluded from income 
(effective July 1, 2004);

      The value of any commercial transportation ticket for travel by 
a recipient or his or her spouse among the 50 States, the District of 
Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and 
the Northern Mariana Islands that is received as a gift and is not 
converted to cash;

      Payments received from a fund established by a State to aid 
victims of crime;

      State-provided pensions to aged, blind, or disabled veterans (or 
their spouses);

      Relocation assistance provided by a State or local government 
that is comparable to assistance provided under title II of the Uniform 
Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act of 
1970;

      Hostile fire pay received from one of the uniformed services 
pursuant to 37 U.S.C. 310 and other kinds of additional pay received by 
military personnel in a combat zone;

      Interest or other earnings on a dedicated account excluded from 
resources;

      In-kind gifts not converted to cash and the first $2,000 
annually of cash gifts made by tax-exempt organizations, such as the 
Make-A-Wish Foundation, to, or for the benefit of, individuals under 
age 18 with life-threatening conditions;

      Payments made under the Ricky Ray Hemophilia Relief Fund Act of 
1998;

      Up to $2,000 per calendar year in compensation for participating 
in clinical trials researching treatment of rare diseases and 
conditions;

      TANF funds made available to an SSI recipient as part of an IDA;

      Amounts received from the Filipino Veterans Equity Compensation 
Fund set forth in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009;

      Amounts received by Medicaid recipients from the ``Incentives 
for Prevention of Chronic Diseases in Medicaid'' program established by 
the Affordable Care Act of 2010;

      Payments to Indian landowners made in accordance with the Cobell 
et al. v. Salazar et al. lawsuit settlement as ratified by the Claims 
Resettlement Act of 2010;

      Refundable tax credits (or advance payment of such credits);

      Deposits made by a participating individual or a sponsoring 
nonprofit organization or State or local government into an IDA under 
the Assets for Independence Act IDA demonstration project and interest 
earned on these deposits;

      Unearned income excluded by other Federal laws. See Federal 
Regulations Appendix to Subpart K 20 CFR 416;

      Generally, all interest and dividend income earned on countable 
resources;

      Lump sum payments made under the Energy Employees Occupational 
Illness Compensation Program Act of 2000 (the EEOCIP Act), including 
reimbursement for medical expenses, are excluded from income for SSI 
purposes;

      Contributions to an Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) 
account are excluded for the account's beneficiary. In addition, 
interest and dividends accrued by and retained within an ABLE account 
are also excluded; and

      Payments made by a State program intended to compensate 
individuals who had been sterilized under the authority of a State.

      Many Federal laws in addition to the Social Security Act provide 
for the exclusion of assistance received in the form of food, housing 
and utilities, educational and employment benefits, or benefits derived 
from being a member of a Native American Tribe.

Resource Exclusions

      The home in which an individual has ownership interest and that 
serves as the individual's principal place of residence (including the 
land appertaining thereto);

      Household goods and personal effects;

      One automobile if used for transportation for the recipient or a 
member of the recipient's household;

      Property used in a trade or business that is essential to self-
support;

      Up to $6,000 of nonbusiness property that is essential to self-
support;

      Resources of a blind or disabled individual that are necessary 
to fulfill an approved plan to achieve self-support;

      Stock in regional or village corporations held by natives of 
Alaska during the 20-year period in which the stock is inalienable 
pursuant to the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act;

      Life insurance owned by an individual (and spouse, if any) 
provided that all life insurance on any person does not exceed a face 
value of $1,500;

      Restricted allotted Indian lands;

      Disaster relief assistance;

      Assistance received under a program for flood mitigation 
activities;

      Burial spaces and certain funds up to $1,500 for burial 
expenses;

      SSI or Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance retroactive 
payments for 9 months following the month of receipt;

      The value of any assistance paid with respect to a dwelling unit 
under the United States Housing Act of 1937, the National Housing Act, 
section 101 of the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1965, title V 
of the Housing Act of 1949, or section 202(h) of the Housing Act of 
1959;

      Refunds of Federal income taxes and advances made by an employer 
relating to an EITC for 12 months following the month of receipt;

      One-time economic recovery payment received under the American 
Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, for the month of receipt and the 
following 9 months;

      Amounts received pursuant to the Making Work Pay tax credit set 
forth in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for the 
month of receipt and the following 12 months;

      Amounts received from the Filipino Veterans Equity Compensation 
Fund set forth in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009;

      Refundable child tax credit for 12 months following the month of 
receipt;

      Refundable tax credits or advance payment of such credits for 12 
months following the month of receipt;

      Grants, scholarships, fellowships, or gifts to be used for 
tuition or educational fees for 9 months following the month of 
receipt;

      Payments received as compensation for replacement or repair of 
losses, damages, or theft for 9 months following the month of receipt;

      Relocation assistance from a State or local government for 9 
months following the month of receipt;

      Payments made from State-provided pensions to aged, blind, or 
disabled veterans or their spouses;

      Dedicated financial institution accounts for disabled children;

      In-kind gifts not converted to cash and the first $2,000 
annually of cash gifts made by tax-exempt organizations, such as the 
Make-A-Wish Foundation, to, or for the benefit of, individuals under 
age 18 with life-threatening conditions;

      Up to $2,000 per calendar year in compensation for participating 
in clinical trials researching treatment of rare diseases and 
conditions;

      Amounts received by Medicaid recipients from the ``Incentives 
for Prevention of Chronic Diseases in Medicaid'' program established by 
the Affordable Care Act of 2010;

      Payments to Indian landowners made in accordance with the Cobell 
et al. v. Salazar et al. lawsuit settlement, as ratified by the Claims 
Resettlement Act of 2010 (for 12 months following the month of 
receipt);

      Payments made under the Ricky Ray Hemophilia Relief Fund Act of 
1998;

      Amounts deposited into either a TANF or Assets for Independence 
Act IDA, including matching funds and interest earned on such amounts;

      Certain trusts (e.g., those established by will or certain 
Medicaid trusts that will repay the State, upon the death of the 
recipient, for the costs of medical assistance provided to that 
individual);

      Payments or benefits provided under a Federal statute other than 
title XVI of the Social Security Act where exclusion is provided by 
such statute;

      Up to $100,000 held in a qualified ABLE account. Furthermore, 
any distribution from an ABLE account for a qualified disability 
expense that is not 
housing-related is excluded from resources in the month it is used or 
in a month for which it is intended to be used for such expenses; and

      Payments made by a State program intended to compensate 
individuals who had been sterilized under the authority of a State.

                                 ______
                                 

             Potential Entitlements From 2013 Brainstorming

The list of Potential Entitlements was developed in May 2013, to 
develop ideas and suggestions for further analysis or investigation.

      Medicare Only Beneficiaries, who are fully insured but either 
elect entitlement only to Medicare or have end stage renal disease, who 
should convert to Retirement Benefits.
      Medicare Only Beneficiaries who have at least 20-39 quarters of 
coverage and are eligible for reduced Buy-in fees.
      Spouse to Retirement Benefits.
      Combined Family Maximum.
      Title 2 (T2) Retroactivity--ensure retroactive benefits due are 
paid.
      Number holder (NH) is uninsured but names a spouse on their 
application for benefits, who is insured.
      Possible T2 Auxiliary Entitlement--Individual on Supplemental 
Security Income (SSI) with ineligible spouse who receives T2.
      Parisi Cases--Dually entitled individuals subject to deduction-
before reduction in order to maximize benefits to other auxiliaries/
survivors entitled on the social security number (SSN).
      Possible T2 Auxiliary/Survivor Entitlement.
      SSI Diary was set-case, not worked due to non-pay status.
      SSI Diary was set-case, never worked due to non-pay status.
      2049 Cases--systems limitation with the recovery of overpayment 
accounting and reporting.
      Deemed Military Wage credits were not considered in the insured 
status computation.
      12/68 Military Wage Report for Navy Reserve was not posted as 
military wage.
      Military Retirees who did not receive military service (MS) 
credits for years prior to 1968.
      Children in suspense pending a decision on a need for payee.
      Underpayment is due the estate or family of deceased NH.
      Underpayment is due to unnegotiated checks.
      Master beneficiary record (MBR) in suspense with SSI 
entitlement.
      Medicare for Qualified Government Employee earnings involved-
eligible for cash and/or Medicare.
      Individual eligible after consideration of Totalization 
Agreement A.
      NH alleges wages from totalization country.
      Individual has lawfully admitted for permanent residency (LAPR) 
issue on MBR and some payment has been withheld pending citizenship/
lawful presence.
      Administrative Law Judge allowance and case was never 
effectuated by the processing center.
      T2/T16 allowance decision with Disability Determination Services 
(DDS) allowance and not adjudicated after 180 days.
      Cases that were awarded for T2/SSI and award was never 
processed.
      Military Service Annual Earning Reappraisal Operation--Annual 
selection can reduce the incidence of occurrence by obtaining verified 
military service credits and posting to record.
      Individual filed T2 only claim-alleging visual impairment-denied 
using incorrect computation.
      Child named on application of a parent(s) and no claim taken.
      The agency may be using a prior record to establish LAPR when in 
fact it was never proven to SSA.
      T2 did not correct the DDS or Disability Quality Branch (DQB) 
date of onset change.
      Possible problem with Primary Insurance Amount (PIA)--at Full 
Retirement Age (FRA) new computations are not being considered in all 
cases.
      T2 Disability medical cessations are not being effectuated 
timely.
      NH filed for Medicare along with spouse or disabled child/
subsequent application for RIB, but spouse/child were overlooked.
      Young widow-to-widow benefits terminated when youngest child 
reached age 16-child was subsequently entitled as Disabled Adult Child 
(DAC)--Need to determine if widow can be re-entitled.
      Most advantageous election of Aged Widow with Disabled Number 
holder entitlement.
      Simultaneous Disabled Worker/Aged Widow(er) over age 60 
entitlement overlooked.
      T2 Adjustment of Reduction Factor.
      Unreduced Aged Widow (D) claims with retroactive Aged Wife (B) 
entitlement.
      Conversions from Wife to Aged Wife at FRA.
      Divorced Spouse terminated due to marriage and alerted spouse 
over age 62, who remarried after age 60.
      Possible disability insurance benefit (DIB) Entitlement - 
Individual receiving T2 Disabled Adult Child (CDB ) benefits has worked 
and/or gained insured status on own SSN and now has higher PIA on own 
record.
      T2 CDB denials with possible child entitlement prior to age 18 
after retro consideration.
      Possible T2 CDB Entitlement--SSI DI applicant was disabled prior 
to age 22 but SSI was established after age 22, parents now in receipt 
of T2 benefits or are deceased.
      Possible T2 CDB Entitlement--Previous childhood disability 
awarded on SSI.
      T2 CDB was awarded in the past--the NH on the CDB account was 
terminated or suspended and later reinstated. Upon reinstatement, the 
CDB entitlement was missed.
      Previous childhood disability awarded on SSI. Student benefits 
previously awarded on T2 and no conversion to CDB on the record of the 
entitled parent.
      Possible T2 CDB entitlement Individuals without a payee in an 
institution now potentially entitled on their parents SSN- Disability 
began as a child. No current entitlement.
      Individuals without a payee but NOT in an institution--now 
potentially entitled on their parents SSN--Disability began as a child.
      Previous childhood disability awarded on SSI--now converted to 
adult and one parent or the other (or both) in receipt of T2.
      Possible T2 CDB Entitlement.
      Possible T2 CDB Entitlement. Individuals with a payee but 
residing in an institution. Now eligible for auxiliary/survivors 
benefits based on parents' SSN.
      Individuals with a payee but NOT residing in an institution. Now 
eligible for auxiliary/survivors benefits based on parents' SSN.
      CDB charged with a 5 month waiting period.
      In receipt of SSI payments and eligible for Retirement.
      In receipt of SSI payments and eligible for Retirement; birthday 
in last 9 months of the year. Individual receives disabled benefits.
      In receipt of SSI payments and eligible for Retirement; birthday 
in last 9 months of the year. Individual receives blind benefits.
      Disabled child/adult is listed on another's SSI application.
      In receipt of SSI/Type A income, diary not setting.
      Individuals who are ceased on T2 DIB still show up on the annual 
diary run-creates duplicate work.
      Individual has a divorced spouse and spouse files for benefits. 
NH is eligible if 10-year duration is met.
      Part B Medicare in non-auto accrete States is not being filed 
for.
      SSI-Special Disability workload Fallout.
      JR Diary SSI.
      SSI Blind individual-filed for T2 and denied -did not use Blind 
Fully insured computation.
      Type of master record is Disabled Individual but the individual 
is Statutorily Blind. SSA 831 information was not recorded in 
Modernized SSI Claims System--creates incorrect payment if NH works 
(10/1/09).
      SSI Individual who is terminated due to work and earnings but 
1619a is not being considered.
      Wife to Widow approaching age 50 receiving SSI DIB.
      SSI Diary-need to automate and identify.
      T16 technical denial taken-but NH is insured for T2 and no T2 
claim taken.
      SSI diary was set/T2 not taken/T16 was technical denial/NH 
insured for T2.
      SSI diary was set/T16 claim taken/NH insured for T2.
      SSI Veteran-Eligible for Veteran Administration pension.
      Supplemental Security Record/MBR Interface Failures.
      SSI diary sets annually. Current PIA on another record is always 
higher.
      SSI date of onset changed-and SSI did not properly pay the case 
with new onset.
      Veteran's Pension posting problems. Veteran's Pension is not 
verified and attendance was posted to the Veteran rather than the 
spouse, and/or other posting issues.
      Individual was referred for T2 but no claim was taken.
      T16 medical cessations are not timely effectuated.

                                 ______
                                 

                            SOCIAL SECURITY

                            The Commissioner

                              May 7, 2021

The Honorable Ron Wyden
Chair
U.S. Senate
Committee on Finance
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Committee Chair Wyden:

At the April 29, 2021 hearing titled ``Social Security During COVID: 
How the Pandemic Hampered Access to Benefits and Strategies for 
Improving Service Delivery,'' you asked us to provide information on 
our efforts to encourage Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance 
(OASDI) program beneficiaries who might also be eligible for 
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits to apply for them. Enclosed 
please find a progress report on this initiative.

I hope this information is helpful. If you have questions or wish to 
discuss this issue in more detail, please contact me, or have your 
staff contact Dennis Foley, our Assistant Deputy Commissioner for 
Legislation and Congressional Affairs, at (202) 358-6030.

            Sincerely,

            Andrew Saul
            Commissioner

Enclosure
                                 ______
                                 

             Supplemental Security Income Targeted Mailers

                            Progress Report

                                May 2021

Background
The Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program provides monthly cash 
benefits to people with limited income and resources who are age 65 or 
older, blind, or disabled. SSI also serves as a gateway program that 
can provide beneficiaries with automatic eligibility for other 
programs, including Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance 
Program.

In addition to the SSI program, we also administer the Old-Age, 
Survivors, and Disability Insurance program (OASDI; also often referred 
to as ``Social Security''), which provides monthly benefits to retired 
and disabled workers and their dependents and to survivors.

Our data analyses indicated that, during the pandemic, there has been a 
disproportionate decrease in SSI applications among several groups, 
including people who are age 65 or older, children with disabilities, 
and people with limited English proficiency. Other impacted groups 
include people diagnosed with mental illness, people experiencing 
homelessness, veterans, and people recently released from 
incarceration.

The goal of our SSI Targeted Mailer project is to increase SSI program 
participation by encouraging certain OASDI beneficiaries who may also 
qualify for benefits from the SSI program to contact us and apply.
Initial Mailing
For the initial mailing, we selected OASDI beneficiaries from three of 
the groups that have experienced the most significant decrease in SSI 
applications, specifically beneficiaries who are:

      age 18-64 and receiving disability benefits;
      age 65-84; or
      age 65-84 and have limited English proficiency (LEP).

We excluded from this outreach OASDI beneficiaries whose income--based 
on the Social Security benefits they receive as well as other income 
information in our records--would preclude SSI eligibility because it 
exceeds the maximum monthly Federal SSI benefit (the ``Federal Benefit 
Rate'').

From late December through March, we mailed 200,000 notices in total to 
the initial group selected for outreach. The notice encouraged these 
OASDI beneficiaries to contact us and apply for SSI.
Interim Results
We expect to complete a full analysis of the initial mailing by 
November 2021. This timeframe is because some people selected to 
receive the initial mailing continue to contact us and apply for SSI, 
and we continue to process some of the applications we have received.

Below are interim results for the initial mailing as of April 23rd:

      5,162 SSI applications received (2.58% of total mailers sent);
      2,271 SSI applications approved (1.14% of the total mailers 
sent);
      $198.70 per month--the average Federal SSI benefit for newly 
eligible SSI beneficiaries in this group. This does not include 
benefits from Medicaid, the supplements that certain States provide SSI 
recipients, and other programs these people may now qualify for as a 
result of SSI eligibility; and
      $451,238.40--the total Federal SSI benefits paid.
Next Steps
In June 2021, we will begin mailing notices to the remaining population 
of about 1.2 million OASDI beneficiaries potentially eligible for SSI 
benefits who are in the three groups mentioned above,\1\ in addition to 
those age 85 and older. We will send these notices over the course of a 
year to ensure that we can provide high-quality service to the 
beneficiaries who contact us and as well as to the rest of the public 
we serve.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \1\ We had previously estimated sending this notice to about 2 
million OASDI beneficiaries. After applying additional refining 
criteria, the potentially eligible population is now about 1.2 million 
beneficiaries.

In anticipation of this larger mailing we have improved the process 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
based on what we learned from the initial mailing:

      We refined our data screening to better target the mailing to 
people who are more likely to be eligible for SSI. For example, we 
added additional screening criteria to more precisely identify and 
exclude individuals who would not be eligible for SSI because our 
records indicate they receive a pension in addition to their Social 
Security benefits.
      We shortened and simplified the notice and will now include with 
it a one-page fact sheet about the SSI program.
      We will send an email notification to OASDI beneficiaries who 
have given us an email address. This email will be in addition to the 
paper notice.
      As in the initial mailing, the notice we send for the full 
mailing will encourage OASDI beneficiaries to apply for SSI by calling 
us at a toll-free number dedicated solely to this purpose and staffed 
by bilingual employees in our national call center who are fluent in 
Spanish and English. We have expanded capacity on this dedicated line, 
and in June it will include new features made possible by an upgrade to 
our telephone system, such as improved call routing capability and 
giving the caller the option to have us call them back. Like our main 
toll-free number (1-800-772-1213), the dedicated line will offer 
telephone translation in 200 languages.
Estimated Costs
We estimate that we will spend about $3 million on this project in 
fiscal year 2021 and about $5.5 million in fiscal year 2022. This 
includes both printing and mailing costs and staff time to answer calls 
and process the applications.

                                 ______
                                 

                      National Drop Box Status List
 
   Office Code                   Office                      Region
 
620               GWINNETT GA                           ATL
00G               ORLANDO SSCC                          ATL
723               MIAMI SOUTH FL                        ATL
322               RALEIGH NC                            ATL
260               SOUTH BROWARD FL                      ATL
262               HIALEAH FL                            ATL
328               DURHAM NC                             ATL
C29               LITTLE HAVANA FL                      ATL
C19               FT LAUDERDALE W                       ATL
320               CHARLOTTE NC                          ATL
949               CARROLLWOOD FL                        ATL
568               CHATTANOOGA TN                        ATL
661               WEST PALM BEACH FL                    ATL
261               PERRINE FL                            ATL
619               KENNESAW GA                           ATL
565               NASHVILLE TN                          ATL
663               GAINESVILLE FL                        ATL
344               CONCORD NC                            ATL
628               DOTHAN AL                             ATL
C27               FAIRHOPE AL                           ATL
631               FLORENCE AL                           ATL
632               HUNTSVILLE AL                         ATL
624               MOBILE AL                             ATL
264               ALLAPATTAH FL                         ATL
A57               BELLE GLADE FL                        ATL
265               BRADENTON FL                          ATL
257               CLEARWATER FL                         ATL
A98               DADE CITY FL                          ATL
266               EAST HILLSBOROUGH                     ATL
665               FT LAUDERDALE EAST                    ATL
672               KEY WEST FL                           ATL
C24               LITTLE RIVER FL                       ATL
671               MIAMI BEACH FL                        ATL
C18               NAPLES FL                             ATL
709               NEW PORT RICHEY FL                    ATL
722               NORTH BROWARD FL                      ATL
A06               PT CHARLOTTE FL                       ATL
667               SARASOTA FL                           ATL
C26               SOUTH PALM BEACH                      ATL
662               ST PETERSBURG FL                      ATL
656               TAMPA FL                              ATL
A14               VENICE FL                             ATL
A20               FT WALTON BEACH FL                    ATL
663               GAINESVILLE FL                        ATL
263               JACKSONVILLE NORTH                    ATL
255               LAKE CITY FL                          ATL
658               LAKELAND FL                           ATL
258               LEESBURG FL                           ATL
657               ORLANDO FL                            ATL
00G               ORLANDO SSCC                          ATL
664               PORT ORANGE FL                        ATL
602               ALBANY GA                             ATL
604               ATHENS GA                             ATL
606               AUGUSTA GA                            ATL
614               BRUNSWICK GA                          ATL
605               COLUMBUS GA                           ATL
C96               COVINGTON GA                          ATL
615               DUBLIN GA                             ATL
612               GAINESVILLE GA                        ATL
616               GRIFFIN GA                            ATL
608               LAGRANGE GA                           ATL
603               MACON GA                              ATL
610               MILLEDGEVILLE GA                      ATL
I15               NEWNAN GA                             ATL
609               ROME GA                               ATL
601               SAVANNAH GA                           ATL
A44               STATESBORO GA                         ATL
611               THOMASVILLE GA                        ATL
C95               TIFTON GA                             ATL
B23               TOCCOA GA                             ATL
613               VALDOSTA GA                           ATL
E69               VIDALIA GA                            ATL
607               WAYCROSS GA                           ATL
C31               WINDER GA                             ATL
645               GREENWOOD MS                          ATL
B14               GRENADA MS                            ATL
642               HATTIESBURG MS                        ATL
B15               KOSCIUSKO MS                          ATL
652               LAUREL MS                             ATL
651               NATCHEZ MS                            ATL
481               ALBEMARLE NC                          ATL
323               ASHEVILLE NC                          ATL
325               GREENSBORO NC                         ATL
B10               HENDERSON NC                          ATL
331               HICKORY NC                            ATL
334               NEW BERN NC                           ATL
326               ROCKY MOUNT NC                        ATL
321               SALISBURY NC                          ATL
484               SMITHFIELD NC                         ATL
327               WILMINGTON NC                         ATL
324               WINSTON SALEM NC                      ATL
585               CHARLESTON SC                         ATL
587               FLORENCE SC                           ATL
588               ROCK HILL SC                          ATL
590               ANDERSON SC                           ATL
592               MYRTLE BEACH SC                       ATL
594               ORANGEBURG SC                         ATL
595               SUMTER SC                             ATL
C16               CLINTON SC                            ATL
C94               ATHENS TN                             ATL
574               CLARKSVILLE TN                        ATL
581               CLEVELAND TN                          ATL
569               COLUMBIA TN                           ATL
573               COOKEVILLE TN                         ATL
570               DYERSBURG TN                          ATL
558               GALLATIN TN                           ATL
575               GREENEVILLE TN                        ATL
580               JACKSBORO TN                          ATL
571               JACKSON TN                            ATL
572               JOHNSON CITY TN                       ATL
579               KINGSPORT TN                          ATL
567               KNOXVILLE TN                          ATL
B08               LAWRENCEBURG TN                       ATL
C37               MADISON TN                            ATL
B19               MCMINNVILLE TN                        ATL
C90               MEMPHIS NORTH TN                      ATL
556               MEMPHIS SOUTH TN                      ATL
566               MEMPHIS TN                            ATL
576               MORRISTOWN TN                         ATL
578               MURFREESBORO TN                       ATL
A51               OAK RIDGE TN                          ATL
582               PARIS TN                              ATL
D00               SELMER TN                             ATL
577               TULLAHOMA TN                          ATL
B03               UNION CITY TN                         ATL
450               CAMPBELLSVILLE KY                     ATL
452               DANVILLE KY                           ATL
442               FLORENCE KY                           ATL
441               FRANKFORT KY                          ATL
446               HAZARD KY                             ATL
439               LEXINGTON KY                          ATL
437               LOUISVILLE DOWNTO                     ATL
A45               LOUISVILLE EAST KY                    ATL
428               MAYSVILLE KY                          ATL
448               PIKEVILLE KY                          ATL
454               SOMERSET KY                           ATL
032               CAMBRIDGE MA                          BOS
030               BOSTON MA                             BOS
072               PROVIDENCE RI                         BOS
085               NEW HAVEN CT                          BOS
087               STAMFORD CT                           BOS
041               LAWRENCE                              BOS
003               AUGUSTA                               BOS
022               BURLINGTON                            BOS
A23               EAST HARTFORD                         BOS
011               PORTSMOUTH                            BOS
347               GRAND RAPIDS MI                       CHI
485               CHICAGO LOOP IL                       CHI
00L               TWIN CITIES SSCC                      CHI
499               CHICAGO NORTH IL                      CHI
D63               COLUMBUS NORTH                        CHI
350               PONTIAC MI                            CHI
532               MOUNT PROSPECT IL                     CHI
399               HAMILTON OH                           CHI
857               HOUSTON SOUTHEAS                      DAL
A76               MCKINNEY TX                           DAL
A73               DENTON TX                             DAL
814               DALLAS NORTH TX                       DAL
873               MID CITIES TX                         DAL
A74               CONROE TX                             DAL
763               FAYETTEVILLE AR                       DAL
820               AMARILLO TX                           DAL
813               AUSTIN TX                             DAL
784               TULSA                                 DAL
792               MOORE                                 DAL
787               MUSKOGEE                              DAL
B45               OKMULGEE                              DAL
791               MIAMI                                 DAL
785               CHICKASHA                             DAL
798               CLINTON                               DAL
765               FORREST CITY                          DAL
802               MONROE                                DAL
A71               KENNER                                DAL
D18               ST. TAMMANY                           DAL
E36               BATON ROUGE N                         DAL
810               OPELOUSAS                             DAL
809               NATCHITOCHES                          DAL
828               LEAGUE CITY                           DAL
841               MCALLEN                               DAL
E45               GEORGETOWN                            DAL
843               CORSICANA                             DAL
D20               WAXAHACHIE                            DAL
837               SHERMAN                               DAL
00K               RIO RANCHO, NM                        DAL
B53               HOBBS, NM                             DAL
860               SANTA FE, NM                          DAL
862               CLOVIS, NM                            DAL
00Z               MANHATTAN CARD C                      NY
00Q               BRONX SOC SEC CARD                    NY
144               MELVILLE NY                           NY
00E               QUEENS SOC SEC CAR                    NY
SSCC-Broo         BROOKLYN SSCC                         NY
170               NEWARK NJ                             NY
173               PATERSON NJ                           NY
186               PARSIPPANY NJ                         NY
182               HACKENSACK NJ                         NY
171               TRENTON NJ                            NY
176               JERSEY CITY NJ                        NY
158               HUNTS POINT                           NY
113               YONKERS                               NY
118               NEWBURGH                              NY
154               MONTICELLO                            NY
B93               PEEKSKILL                             NY
148               WHITE PLAINS                          NY
B95               EAST VILLAGE                          NY
149               WEST NYACK                            NY
134               INWOOD HILL                           NY
D58               HYLAN BLVD                            NY
132               NORTH BRONX                           NY
133               POUGHKEEPSIE                          NY
128               NEW ROCHELLE                          NY
C01               LONG ISLAND CITY                      NY
150               FLUSHING                              NY
163               RIVERHEAD                             NY
160               BEDFORD HEIGHTS                       NY
151               FREEPORT                              NY
137               NEW UTRECHT                           NY
B97               WEST BABYLON                          NY
139               CYPRESS HILLS                         NY
138               MINEOLA                               NY
130               TROY                                  NY
142               OLEAN                                 NY
129               WATERTOWN                             NY
141               GENEVA                                NY
115               NIAGARA FALLS                         NY
116               OGDENSBURG                            NY
146               ONEONTA                               NY
B89               MANATI                                NY
A31               CAROLINA                              NY
271               SAN JUAN                              NY
380               SAN PATRICIO                          NY
272               PONCE                                 NY
B00               HATO TEJAS                            NY
528               AGUADILLA                             NY
C71               FAJARDO                               NY
198               TOA ALTA                              NY
177               CLIFTON                               NY
B99               BRIDGEWATER                           NY
A26               TOMS RIVER                            NY
175               WOODBRIDGE                            NY
180               BRIDGETON                             NY
181               NEPTUNE                               NY
C73               MOUNT LAUREL                          NY
A25               GLASSBORO                             NY
174               UNION TWP                             NY
188               SPRINGFIELD AVE                       NY
178               EGG HARBOR TWP                        NY
184               EAST ORANGE                           NY
D24               AURORA CO                             DEN
900               SALT LAKE CITY UTAH                   DEN
887               COLORADO SPRINGS C                    DEN
902               PROVO UT                              DEN
771               DODGE CITY KS                         KC
779               JOHNSON COUNTY KS                     KC
692               SIOUX CITY IA                         KC
697               FORT DODGE                            KC
737               ST JOSEPH                             KC
693               WATERLOO                              KC
738               SPRINGFIELD                           KC
751               COLUMBIA                              KC
734               ST. PETERS                            KC
234               FAIRLESS PA                           PHI
294               ALEXANDRIA VA                         PHI
231               PITTS EAST LIBERTY P                  PHI
318               FAIRFAX VA                            PHI
C07               GREENBELT MD                          PHI
A33               ROCKVILLE MD                          PHI
282               SILVER SPRING MD                      PHI
270               DC DOWNTOWN                           PHI
227               NORRISTOWN PA                         PHI
B56               VIRGINIA BEACH                        PHI
B68               ACCOMAC VA                            PHI
96                ELKTON MD                             PHI
A35               CARLISLE PA                           PHI
235               CHAMBERSBURG PA                       PHI
205               ERIE PA                               PHI
7                 MEADVILLE, PA                         PHI
216               YORK PA                               PHI
292               DANVILLE, VA                          PHI
301               FARMVILLE, VA                         PHI
299               WISE, VA                              PHI
298               WYTHEVILLE, VA                        PHI
A92               CULPEPPER, VA                         PHI
309               CLARKSBURG WV                         PHI
310               ELKINS WV                             PHI
312               MORGANTOWN WV                         PHI
D36               GARDEN GROVE CA                       SFN
972               SANTA ANA CA                          SFN
B58               MISSION VIEJO CA                      SFN
908               TUCSON AZ                             SFN
00I               SACRAMENTO SSCC                       SFN
984               SALINAS CA                            SFN
960               SAN JOSE CA                           SFN
062               CHATSWORTH CA                         SFN
025               PAGO PAGO AM SAM                      SFN
987               OCEANSIDE CA                          SFN
066               HAYWARD CA                            SFN
D44               WILSHIRE CENTER                       SFN
068               SANTA MARIA CA                        SFN
385               SAN JOSE EAST CA                      SFN
946               LAS VEGAS NV                          SFN
945               RENO NV                               SFN
907               PHOENIX NORTH AZ                      SFN
B60               FREMONT CA                            SFN
976               BERKELEY CA                           SFN
950               SAN FRANCISCO DT C                    SFN
978               MODESTO CA                            SFN
E31               GLENDORA CA                           SFN
952               FRESNO CA                             SFN
250               EL CAJON CA                           SFN
253               UNIVERSITY VILLAGE C                  SFN
249               ANAHEIM                               SFN
D39               BREA                                  SFN
A78               FOUNTAIN VALLEY                       SFN
168               GUAM                                  SFN
D41               KEARNEY MESA                          SFN
B80               LA MESA                               SFN
435               NATIONAL CITY                         SFN
E02               SAIPAN                                SFN
954               SAN DIEGO                             SFN
931               SAN MARCOS                            SFN
914               GLENDALE                              SFN
939               MESA                                  SFN
A53               MORONGO BASIN                         SFN
A15               NEEDLES                               SFN
913               PHOENIX DTN                           SFN
930               SOUTH TUCSON                          SFN
B63               ANTIOCH                               SFN
561               GILROY                                SFN
A83               MOUNTAIN VIEW                         SFN
383               RICHMOND                              SFN
781               SF MISSION                            SFN
E41               SOUTH SAN JOSE                        SFN
967               SAN MATEO                             SFN
988               SAN RAFAEL                            SFN
061               SANTA CRUZ                            SFN
248               WALNUT CREEK                          SFN
948               WATSONVILLE                           SFN
060               MERCED                                SFN
E27               OROVILLE                              SFN
E78               PLACERVILLE                           SFN
969               REDDING                               SFN
E77               ROSEVILLE                             SFN
955               SACRAMENTO                            SFN
E28               NORTH SACRAMENTO                      SFN
E29               WEST SACRAMENTO                       SFN
962               STOCKTON                              SFN
A01               SUSANVILLE                            SFN
A03               UKIAH                                 SFN
989               YUBA CITY                             SFN
D35               AUBURN                                SFN
979               CHICO                                 SFN
E08               FRESNO SOUTHEAST                      SFN
386               FRESNO WEST                           SFN
958               LONG BEACH                            SFN
I55               ELKO                                  SFN
B69               FONTANA                               SFN
906               HEMET                                 SFN
A00               HENDERSON                             SFN
B73               MORENO VALLEY                         SFN
D49               NORTH LAS VEGAS                       SFN
251               RIVERSIDE                             SFN
959               SAN BERNARDINO                        SFN
A87               VICTORVILLE                           SFN
943               WEST COVINA                           SFN
D46               ALHAMBRA                              SFN
434               COMPTON                               SFN
968               HOLLYWOOD                             SFN
966               HUNTINGTON PARK                       SFN
059               LANCASTER                             SFN
063               MONTEBELLO                            SFN
562               NORWALK                               SFN
957               PASADENA                              SFN
982               WHITTIER                              SFN
924               WENATCHEE WA                          SEA
191               KENT WA                               SEA
190               BELLEVUE WA                           SEA
919               YAKIMA WA                             SEA
 


                                 ______
                                 
           Prepared Statement of Tara Dawson McGuinness,\1\ 
        Fellow and Senior Adviser, New Practice Lab, New America
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \1\ See McGuinness and Schank, Power to the Public: The Promise of 
Public Interest Technology, Princeton, Princeton University Press, 
April 2021.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Thank you, Chairman Wyden, Ranking Member Crapo, and members of the 
committee. I am grateful to join you this morning to talk about making 
the Federal Government really work for the public.

      The effort to ensure that citizens and taxpayers are served by 
their government goes back over 100 years.
      When President Lincoln presided over a country of 31 million 
residents he was perhaps the first President to focus on this 
question--how are we delivering for those who elected us? He would open 
the doors to the White House after breakfast to hear from not only 
government officials, but citizens, welcoming their petitions and 
concerns.\2\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \2\ Harold Holzer, ``Abraham Lincoln's White House,'' White House 
History 25 (Spring 2009): https://www.whitehousehistory.org/abraham-
lincolns-white-house.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
      But as the U.S. grew to ten times the size of the populace of 
Lincoln's time, the practicality of this exercise has changed. The 
challenge however remains today for agency leaders: how do they bring 
this spirit of citizen connection and government delivery into the 
digital age?
      If government is going to deliver for people, it needs to 
constantly ask them what they need, and understand how they live their 
lives. This requires:
          Using data and technology to make the process as 
seamless as possible, and understanding what data and technology can't 
do.
          A focus on the people an agency serves--really 
understanding their needs.
          A deep understanding of the approval process for 
services and the role different State and Federal agencies play.
          A culture of learning, re-tooling and adjusting 
to make sure the services keep up with the times and respond to crises 
like a pandemic.

      I am grateful that you have called this hearing to understand 
how responsive the Social Security Administration was to the COVID 
crisis, what we can learn from it, and how we can take these lessons 
forward to improve services into the future.
      adapting structures and using new tools to serve the public
      Just because government structures and systems were built for a 
different time doesn't mean they can't adapt.
      Massive digitization has come to the private sector and the 
truth is--many of the Nation's leading companies didn't survive the 
digital revolution.
          Very few of the Fortune 500 companies at the turn 
of the century survived this disruption.\3\ Failure is not an option 
for the critical services like those administered by the Social 
Security Administration.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \3\ Scott D. Anthony, S. Patrick Viguerie, Evan I. Schwartz, and 
John Van Landeghem, 2018 Corporate Longevity Forecast: Creative 
Destruction Is Accelerating (Lexington, MA: Innosight, 2018).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
          While companies can be replaced by startups 
better adapted for the time, the government is not going to be replaced 
by a startup--it needs to adapt to meet the moment.
          Millions of Americans depend on it.

      Transforming an organization, whether to meet the changes of a 
digital age or a global pandemic, is difficult.
      There are new tools to do this--the modern equivalent of 
Lincoln's one man effort to understand what citizens need and serve 
them.
      While the new Millennium brought a ruthless focus on delivering 
for customers in the private sector--testing messages, imagery, and 
even tweaking the timing of emails to increase customer response--this 
modern toolkit is not yet accessible to all government leaders trying 
to bring critical benefits to citizens.
      This isn't just about making paper applications digital. 
Digitizing a broken process gets you a digitized broken process.
      Many organizations make the mistake of just taking an existing 
process and digitizing it without understanding who they are serving or 
whether that process works.
      Making services work for people requires: building a culture of 
tracking the whole experience for consumers, de-siloing different lanes 
traditionally done by different departments and finding new ways to 
adapt processes to meet beneficiaries where they are.
      There has been progress. There are now multiple government units 
dedicated to the delivery of services from the US Digital Service which 
hires top technologists into term-limited tours to work alongside civil 
servants to build better tools for the people to 18F, an office within 
the General Services Administration, to help governments fulfill their 
mission, stay on budget and use leading technology practices.
      We have seen adaptations to COVID-19 that model new 
possibilities, and some of these models can be found in other Federal 
agencies:
          The Food and Nutrition Service out of the 
Department of Agriculture moved to remote validation for SNAP (food 
assistance) during the pandemic.\4\ More specifically, FNS allowed 
State agencies to adjust in several ways including:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \4\ USDA Food and Nutrition Service, SNAP--Adjusting Interview 
Requirements Due to Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) (Washington, DC: GPO, 
2021), https://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/adjusting-interview-requirements-
covid-19.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
              By not requiring a household to complete an 
interview prior to approval, provided the applicant's identity has been 
verified and all other mandatory verifications are complete.
              By not requiring a face-to-face interview or 
granting a request for a face-to-face interview to any household at 
application or recertification.

      This process takes work, but it isn't impossible. Here are a few 
examples of bureaucracies seeing a delivery challenge and making a 
change:
          In the State of Michigan--the Michigan Department 
of Health and Human Services and Civilla worked on project re:form--the 
transformation of America's longest benefits application.\5\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \5\ ``Project Re:Form,'' Design Awards, Core 77, accessed April 26, 
2021, https://designawards.core77.com/Service-Design/86102/Project-Re-
Form.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
              DHS-1171, the application was the longest of its 
kind in America at over 40 pages.
              The form was an inhumane barrier between people 
desperately in need and the emergency services the State of Michigan 
provides to over 2.5 million residents each year.
              One resident described the system as ``a cosmic 
force'' ``it feels like it is left up to fate whether you will make it 
through.\6\''
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \6\ Interviews with Lena Selzer about original Re:form research and 
Zack Quaintance, Government Technology (e.Republic, June 2018), https:/
/www.govtech.com /civic/A-Blueprint-for-Human-Centered-Change.html.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
              After reviewing the stories of beneficiaries who 
could not get through the system and data on how the application was a 
maze for beneficiaries and State employees alike to navigate, a team of 
State agency leaders and external organizations tackled the design of 
the country's longest benefits application.
              After a massive redesign the experience is 
different, one resident said, ``I feel like I can breathe again, after 
completing the process.''\7\ So is the efficiency of processing, the 
form can be completed in under 20 minutes and processed by the State in 
half the time it used to take.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \7\ McGuinness and Schank, Power to the Public: The Promise of 
Public Interest Technology, Princeton, Princeton University Press, 
April 2021.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
              Why does it matter? Paying attention to form design, 
and ensuring it is accessible, could be the difference between a needy 
family receiving the help they need, and going hungry.

          Similar transformations have happened in 
California's SNAP application, Vermont's process for accepting benefits 
applications supporting documentation, and multiple States' application 
process for accepting foster parents into the child welfare system. In 
Vermont, a document uploader (allowing people to upload documents 
without coming into the office), cut 9 days processing to 1 day.\8\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \8\ Domenic Fichera, ``Integrating Eligibility and Enrollment for 
Health and Human Services,'' Nava, accessed April 26, 2021, https://
www.navapbc.com/case-studies/integrating-eligibility-and-enrollment-
for-health-and-human-services.html.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
          In the State of California, a collaboration of 
State, county, and external partners transformed the process of 
applying for SNAP (food assistance). The reach of Calfresh, 
California's food and nutrition services for low-
income families was very low--only 67 percent of those eligible used 
the program compared to many states where enrollment was 80 percent or 
90 percent. A series of engagements, starting with fellows to the 
nonprofit Code for America, has become a multi-year public-private 
partnership for a statewide transformation to bring the SNAP enrollment 
process into the digital age. The results: while once an online 
application for CalFresh required access to a desktop computer and took 
the better part of an hour to complete, after the GetCalFresh 
transformation the application could be submitted from a smartphone and 
completed in 10 minutes. Applicants can get multilingual live chat 
support while applying, send necessary documents from their mobile 
phone, receive text and email reminders to guide them through the 
enrollment and reporting process, which saves countless hours of 
anxiety and stress for applicants, and reduces operational 
inefficiencies for the counties and State.
          This didn't happen overnight. The team did 
research with users, adjudicators, created a short minimum viable 
product, and over 5 years, transformed the experience of digital SNAP 
outreach and enrollment.\9\ Harvard has written a case study about this 
work.\10\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \9\ Francesca Costa, ``Code for America Improves Access to Social 
Services During COVID-19,'' Hunger and Health--Feeding America, June 3, 
2020, https://hungerandhealth.feedingamerica.
org/2020/06/code-america-improves-access-social-services-covid-19/.
    \10\ Laura Winig and David Eaves, Hacking Bureaucracy: Reimagining 
California's Food Stamp Program in the Digital Age (Cambridge, MA: 
President and Fellows of Harvard College, 2016).

    Here are four key lessons for making this transformation to service 
delivery in the digital age:

First, increasing outreach doesn't help if the front door is locked 
                    (forms):

      It is very important to make sure that the public knows and 
understands the benefits they are eligible to receive. Communication 
and outreach from trusted messengers is critically important, but it is 
rarely enough to make the difference.\11\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \11\ Elizabeth Linos, Aparna Ramesh, Jesse Rothstein, and Matt 
Unrath, ``Increasing Take-Up of the Earned Income Tax Credit'' 
(California Policy Lab, 2020).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
      Often forms or applications, online or on paper, and the 
approval process beneath them are the equivalent of either a locked 
gate or a welcome mat that says ``need not apply.''
      Agencies should think hard about their forms for benefits:
          Try them out on a few people before you subject 
them to millions of people.
          Talk to the beneficiaries who use the form in 
order to better understand the pain points and the experience.
          Understand who uses your form (paper and 
online)--and how they differ. There may be some clients that will need 
in person application processes.
          Talk to the front-line workers who adjudicate and 
process these forms, understanding their work and perspective on the 
process. Often great innovations come from those on the front lines of 
a broken process.
          Collect data on where people get stuck. Many 
times backlogs are the result of confusing questions that require 
requests for more information that must be processed through the mail, 
slowing down applications.
          User research with beneficiaries shouldn't just 
ask people what their experience was. Where possible, researchers 
should watch the process of filling out forms--ask people to think 
aloud, and see which questions are difficult and cause confusion.
          Testing forms takes iteration. Try new forms, and 
then test them again.\12\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \12\ Brigid Schulte, ``Want to design policies that really work? 
Test them on the users who need them first,'' New America, March 31, 
2021, https://www.newamerica.org/better-life-lab/blog/want-to-design-
policies-that-really-work-test-them-on-the-users-who-need-them-first/.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Second, map the user experience (client journey)--end to end:

      Often there is no single person in charge of an application 
process end to end. Without tracing the journey (and what it feels like 
to someone on it) end to end, it is hard to know where the bottlenecks 
are.
      By moving step by step, you can come to understand the true 
experience on the customer side--often, people get lost in the 
transition from one part of the process to the next.
      Time and again, in the California and the Michigan examples 
above, and in countless others, this mapping of the user experience 
helps us understand how a person gets approved.

Third, measure what matters, in real-time:

      Understanding the universe of eligible populations and the 
recipients a program currently serves is the first step in assessing 
service delivery and identifying important gaps.
      Correspondence with this committee revealed that the Social 
Security Administration conducted a comparative analysis of pre- and 
post-COVID Supplemental Security Income (SSI) applications to identify 
any subgroups which showed a larger than average impact from the 
pandemic by analyzing demographic factors, disabilities, and local 
economic characteristics. This analysis identified two specific 
subpopulations which showed larger than average declines: individuals 
aged 65 and older and those with limited English proficiency. These 
groups were under-enrolled during the pandemic compared to prior years.
      This is an important insight. But a critical question is what 
data instrumentation does SSA have to see beneficiaries and where they 
are in the process in real-time?
      The ideal for service delivery is to establish monitoring real-
time data for priority services. This will ensure that the policy is 
achieving the help it intended, and that people aren't being left out.
      The installation of real-time data monitoring was game-changing 
for the ad hoc team of engineers, designers, data scientists and 
contractors working to turnaround Healthcare.gov in its early days.
      The team didn't know what was broken until they could see where 
clients were stuck: the log-in, the identity verification, the part of 
the site where you pick a plan. It was impossible to prioritize fixes 
until you could see all parts of the system in one place and where 
people were getting through and where they met barriers.
      Often different services (log-in, identity verification, 
application validation) are run by different offices, agencies or 
contractors--many times agencies have a hard time creating a complete 
picture of the data because it requires seeing across these lanes of 
work.
      The ability to see in real-time who you are serving and how 
applications are being processed is a key part of modern benefit 
delivery operation.

 Finally, fourth a word of caution: digitizing a broken process gets 
                    you . . . a digitized broken process.

      In more than one instance, governments have tried to turn an 
existing process digital only to make things worse and experience few 
gains. In 2005, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS), 
the successor to the Immigration and Naturalization Service and the 
Federal agency responsible for green cards and citizenship 
applications, began a project to digitize the Nation's immigration 
system.\13\ USCIS undertook this digitization process over the course 
of 10 years. Early work didn't account for how field offices actually 
functioned, and digitizing the process at first made it a lot worse. 
Leaders at the agency have since course corrected, and set USCIS on a 
strong course but the example is a warning. To modernize or digitize a 
process requires really understanding both the beneficiaries and the 
barriers they face, and the work an agency does on the other side.\14\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \13\ Office of Inspector General, ``USCIS Automation of Immigration 
Benefits Processing Remains Ineffective'' (Washington, DC: GPO, 2016), 
https://www.oig.dhs.gov/reports/2016-03/uscis-automation-immigration-
benefits-processing-remains-ineffective/oig-16-48.
    \14\ Hana Schank and Tara McGuinness, ``What Happened When the U.S. 
Government Tried to Make the Immigration System Digital,'' Slate, April 
16, 2021, https://slate.com/technology/2021/04/elis-uscis-digital-
immigration-system.html.

    In closing, I am grateful for the attention this committee has paid 
to how these benefits really reach people. There are models across the 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Federal Government and across the country to build on.

    While policy matters a great deal, it matters very little if it 
doesn't reach those who need it most when they need it most: in a 
crisis.

                                 ______
                                 
      Questions Submitted for the Record to Tara Dawson McGuinness
                 Questions Submitted by Hon. Ron Wyden
    Question. Your testimony is extremely useful as we think of the 
challenge of ensuring all people have access to benefits. One key 
statement goes to the heart of the issues discussed during the 
hearing--this is all about making services work for people:

        Making services work for people requires building a culture of 
        tracking the whole experience for consumers; de-siloing 
        different lanes traditionally done by different departments; 
        and finding new ways to adapt processes to meet beneficiaries 
        where they are.

    From what you learned from testimony and heard at the hearing, 
where do you recommend SSA and agencies like it put their focus on 
meeting beneficiaries where they are? What particular considerations 
should these agencies have for people experiencing disability, 
homelessness, or other impacts on their access? Are there any near term 
solutions that could be implemented during the next six months that you 
recommend?

    From what you learned from testimony and heard at the hearing, 
where do you recommend SSA and agencies like it put their focus on 
meeting beneficiaries where they are?
          near-term ideas to meet beneficiaries where they are
    Answer. There are near-term solutions that SSA and other government 
agencies like it can undertake right away to start meeting their 
beneficiaries where they are. SSA should pick a place to start to make 
improvements in one area and move to the next. Three possible areas to 
consider starting service delivery improvement are: improving access to 
phone assistance, making applications mobile accessible; and reducing 
the application burden of the SSI application.

        Improving access to phone assistance. According to multiple 
beneficiary advocates it has, even prior to the pandemic, been 
difficult to get answers by phone from SSA's national line or field 
offices due to wait times and failure of SSA personnel to return phone 
calls. Improving this phone service is critically important as most 
applications cannot be processed without engaging SSA technicians. 
There are a number of performance measures SSA could focus on to 
improve phone assistance including: looking at the average number of 
calls per day, average call wait times, call abandonment (i.e., the 
percentage of calls dropped before the customer speaks to an agent and 
the call resolution rate). A closer examination of call center and 
field office call data might reveal bottlenecks. By understanding which 
issues are receiving high volume and SSA could offer other channels to 
address these questions and reduce call volume, a successful tactic 
that has been deployed by other State and Federal agencies. It is also 
possible that SSA needs to extend the call center hours or adjust the 
size of the team off of predicted call volume. While national centers 
have flexible hours outside of the 9-4 window many field offices have 
more limited schedules.

        Focus on making applications mobile accessible. Among low-
income clients, a mobile phone is a more common way to access the SSDI/
SSI application, compared to other technology. Federal Government data 
analytics services suggest nearly 45 percent of users on the SSA site 
are using mobile phones to access information. Moving applications for 
SSDI and SSI to 
mobile-friendly could be a high impact way to improve access.\1\ But 
first, SSA should estimate the number of the applications submitted 
online and the percent of those submitted from mobile, tablet, and 
desktop.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \1\ U.S. General Services Administration, ``Social Security 
Administration,'' Washington, DC: GPO, 2021, https://analytics.usa.gov/
social-security-administration/ (accessed May 20, 2021).

        Reducing the application burden of the SSI Application. The 
statistics about how many eligible beneficiaries for SSI never apply 
and how many applications are rejected on their first attempt are 
astonishing. According to the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities 
``of those who complete the 24-page application process for SSI 
disability, only about 1 in 4 receive benefits after the initial 
application. Another 1 in 10 receive benefits on appeal.\2\'' One place 
to start is with the form 8000, the front door to SSI. SSA should run 
an assessment of the form 8000 (bringing policy and legal review 
together with designers) to understand what questions are mandated in 
statute and which can be skipped. Ultimately, the goal should be to 
create the leanest application possible, with only the most essential 
and mandatory information on the form, as all applicants must undergo 
further review regardless. Understanding that the questions that are 
frequently left incomplete, answered incorrectly, or require agency 
follow-up could provide clues as to where the form needs 
simplifications. Advocates report the most challenging factors with the 
paper form are the living arrangement section and the confusion that 
emerges from having various claimant types (adult/child/couple and 
disability/age) all using the same form. The current form is universal 
and covers various types of claims, including individual adult, child, 
or couple. It also covers claims for SSI based on age. SSA should 
consider creating several forms for the different categories of 
applicants/users who are likely to need to provide different 
information. Currently there are dozens of prompts to skip certain 
questions (if not relevant) these irrelevant questions confuse and 
overwhelm beneficiaries. Ultimately, online form should allow e-
signatures (with verbal verification), and completion by third-
party.\3\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \2\ ``Policy Basics: Supplemental Security Income,'' Center on 
Budget and Policy Priorities, updated February 8, 2021, https://
www.cbpp.org/research/social-security/supplemental-security-income.
    \3\ SSA SSI Application Workgroup has compiled design improvements 
from their experiences working through challenges with beneficiaries.

    The best way for SSA to identify meaningful quick win opportunities 
and to unblock bottlenecks is by establishing basic data monitoring of 
existing benefit services. This is something that should be able to be 
done rapidly (in a matter of days or just a few weeks) once SSA has an 
end to end picture of how people are using their systems today, it will 
be easy to identify high-impact opportunities to improve services. 
There are multiple resources throughout the Federal Government that can 
help SSA do this rapid review including the U.S. Digital Service, 18F, 
and the Federal Consumer Experience Office inside the Office of 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Management and Budget.

    SSA also has tools at its disposal to assess how people use their 
site. SSA participates in the Digital Analytics Program,\4\ this allows 
agency leaders to see how many people visited each webpage, what device 
(e.g., desktop or mobile) they are using, and the ``drop-off'' rate 
across pages.\5\ In assessing the current beneficiary journey and 
experience, SSA may want to go beyond the website and consider measures 
that account for the accessibility of different routes including: call 
center effectiveness and application burden. If agency leaders are 
seeking key performance indicators to help size up quick areas for 
improvement there is a new tool out ``A New Framework for Assessing 
Safety Net Delivery.''\6\ This framework could guide a quick assessment 
in one or more of these service delivery including:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \4\ U.S. General Services Administration, ``Social Security 
Administration,'' Washington, DC: GPO, 2021, https://analytics.usa.gov/
social-security-administration/ (accessed May 20, 2021).
    \5\ Ibid.
    \6\ ``The National Safety Net Scorecard,'' Code for America, 
accessed May 20, 2021, https://www.codeforamerica.org/programs/insight-
and-impact/scorecard/the-national-safety-net-scorecard/.

        Online accessibility.
        Mobile accessibility.
        Call center accessibility.
        In person.
        Application burden.

    Question. What particular considerations should these agencies have 
for people experiencing disability, homelessness, or other impacts on 
their access?

    Answer. Agencies should build with these populations in front of 
mind. In particular, the digital divide, inconsistent mailing 
addresses, forms and processes should be reviewed to consider whether 
there are structural barriers baked in preventing the unhoused or 
disabled from even reading or accessing or completing the process. A 
U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) Federal work group, 
established in 2013, was created to analyze SSI/SSDI access among 
adults experiencing homelessness and provide guidance to the field on 
key strategies for linking eligible adults to benefits their assessment 
identified the following barriers:\7\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \7\ Key Strategies for Connecting People Experiencing Homelessness 
to Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability 
Insurance (SSDI) Benefits, https://www.ssa.gov/homelessness/docs/
Final_Key-Strategies-for-Connecting-People-Experiencing-
Homelessness.pdf.

        They often lack required forms of identification and 
        documentation. Due to their limited access of ongoing health-
        care services, people experiencing homelessness often do not 
        have current or quality medical records that document their 
        disabilities. The inability to document a disability can be a 
        major barrier to receiving the SSI or SSDI benefits to which 
        individuals are otherwise entitled. Individuals experiencing 
        homelessness may not have a way to receive correspondence by 
        mail, have limited experience working with computers, or have 
        limited access to Internet connections to take advantage of 
        electronic processes. Because of these challenges, many people 
        experiencing homelessness often do not complete the SSI/SSDI 
        application process, experience longer application and 
        processing times, or have their applications denied due to lack 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
        of information.

    A review of the form 8000 or any application processes should be 
done with these populations in mind and be built to allow for service 
providers to be the lead contact person or appointed representative. 
This or any application or digital programs should conduct usability 
testing with the disability community and the unhoused to identify and 
address accessibility issues early.\8\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \8\ American Association of People with Disabilities, ``Lessons 
from COVID-19,'' Medium, published February 26, 2021, https://
medium.com/disability-in-the-time-of-covid-19/lessons-from-covid-19-
1d80f164c539.

    Finally, the first step is to make short term improvements in 
delivering to those served by SSA today. It is critical that overtime 
SSA work to make sure it is effectively serving not those who apply 
today, but those who are eligible under the law. SSA must attempt to 
answer the question, ``how are we doing reaching the population that is 
eligible for SSI and SSDI? This could be through a quick data analysis 
of the universe of potentially eligible beneficiaries for these two 
programs (i.e., who is eligible to receive benefits under the law) and 
who is receiving benefits today. Studies suggest only 8 million 
families and individuals received SSI in 2020, a fraction of those 
likely eligible. Research suggests that 40-60 percent \9\ of those 
eligible for SSI do not apply for benefits. Other studies like that 
conducted by the Institute of Medicine \10\ found substantial under-
enrollment among disabled children across a range of mental health 
diagnoses. While SSA might want to first focus on improving service 
delivery to the beneficiaries they are reaching, it is important to 
improve the experience of today's beneficiaries in the context of who 
is eligible to receive them.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \9\ https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/10.7758/
rsf.2018.4.2.04.pdf?refreqid=excelsior%3A1f62275
22f9f53baab2f63f7f2b997d0.
    \10\ Committee to Evaluate the Supplemental Security Income 
Disability Program for Children with Mental Disorders; Board on the 
Health of Select Populations; Board on Children, Youth, and Families; 
Institute of Medicine; Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and 
Education; The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and 
Medicine; Boat TF, Wu JT, editors. Mental Disorders and Disabilities 
Among Low-Income Children. (Washington, DC): National Academies Press 
(U.S.); October 28, 2015. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
books/NBK332882/ doi: 10.17226/21780.

    Question. It was brought to my attention by a constituent that the 
MySSA website is only available from 5 a.m. to 1 a.m. weekdays. 
Apparently, the limited hours relate to SSA's legacy systems. The 
majority of SSA's production applications and services rely on 
mainframe processing. SSA needs to take its systems offline so the 
Agency can process the day's transactions (and address maintenance 
issues). Your testimony spoke to the need to be able to monitor 
applications in real time to see where people get stuck in the process. 
It seems that batch processing needs to go in order to provide the 
level of analysis you recommend, is that correct?
        batch processing and reaching consumers in ``off hours''
    Answer. It is not necessarily the case that batch processing needs 
to go to serve SSA clients well. When a complex application process is 
going to take weeks or months (SSI average wait time is 6-8 months), 
overnight batch processing is generally not a big contributor to the 
timeline of slowing down the application. It would be helpful if 
applicants were still able to see and interact with their application 
at all hours, but this can be implemented without eliminating batch 
processing, which is much more difficult. There are multiple examples 
across the Federal Government where agency systems are mainframe based 
and include overnight batch processing but the customer facing 
frontends run 24/7.
            monitor applications in real time to see where 
                    people get stuck in the process
    You don't necessarily need to end batch processing to set up real-
time data monitoring. Instrumenting basic monitoring of existing 
services is critical to understanding how people are using your systems 
to access the benefit today. The best way for SSA to assess quick wins 
and opportunities to unblock bottlenecks is to undertake basic data 
monitoring of existing services to understand how people are using your 
systems to access the benefit today. This is something that should be 
able to be done rapidly (in a matter of days or just a few weeks) once 
SSA has an end to end picture of how people are using their systems 
today, it will be easy to identify high-impact opportunities to improve 
services. There are multiple resources throughout the Federal 
Government that can help SSA do this rapid review including the U.S. 
Digital Service, 18F, and the Federal Consumer Experience Office inside 
the Office of Management and Budget.

    SSA also has tools at its disposal to assess how people use their 
site. SSA participates in the Digital Analytics Program,\11\ this 
allows agency leaders to see how many people visited each webpage, what 
device (e.g., desktop or mobile) they are using, and the ``drop-off'' 
rate across pages.\12\ In assessing the current beneficiary journey and 
experience, SSA may want to go beyond the website and consider measures 
that account for the accessibility of different routes including: call 
center effectiveness and application burden. If agency leaders are 
seeking key performance indicators to help size up quick areas for 
improvement there is a new tool out ``A New Framework for Assessing 
Safety Net Delivery.''\13\ This framework could guide a quick 
assessment in one or more of these service delivery including:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \11\ U.S. General Services Administration, ``Social Security 
Administration,'' Washington, DC: GPO, 2021, https://analytics.usa.gov/
social-security-administration/ (accessed May 20, 2021).
    \12\ Ibid.
    \13\ ``The National Safety Net Scorecard,'' Code for America, 
accessed May 20, 2021, https://www.codeforamerica.org/programs/insight-
and-impact/scorecard/the-national-safety-net-scorecard/.

        Online accessibility.
        Mobile accessibility.
        Call center accessibility.
        In person.
        Application burden.

    Question. Many of SSA systems still rely on COBOL. How does COBOL 
hamper SSA's ability to make services work for people? Do you think 
monitoring the number of lines of COBOL still in production would be a 
useful metric to gage SSA's IT modernization progress?

    Answer. COBOL is not the problem.\14\ The agency's use of COBOL 
doesn't hamper SSA's ability to work for people. It is possible to 
choose one piece of functionality and make it work better for users, 
and as needed turn off that function in the mainframe and replace it. 
This effort to migrate from a legacy system by gradually replacing 
specific pieces of functionality with new applications and services has 
worked effectively and has come to be known in IT software management 
as ``the strangler pattern.'' This term refers to the strangling and 
turning off of the old system's features part by part eventually 
allowing it to be decommissioned.\15\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \14\ Ben Miller, ``An Apology to COBOL: Maybe Old Technology Isn't 
the Real Problem,'' GovTech, published February 25, 2021, https://
www.govtech.com/opinion/an-apology-to-cobol-maybe-old-technology-isnt-
the-real-problem.html.
    \15\ Chanaka Fernando, ``How to migrate your on-premise system to 
cloud through strangler pattern,'' Solution Architecture Patterns, 
published February 4, 2020, https://medium.com/solutions-architecture-
patterns/how-to-migrate-your-on-premise-system-to-cloud-through-
strangler-pattern-2c8ea69ba717.

    One note of caution with COBOL is that it is not a functionality 
issue as much as it is a human capital challenge. It is difficult to 
recruit experts and staff who can program in COBOL. While agencies 
build new functionality and turn off pieces of legacy systems, the 
Federal Government will still need to rely on COBOL and therefore it is 
of critical importance that government's talent and recruitment for use 
of COBOL meets the demand. This is a critical interim step as newer 
frameworks gradually replace old ones.\16\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \16\ Jennifer Pahlka, ``How the Government's Multibillion-Dollar 
Plan to Modernize Its Tech Could Go Horribly Wrong,'' OneZero, 
published April 19, 2021, https://onezero.medium.com/our-kill-it-with-
fire-moment-f900aaabd743.

    Monitoring lines of COBOL would not be a useful metric to gage 
SSA's IT modernization progress. The next generation of metrics should 
focus on outcome for beneficiaries not on internal metrics about use of 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
certain technologies.

    There are other ways beyond mainframe improvements to speed things 
for beneficiaries. Beneficiaries aren't just stuck to do legacy 
computer systems. Beneficiaries are delayed and stuck due to the 
inability to simply call to ask questions about their applications 
without wait times and dropped calls. They are stuck due to complex 
forms and SSA's work load is such that it takes months for them to 
assess disability claims--the application process takes 6 to 8 months 
(on average). It is not just the mainframe system slowing things down. 
The current system overall designed to make it harder for people to 
apply and be approved for benefits.

                                 ______
                                 
             Question Submitted by Hon. Sheldon Whitehouse
    Question. According to the Congressional Research Service, in 2020 
only 53.5 percent of Social Security disability applications were 
submitted online. What recommendations do you have for Congress to help 
the SSA increase the share of online applications versus other methods?

    Answer. If SSA wants to improve its service it first needs to 
understand the different pathways of getting access to SSI and SSDI. 
Driving up applications online might not equate to improving processing 
and access for beneficiaries. Keep in mind that some beneficiaries may 
not be able to use an online service. So it is critical that any 
service design contemplates the 10 percent who will not be able to 
access this service either due to their circumstances or difficulties 
accessing the Internet. The SSA needs to understand how people are 
using these benefits today and what the blockers are before determining 
whether increasing online applications is the best path forward.

    The best way for SSA to assess quick wins and opportunities to 
unblock bottlenecks is to undertake basic data monitoring of existing 
services to understand how people are using your systems to access the 
benefit today. This is something that should be able to be done rapidly 
(in a matter of days or just a few weeks) once SSA has an end to end 
picture of how people are using their systems today, it will be easy to 
identify high-impact opportunities to improve services. There are 
multiple resources throughout the Federal Government that can help SSA 
do this rapid review including the US Digital Service, 18F, and the 
Federal Consumer Experience Office inside the Office of Management and 
Budget.

    SSA also has tools at its disposal to assess how people use their 
site. SSA participates in the Digital Analytics Program,\17\ this 
allows agency leaders to see how many people visited each webpage, what 
device (e.g., desktop or mobile) they are using, and the ``drop-off'' 
rate across pages.\18\ In assessing the current beneficiary journey and 
experience, SSA may want to go beyond the website and consider measures 
that account for the accessibility of different routes including: call 
center effectiveness and application burden. If agency leaders are 
seeking key performance indicators to help size up quick areas for 
improvement there is a new tool out ``A New Framework for Assessing 
Safety Net Delivery.''\19\ This framework could guide a quick 
assessment in one or more of these service delivery including:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \17\ U.S. General Services Administration, ``Social Security 
Administration,'' Washington, DC: GPO, 2021, https://analytics.usa.gov/
social-security-administration/ (accessed May 20, 2021).
    \18\ Ibid.
    \19\ ``The National Safety Net Scorecard,'' Code for America, 
accessed May 20, 2021, https://www.codeforamerica.org/programs/insight-
and-impact/scorecard/the-national-safety-net-scorecard/.

        Online accessibility.
        Mobile accessibility.
        Call center accessibility.
        In person.
        Application burden

                                 ______
                                 
                 Question Submitted by Hon. Rob Portman
    Question. During my questioning, I discussed how critical it is to 
ensure that the Social Security trust funds remain solvent. Can you 
discuss the human costs that would occur if we run into a situation 
where we reached insolvency and the Social Security Administration were 
forced to trim benefits?

    Answer. Sixty-five million Americans depend on Social Security, so 
any issues of SSA insolvency could impact millions. However the latest 
report ``The 2020 Annual Report of the Board of Trustees of the Federal 
Old-Age and Survivors Insurance and Federal Disability Insurance Trust 
Funds,'' suggests program solvency for many years depending on the 
program including that OASO trust fund should be able to pay scheduled 
benefits until 2034, the Disability Insurance (DI) trust fund, which 
pays disability benefits, will be able to pay scheduled benefits until 
2065. While trimming benefits could be devastating to millions of 
families, the recent report from the Social Security trustees paints a 
different picture.

                                 ______
                                 
     Prepared Statement of Peggy Murphy, Immediate Past President, 
      National Council of Social Security Management Associations
    Chairman Wyden, Ranking Member Crapo, and members of the committee, 
my name is Peggy Murphy. In addition to being the immediate past 
president of the National Council of Social Security Management 
Associations (NCSSMA), I am the District Manager of the Great Falls, MT 
Social Security office. On behalf of the National Council, thank you 
for the opportunity to be here today to provide our front-line 
perspective of the Social Security Administration's service delivery 
during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

    NCSSMA is a professional association of almost 3,000 management 
personnel in the field offices and teleservice centers of the Social 
Security Administration (SSA). Each day, NCSSMA members directly serve 
the American public in over 1,250 of SSA's public-facing offices. For 
over 50 years, NCSSMA's mission has been to provide a clear, credible 
and valuable perspective on public service from the front lines.

    As our country continues to address the ongoing pandemic, we find 
ourselves in uncharted territory facing ever-evolving challenges. The 
pandemic and its ongoing threat to the health, economic security and 
well-being of our Nation have had an unimaginable impact on not only 
those seeking assistance from our agency, but also our own staff and 
their loved ones. What remains unchanged during these unprecedented 
times is that SSA has a critical mission of helping the American 
public. The role of the Social Security Administration has never been 
more important than it is today.

    NCSSMA firmly believes that this is a time when we must not lose 
sight of the core mission of the Social Security Administration and, 
perhaps even more importantly, the many challenges that the agency 
faces in fulfilling that mission.

    On Friday, March 17, 2020, the majority of Social Security 
employees were informed that effective Monday, March 20, 2020, they 
would be teleworking indefinitely and that field offices would be 
closed to the public because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The rest were 
informed on March 20, 2020, and sent home. This was a colossal 
undertaking for the agency given that the majority of employees had 
never teleworked, and the agency's telework pilot had ended just a 
handful of months before. Within days, the majority of field office 
employees and a large number of teleservice center employees were 
successfully teleworking. Initial challenges involved lack of equipment 
and software licensing as well as data capacity. SSA was able to 
increase data capacity and stabilize the network after a few weeks. 
Unfortunately, securing the software licensing and headset equipment 
for softphones to enable field office employees to answer incoming 
public calls and make outgoing calls took longer. Limited quantities of 
each were available from the previous telework pilot, but significant 
effort was required to quickly acquire and deploy new equipment and 
software.

    Though field offices were closed to the public, given the nature of 
the work SSA does, it was not entirely possible for every field office 
employee to telework. Since the beginning, dedicated members of field 
office management staff continued to physically come into the office to 
handle incoming and outgoing mail, scan tens of thousands of documents 
to support those working from home, provide in-person service for 
critical cases such as immediate payments, and to handle facility-
related duties. Early on, this situation was manageable because so many 
of our customers found themselves in lock-down and dealing with the 
impact of COVID-19. In addition, many probably believed that at some 
point in the near future, field offices would reopen, and therefore 
delayed contacting field offices or calling the teleservice center.

    Around 4 months into the pandemic, those customers who delayed 
contacting us because they thought our lobbies would reopen, realized 
they would not, so they began contacting us in increasing numbers. The 
phone queue was our new lobby. While the majority of our services can 
be accomplished online or via telephone, one of the ongoing challenges 
facing customers has been the need for SSA to see original 
documentation in many situations. Customers began mailing more original 
documentation, placing an increasing amount of strain on management's 
ability to stay current on incoming and outgoing mail. Management also 
needed to address significantly delayed mail service which in many 
cases resulted in customers searching for their documents. It was an 
unsustainable situation that continued to deteriorate as demand 
increased. At around the same time, the agency was making plans to 
reinstate workloads that had been suspended at the start of the 
pandemic and increase the types of services that could be performed in 
the office. Yet, there were no plans to increase on-site staffing.

    It was not until early fall of 2020 that a very small number of 
nonmanagement employees began returning to field offices on a voluntary 
and rotational basis to assist with the substantial volume of incoming 
and outgoing mail. Staffing numbers did not increase to higher levels 
in most locations until late January and early February 2021.

    Though comments have been made that employees are more productive 
working from home, this is far from accurate. No doubt, many employees 
were more productive early on based on the way the agency measures 
productivity, meaning that they were able to process more work. 
However, they are only able to process more work, because of the 
clerical assistance they receive from on-site personnel and the easing 
of some programmatic requirements. Prior to the pandemic, individual 
employees would have been responsible for printing, mailing and faxing 
their own documents. With the time saved from these responsibilities 
and the easing of some programmatic requirements, some employees are 
able to be more productive, but it is not efficient, and it comes at 
the expense of management not being able to manage the operations in 
their respective offices.

    SSA rarely takes a holistic approach in assessing how long it 
actually takes to process work from beginning to end. SSA monitors 
numerous workloads, including, but not limited to: claims, 
redeterminations (RZs) and continuing disability reviews (CDRs). What 
is not necessarily captured effectively is the amount of other work 
that SSA staff complete. The agency's current work unit calculations do 
not take into account the additional work associated with processing a 
specific action. This has been exacerbated by the pandemic where many 
workloads now require additional handling and processing time in order 
to make the work or action portable for employees to process from home. 
The additional handling and time necessary to receive, scan, profile, 
assign, and mail documents associated with claims or post-
entitlement actions is not reflected in the overall processing time.

    In addition to increasing on-site personnel, SSA has made efforts 
to improve public access to facilities and lessen the clerical burden 
on field offices. These efforts have included field office drop boxes 
and the use of Microsoft Teams to conduct certain enumeration 
interviews. The drop box pilot began in late October 2020 and as of 
last month was expanded to every field office. If field offices have 
available space and a separate vestibule, they can install a drop box 
so that customers can drop off required proofs. This greatly reduces 
the chances their documents will be lost in the mail. SSA is testing 
using Microsoft Teams to conduct enumeration interviews with customers 
where customers can use their smartphone or computer to conduct 
business face to face. It is hoped that this can be expanded to other 
workloads.

    Perhaps the biggest challenge field offices faced and will continue 
to face in providing service during the pandemic is policies that 
mandate face-to-face interactions to process certain workloads and the 
need for in-person service for some of our customers. During the 
pandemic SSA has relaxed face-to-face requirements for certain 
workloads and we recommend that these changes be made permanent. For 
the workloads where face-to-face interactions are required, SSA must 
find a way to satisfy policy requirements or indeed change such 
policies when feasible. A good example is enumeration for non-citizens, 
which requires the undue burden of a face-to- face interview. The 
incidence of fraud would be low considering that we must verify 
information with the Department of Homeland Security. If it is indeed a 
significant concern, then all non-citizens should be enumerated at 
entry by the U.S. Department of State or the Department of Homeland 
Security. While eliminating the requirements for face-to-face service 
can be achieved through changes in policy, procedures or legislation, 
changing the need for in-person service for some of our customers will 
be difficult to achieve. During the pandemic, those individuals who do 
not have Internet service, a telephone or easy access to mail service 
have not been able to access our services. Even during normal times, 
these individuals find it difficult to conduct business with SSA, but 
at least they could visit a field office. This is not a viable option 
so long as our lobbies remain closed to walk-in service.

    While NCSSMA fully supports automation, and the pandemic has 
reinforced the need for technology upgrades, there is a compelling need 
for ongoing support of SSA's community-based field offices to 
adequately serve our most vulnerable customers and those without 
technology that would otherwise connect them with SSA. Field offices 
provide compassionate service to the most vulnerable members in our 
communities including those living in rural and tribal locations. 
Employees in local offices live and work in the community and, to SSA 
field office visitors, they provide an invaluable lifeline to essential 
services. Local field offices make a difference in their communities, 
beyond the execution of SSA's mission. Although the agency has engaged 
in an historically unprecedented amount of outreach to vulnerable 
populations by partnering with advocacy and support groups during the 
pandemic, the fact is that many community organizations and third-party 
sites that SSA relies on to connect our underserved populations with us 
have also been closed. This includes Indian Health Services, homeless 
shelters and other community advocate centers. Field offices that 
relied heavily on video service connections with third-party sites have 
been dormant during the pandemic. Coupling limited staffing in field 
offices with the closure of most third-party sites, connecting 
customers in our rural and tribal locations has been difficult.

    The Social Security Administration upholds a high standard of 
superior customer service and maintains this through the employees who 
work in field offices. The coronavirus pandemic has emphasized how 
critical it is for SSA to continue to transition as an agency and 
embrace automation, technology and self-help tools such as Internet 
claims, online enumeration and telework for employees. SSA must provide 
additional ways for the public to access our services. Even with the 
shift to more online services, field offices and their employees are 
necessary to process much of the backend work on complex online cases 
including Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and to serve our 
customers who do not have access to the telephone or Internet.

    SSA's computer systems face fundamental challenges. Some of SSA's 
core programs still rely on COBOL systems that are well over 40 years 
old. Although some databases have been converted to a more modern and 
flexible platform, SSA must continue to modernize its computer language 
and database infrastructure, including moving its data to the cloud. It 
is critical that we focus on these efforts to reduce the risk of 
cyberattacks, service disruptions and reduced system performance and 
production.

    It is also critical that we continue to advance SSA's IT 
modernization plan while maintaining an appropriate balance between the 
service delivery options available to the public. NCSSMA members 
nationwide are interested and willing to play an active role in 
development, testing and deployment of enhancements to existing systems 
in addition to new technology and programs. Our position on the front 
lines provides us with the best vantage point to offer assistance. We 
continue to encourage agency leadership to include managers and 
employees on the front lines in all aspects of software development and 
policy implementation. The challenges of the pandemic have only 
emphasized the need to include front-line experience and perspective to 
these efforts.

    NCSSMA strongly supports SSA IT modernization. Dedicated funding is 
needed for IT investments to modernize systems to the standards the 
administration, Congress and the public expect. From our perspective, 
SSA needs to address four specific areas: modernize core agency 
applications; improve SSA's telephone system and associated management 
information; implement national scanning and remote printing; and 
implement technologies that will assist our more vulnerable 
populations, including the deaf and hard-of-hearing community, non-
English-speaking customers, the homeless, and those who live in rural 
and tribal locations.

      Modernize Core Agency Applications
        Improve SSA's appointment and check-in system to 
allow for online appointment scheduling.
        Modernize both the Supplemental Security Income 
(TXVI), and the Retirement, Disability and Medicare (TII and TXVIII) 
claims processing systems utilizing a single claims-taking platform.
        Modernize the electronic Representative Payee 
System (eRPS) to both process and oversee the administration of SSA 
representative payees.
        Modernize the Electronic Disability Collect System 
(EDCS) to integrate the disability analysis process in the overall 
claims process. This includes eliminating all exclusions to the 
electronic file and the ability to file all appeals online.
        Work with the Department of Interior to modernize 
SSA's payroll system, Web Time and Attendance (WebTA).
        Modernize and consolidate all management 
information (MI) data into a single, user-friendly platform that 
managers can use to control and measure work production.
        In October 2020, the agency was able to make the 
SSA-455 CDR mailer available online that Wilkes-Barre mails, but the 
agency has not yet made the SSA-454 that field offices utilize 
available for online access. All medical CDR forms should be available 
online.

      SSA's Telephone System
        Ensure SSA moves forward expeditiously with a new 
comprehensive telephone system in order to provide consistency among 
the national 800 number, field offices and all other SSA components.
        Improve management information for assessing call 
volume, levels of customer service, and the overall customer 
experience.

      National Scanning and Remote Printing
        Implement dedicated scanning facilities where 
members of the public can send by mail, email, or facsimile, documents 
to a central location for scanning, profiling, and assigning.
        Implement a comprehensive remote printing 
initiative to direct all field office print traffic to one or more 
centralized locations for mailing.
        Expand the use of electronic notices behind the my 
Social Security portal.

      Technology to Meet the Needs of Our Vulnerable Populations and 
Reduce Field Office Contacts
        Implement alternative service methods that may 
include expanded video and video service delivery third-party contracts 
in rural locations.
        Make stand-alone, self-service kiosks available in 
locations where the public is already conducting business with other 
State and local government agencies.
        Provide enumeration at entry for all immigrants. 
This would eliminate the need for immigrants to visit SSA field 
offices.
        Expand the use of the American Association of Motor 
Vehicle Administration (AAMVA) verification process to include all 50 
States. Allow verification of driver's licenses and State-issued 
identification via AAMVA for all enumeration activities that would 
normally require the technician to view the original document. This 
process is already in use with those States covered under Internet 
Social Security Replacement Cards online (iSSNRC). This would allow the 
agency to explore initiatives to provide replacement Social Security 
cards over video and enhance the current MS Teams enumeration pilot.
        Expand the use of verification methods through the 
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Department of State in 
order to further verify foreign documents and U.S. passports for 
enumeration purposes. This would allow the agency to issue replacement 
Social Security cards over video and enhance the current MS Teams 
enumeration pilot.
        Expand the use of the Social Security Electronic 
Remittance System (SERS) to include processing of all remittance types. 
This will reduce the time it takes to credit a remittance to a 
customer's account and eliminate the need to involve the remittance 
unit in the processing centers.
        Require members of the public to report wages using 
current electronic wage-reporting technology. This includes allowing 
the public to submit wage stubs electronically through my Social 
Security. This would provide a significant reduction in paper 
processing in field offices and virtually eliminate the need to copy, 
scan, profile, and mail pay stubs.

    We understand modernizing SSA's computer systems is costly and will 
take time. The path established by the Commissioner and his team 
relative to IT modernization was making progress in this area, and 
while the pandemic has resulted in some shifts to address current 
needs, we must continue to address these challenges.

    In addition to IT modernization, NCSSMA believes it is critically 
important that changes be made to the Social Security and SSI programs 
that have the potential to increase administrative efficiency, decrease 
operational costs, and ultimately provide better service to our 
customers. It is unfortunate that a pandemic has reinforced the need 
for streamlined and updated policies that better serve the public and 
make it easier for the agency to administer. The pandemic and the 
service delivery challenges associated with current policies and 
business practices in place certainly emphasize the need for change. We 
suggest the following:

      Eliminate the Need for the Social Security Number Card. This 
would reduce Social Security number fraud, significantly reduce in-
office traffic and telephone calls and allow for the closure of Social 
Security number card centers so that employees could be redeployed to 
field offices, which would reduce SSA's real estate footprint and save 
money. In addition, as stated above, expand enumeration at entry, DHS 
interfaces, and AAMVA verification in order to enhance and support 
initiatives to obtain original Social Security numbers without the need 
to visit a field office. This would allow field offices to focus on 
customers with more complex issues that do not lend themselves to 
online or telephone service.

      Simplify Disability Work Incentives and Pursue Early 
Intervention Measures once a beneficiary is on the rolls. This would 
reduce the number of disability beneficiaries, minimize time developing 
complex issues, increase public understanding of work incentives, and 
return more beneficiaries to work. Early invention measures, such as 
supportive employment services and targeted incentives for employers to 
help disabled workers remain on the job, have the potential to achieve 
long-term gains in employment.

      Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Program Simplification in 
order to improve the efficiency of program administration and yield 
savings to the American taxpayer. Continuous policy changes regarding 
resources, income and living arrangements make it difficult to 
administer the SSI program and ensure accuracy of payments. With 
growing agency workloads and diminished resources, the following SSI 
policy simplifications are recommended:

        Revise SSI Living Arrangements (LA) and In-kind 
Support and Maintenance (ISM) Rules to eliminate administrative 
complexity and a source of payment errors. Reducing the myriad of 
living arrangement situations would eliminate complex development and 
save administrative costs, while still providing a support mechanism 
for SSI recipients.

        Change SSI Retrospective Monthly Accounting (RMA) 
Rules Regarding Prisoners allowing a beneficiary recently released from 
jail to collect SSI benefits until Social Security benefits are 
reinstated. This is a labor-
intensive workload with little benefit. Changes would save 
administrative costs.

        Eliminate the Dedicated Account and Installment 
Payment Provisions in SSI to reduce administrative complexity. The 
first provision requires underpayments paid to SSI disabled children be 
set aside in a dedicated account for use on only approved expenditures. 
The second provision requires that underpayments in excess of three 
times the Federal benefit rate be released in no more than three 
installments. Eliminating these provisions will improve administration 
and management of money for SSI recipients.

        Eliminate SSI Holding Out Provisions for 
individuals who hold themselves out to be husband and wife to be 
considered a couple, the same as if legally married. The holding out 
provision, which also applies to same sex couples, is a carry-over from 
pre-1970 State welfare laws. It adds unnecessary complexity to SSI 
cases, and leads to unequal treatment of applicants in similar 
situations. Elimination would save administrative costs.

      Simplify Workers' Compensation (WC) and Public Disability 
Benefit (PDB) Offset through legislation to simplify WC and PDB offset 
computation by providing a flat benefit reduction would simplify the 
complex calculations now required to apply the offset and significantly 
reduce SSA's need to continually monitor the worker's receipt of, and 
fluctuations in, the number of WC/PDB payments. Replacing the existing 
complicated offset calculation with a uniform offset, would realize 
administrative savings without a significant impact on beneficiary 
payments.

    Much of what we have discussed can be accomplished, but it requires 
resources. SSA must have consistent and adequate funding to ensure the 
American public receives the services for which they have paid for, 
expect and deserve. Our hope is that the Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 
appropriations process will result in no less than the President's 
budget request of $14.2 billion for SSA. Resource allocations in FY 
2022 must be sufficient to improve the timely processing of disability 
claims, expand outreach to vulnerable populations, and ensure that SSA 
makes the correct payments to those who qualify while maintaining 
program integrity work. Resources are also necessary to advance SSA's 
ongoing IT modernization project that will significantly enhance the 
agency's systems and improve productivity, while at the same time 
increasing the accessibility of benefits for seniors and people with 
disabilities.

    Our customers deserve improved telephone and online services, while 
still being able to request timely and safe in-person service. Our 
offices must continue to have the resources and staff necessary to 
address additional workloads and responsibilities. The President's FY 
2022 budget request provides $895 million in additional funding to 
provide better services at SSA's field offices, teleservice centers, 
and State disability determination services. Perhaps consideration 
should be given to multi-year funding for critical systems investments 
and expenditures. This would ensure that adequate planning could be 
completed for service delivery improvements.

    SSA must also continue to address critical stewardship workloads 
that save billions of dollars for taxpayers. It is imperative that the 
workers and taxpayers who have paid trillions of dollars in FICA taxes 
to the trust funds have access to all the necessary services that they 
have paid for and receive timely benefit payments. The President's FY 
2022 budget request includes $1.9 billion for dedicated program 
integrity activities, including a $283 million increase above the FY 
2021 enacted level. The definition of program integrity funding should 
be expanded to include critical systems investments and expenditures 
that facilitate completion of program integrity initiatives.

    From the beginning of the pandemic, the Commissioner and agency 
leadership have placed customer service at the forefront and every 
effort has been made for SSA to provide a full range of services to the 
American public. Management and employees have continued to provide the 
highest quality of compassionate service possible during these 
difficult times. Though the pandemic has changed this agency and the 
customers we serve, we should take this opportunity to reassess the 
customer experience and what it means to provide world class customer 
service. This is a moment for SSA to redefine itself, its mission and 
its place in the public sphere and finally move into the 21st century.

    On behalf of the National Council of Social Security Management 
Associations, thank you again for the opportunity to be here today to 
provide our front-line perspective of the Social Security 
Administration's service delivery during the coronavirus pandemic. 
National Council members are not only dedicated Social Security 
employees, but are also personally committed to the mission of the 
agency, providing the best service possible to your constituents. We 
want to ensure the American public benefits from the lessons learned 
during these unprecedented times. We respectfully ask that you consider 
our comments and appreciate any assistance you can provide in ensuring 
the American public receives the critical and necessary service they 
deserve from the Social Security Administration.

                                 ______
                                 
           Questions Submitted for the Record to Peggy Murphy
                 Questions Submitted by Hon. Ron Wyden
    Question. You stated in your testimony that a lot of the 
``nonportable work'' involves the U.S. mail--both opening the mail and 
printing documents then stuffing envelopes. You mentioned that a 
``comprehensive remote printing initiative'' should be developed. That 
seems like a good idea, especially when everyone is working remotely. 
Can you tell us more about how that would speed up service and reduce 
the need for people to be in the office?

    Answer. While many of SSA's notices are automated and are mailed 
from a centralized location, field offices are responsible for manual 
notices, claims-related material such as receipts, numerous forms, 
appointment letters, and letters requesting proofs. The majority of 
these lend themselves to centralized printing, though the option to 
print in the field office should remain for situations where proofs are 
needed. In February 2021, NCSSMA was able to provide feedback to the 
agency and propose a phased approach to centralized printing. One of 
the difficulties in implementing centralized printing is that SSA has 
numerous programs that can print, and these programs use different 
methods to route print traffic. Unfortunately, there is no single 
solution to address this issue. Prior to the pandemic, employees were 
responsible for mailing or providing these documents directly to 
customers. Mailing of these documents takes time away from other, often 
higher priority, work. Managers and the limited number of bargaining 
unit employees who are physically in the field offices now find 
themselves mailing all documents that in many cases would have been 
provided directly to the customer during an in-office visit. Field 
office personnel must now balance the incoming mail with the outgoing 
mail, both of which take up most of the workday. As a result, managers 
are not able to dedicate time to manage other work and employees are 
not able to process higher priority work. Reducing this burden would 
decrease the number of on-site staff needed to process this workload. 
Centralized printing capabilities and employees assigned to this 
initiative would ensure that printed materials are mailed daily. This 
is not always possible in the current field environment.

    Question. In your testimony you recommended eliminating the Social 
Security card. Times have changed. Employers can now use E-verify or 
other systems to check names and numbers. Can you tell us more about 
why NCSSMA recommends this change?

    Answer. The purpose of the Social Security number (SSN) is to tie 
earnings to the Social Security number holder. It was not intended for 
any other purpose. However, over time the SSN and the Social Security 
card have been used by numerous other entities, such as financial 
institutions, medical providers and even States to identify an 
individual for reasons at odds with the SSN's intent. This was done as 
a matter of convenience, but this contributes greatly to identity theft 
and serves no purpose as far as the Social Security Act is concerned. 
Eliminating the Social Security card and its associated workload would 
allow field offices to redirect resources to address other workloads.

    Question. Do you feel field offices were adequately staffed pre-
pandemic?

    Answer. No. Our field offices have been severely understaffed for 
many years. Though technology improvements have helped mitigate some 
staffing shortfalls, the fact remains that employees are needed to 
process the work. The primary reason SSA cannot provide timely service 
on most workloads is due to inadequate staffing.

    Question. Do you feel field offices are adequately staffed now?

    Answer. No. We have even fewer staff now than we did at the start 
of the pandemic and though some of the workload numbers have decreased 
such as claims, it now takes more time to process many of the workloads 
we have because of the need to scan everything into an electronic 
system to transfer to technicians to work from home.

    Question. What resources do you need now to continue working under 
your current posture with limited on-site personnel?

    Answer. We need more centralized printing and mailing capabilities, 
program simplification and the elimination of the paper Social Security 
number (SSN) card. We also recommend the elimination of the SSN for any 
purpose other than its original intent. If SSA had electronic 
interfaces with every bank, insurance company and wage provider, we 
could more easily verify eligibility for Supplemental Security Income 
(SSI) and Social Security Disability. We also need enumeration at entry 
for all non-citizens.

    Question. Do you feel SSA has done all it can to ensure the safety 
of the public? Safety of employees?

    Answer. Regarding the safety of the public, yes. Regarding the 
safety of employees, sending employees home was the best thing to do to 
ensure their safety. Unfortunately, that option was not available to 
field office managers. While the majority of SSA's bargaining unit 
employees were teleworking, field office managers were physically in 
the office every day. Some had concerns for their own health and safety 
and that of their families, but came in daily to serve the public and 
continue agency operations. This is not a sustainable model for 
customer service.

    Question. What IT enhancement do you need now to help alleviate the 
stresses on applicants and field offices employees?

    Answer. Adding more online options would provide the public with 
greater flexibility in how they do business with the agency. The 
following claims should be available online: Supplemental Security 
Income (SSI), Disability for everyone, SSI Aged, Lump Sum Death 
Payments (LSDP), children's claims, widow(er) claims, mother with child 
in care claims, Medicare for those already drawing, retirement claims, 
spouse's claims when filing after the number holder. The agency needs 
one integrated claims-taking system on the employee side. SSA is 
working towards that goal, but we needed it years ago. Dedicated self-
help PCs at third-party sites such as senior centers, State offices and 
hospitals.

                                 ______
                                 
               Question Submitted by Hon. Maria Cantwell
                               broadband
    Question. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced us to rethink 
longstanding systems, including the delivery of Social Security 
benefits. Over the past year, the Social Security Administration (SSA) 
has worked to transition services to their online platform. While 
accessing services online instead of in-person may be more convenient 
for some, it is important to remember that millions of Americans around 
the country still do not have access to reliable Internet and millions 
more find it difficult to pay the monthly cost of broadband service.

    Beneficiaries have been left to navigate the complex system of 
applying for benefits and submitting appeals online reduced assistance 
from SSA due to the closure of field offices and long wait times for 
phone calls. I have heard from constituents who waited on hold for 5 
hours to verify a document scanned and sent to SSA. We must work to 
ensure that the SSA has the adequate technology to handle online 
services and that more people in rural and underserved areas have 
access to reliable, affordable broadband connections.

    What are the unique technological challenges that the regional 
offices face when providing online services for people living in rural 
or underserved areas? What considerations should SSA take to address 
any gaps in technology and reliable broadband?

    Answer. SSA should use available agency data and data from reliable 
third-party sites such as broadbandnow.com to target areas with low my 
Social Security participation rates, but widespread broadband 
availability. Many rural areas have fiber broadband availability. SSA 
should also consider locating self-help computers/kiosks in places 
where our customers already frequent such as senior centers, State 
government offices, libraries and hospitals. While some customers do 
not have Internet or phone service, many of our customers without in-
home Internet service do have smart phones and therefore access to the 
Internet through cellular data. SSA should ensure that all online 
services are optimized for mobile phones. In addition, consideration 
should be given to providing free Wi-Fi to customers in field offices. 
The Wi-Fi should also be accessible in field office parking lots where 
feasible.

                                 ______
                                 
                 Questions Submitted by Hon. Mike Crapo
    Question. Your testimony identifies that:

        [T]he Commissioner and agency leadership have placed customer 
        service at the forefront and every effort has been made for SSA 
        to provide a full range of services to the American public. 
        Management and employees have continued to provide the highest 
        quality of compassionate service possible during these 
        difficult times.

    The Commissioner and agency leadership, by appearance and evidence, 
have continued their focus on service delivery to beneficiaries, and 
that focus has grown even sharper in response to the shock of the 
pandemic, including attention to providing service to at-risk 
populations. How has communication been with SSA's leadership during 
the pandemic, including with your co-panelist Ms. Grace Kim and her 
operations team?

    Answer. SSA leadership has maintained open communication with 
NCSSMA. In addition to ongoing communication, NCSSMA has had several 
formal meetings with the Commissioner, Ms. Grace Kim, and components 
within DCO.

    Question. It currently appears that the overwhelming majority of 
SSA staff in the office presently are volunteers. Please identify how 
SSA is able to find an adequate number of volunteers, and how the 
agency has communicated with and safely brought in the very small 
number of non-volunteers that have been needed.

    Answer. SSA employees are committed to customer service, and many 
of them have volunteered to come into the office to assist management 
with non-portable workloads.

    Unfortunately, some offices have limited to no volunteers and have 
been restricted from bringing in non-volunteer bargaining unit 
employees. Some employees do not volunteer for various reasons, but one 
primary reason is the time they spend in the office addressing mail, is 
time they do not have to process their claims workloads. The same is 
true for management as they are spending the majority of time on 
clerical duties and are often unable to keep up with their own 
management workloads. SSA should institute a measured and comprehensive 
approach to adequately staff all field offices both during and after 
the pandemic.

    Question. Testimony for the hearing has addressed the importance of 
fully funding SSA's program integrity activities. For FY 2022, the 
President has requested $1.9 billion for these activities, marking a 
$283-million increase over the FY 2021 enacted level. Please elaborate 
on how program integrity activities ensure beneficiaries are well-
served and while safeguarding taxpayer resources.

    Answer. Program integrity activities ensure that beneficiaries 
receive the correct payment. Program integrity initiatives save 
taxpayer dollars and contribute to reducing the Federal budget and 
deficit. SSA's current estimates indicate that medical CDRs conducted 
in FY 2020 yielded a return of investment (ROI) of about $8 on average 
per $1 budgeted for program integrity funding, including Old-Age, 
Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI), SSI, Medicare and Medicaid 
program effects. SSA estimates also indicate, in the same fiscal year, 
that non-medical redeterminations will yield a ROI of about $3 on 
average of net Federal program savings over 10 years per $1 budgeted 
for dedicated program integrity funding, including SSI and Medicaid 
program effects.

                                 ______
                                 
               Questions Submitted by Hon. Chuck Grassley
    Question. Scam artists often use an emergency that disrupts normal 
practices and procedures to their advantage. I've received a number of 
reports from my constituents that they have received fraudulent phone 
calls and letters claiming their benefits were in danger due to the 
closure of Social Security offices. Could you speak to what types of 
scams you have seen using the pandemic and recent changes in procedures 
to prey on vulnerable seniors?

    Answer. The scams are constantly evolving. Some of the more common 
telephone scams: your SSN has been used in a crime; there is a warrant 
for your arrest because your SSN was misused; your Social Security 
account has been frozen; your SSN is being retired; your SSN has been 
stolen. Regarding what SSA is doing to alert seniors of potential scams 
and how to avoid being defrauded: SSA has a banner with a link to more 
information on the agency's home page concerning scams. There is also a 
link to report scams to the Office of Inspector General (OIG). 
Employees also have access to various materials concerning fraud that 
can be mailed or emailed to customers.

    Question. Your written testimony addressed the importance of fully 
funding SSA's program integrity activities. Would you please elaborate 
on how program integrity activities ensure beneficiaries are well-
served while safeguarding taxpayer resources?

    Answer. SSA's current estimates indicate that medical CDRs 
conducted in FY 2020 yielded a return of investment (ROI) of about $8 
on average per $1 budgeted for program integrity funding, including 
Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI), SSI, Medicare, 
and Medicaid program effects. SSA estimates also indicate, in the same 
fiscal year, that non-medical redeterminations will yield a ROI of 
about $3 on average of net Federal program savings over 10 years per $1 
budgeted for dedicated program integrity funding, including SSI and 
Medicaid program effects.

                                 ______
                                 
                 Questions Submitted by Hon Rob Portman
    Question. During my questioning, we discussed the additional $283 
million for FY 2021 over FY 2020 enacted levels for program integrity 
activities. I said that I would follow up with you on the return on 
investment that would be yielded from such an increase. Could you 
clarify what the return on investment would be of this additional $283 
million?

    Answer. Our estimates are based on SSA's numbers. SSA's current 
estimates indicate that medical CDRs conducted in FY 2020 yielded a 
return of investment (ROI) of about $8 on average per $1 budgeted for 
program integrity funding, including Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability 
Insurance (OASDI), SSI, Medicare, and Medicaid program effects. SSA 
estimates also indicate, in the same fiscal year, that non-
medical redeterminations will yield a ROI of about $3 on average of net 
Federal program savings over 10 years per $1 budgeted for dedicated 
program integrity funding, including SSI and Medicaid program effects.

    Question. During my questioning, I discussed how critical it is to 
ensure that the Social Security trust funds remain solvent. Can you 
discuss the human costs that would occur if we run into a situation 
where we reached insolvency and the Social Security Administration were 
forced to trim benefits?

    Answer. NCSSMA does not take a position or comment on program 
solvency as it falls beyond the scope of our mission and ability to 
enact any change.

                                 ______
                                 
                 Questions Submitted by Hon. Todd Young
    Question. Over the course of the pandemic, thousands of SSA 
employees across the Nation have voluntarily elected to return to the 
office in order to assist in handling mail, processing key documents, 
and the other duties that are vital to the delivery of SSA's services.

    Could you please describe the overall morale of SSA staff?

    Answer. Overall morale for field office managers is low. The 
burdens and added responsibilities placed on managers are now at 15 
months and counting. Managers have very little time to manage despite 
the assistance many are receiving from volunteer bargaining unit 
employees. For employees at home, many love teleworking, but just as 
many want to return to the office. Some employees feel isolated at home 
and are ready to see their customers and coworkers again.

    Question. What ways have staff in offices across the Nation stepped 
up to address these unique challenges in the past year?

    Answer. Managers in field office have been responsible for 
fulfilling management responsibilities in addition to serving as the 
mail clerk and support staff for the majority of the offices' 
administrative tasks. Processing the mail in an SSA office is very 
cumbersome due to the volume and the agency did not have a precedent to 
follow to establish a system that would work efficiently and be 
sustainable. Because employees cannot print at home, every claim they 
take must be printed in the office, management retrieves those claims 
and mails every document to customers. This can take several hours each 
day. In addition, every piece of mail that arrives must be opened, 
stamped, and scanned into SSA's system, and is then distributed 
electronically to the employees. All of the outgoing mail must be 
placed in envelopes, weighed, and metered, another time-consuming task. 
And finally, managers must take care of the dire need customers in the 
field offices who require a face-to-face visit. Developing an internal 
process in each of our offices to make this happen was a phenomenal 
undertaking. The commitment to keeping operations moving has been 
inspiring. Managers have made use of virtual staff meetings to stay in 
touch with employees for performance reviews, conversations, and staff 
meetings. While these efforts have been noteworthy and the unique 
challenges associated with the pandemic were addressed, this model is 
not sustainable.

                                 ______
                                 
                 Prepared Statement of Hon. Ron Wyden, 
                       a U.S. Senator From Oregon
    This morning the Finance Committee meets to discuss ways to improve 
Social Security after a difficult pandemic year. The employees at SSA 
have worked hard to get payments out on time while undergoing big 
changes to the way the agency operates. Despite that, the reality is, 
social distancing and Social Security go together like water and oil.

    The Social Security Administration has tens of thousands of 
employees and 1,500 field offices dotted around the country. Sixteen of 
those offices and more than 500 employees serve Oregon alone. It takes 
a lot of hard work to uphold the promise of Social Security, and that 
work often looks awfully old-school: face-to-face interaction and a lot 
of paper documents.

    SSA closed its field offices when the country went into lock-down. 
That's because gathering seniors and people with disabilities in 
confined offices would have been the worst imaginable idea 12 months 
ago. SSA also needed to protect its own employees. But the fact is, the 
level of service dipped when SSA's old-school approach no longer worked 
during the pandemic.

    Being cut off from face-to-face service is hardest on the people 
who rely the most on Social Security, including seniors and individuals 
with very modest incomes who may not have Internet access. The number 
of new applications for certain types of Social Security benefits 
plummeted during the pandemic. There's an extra layer of difficulty 
coming between a lot of Americans and Social Security benefits they're 
eligible to receive.

    With fewer employees working in person, work that cannot be handled 
remotely, such as handling mail or verifying documents, has piled up. 
SSA's ability to process applications and other important data has 
slowed. Some Americans have been asked to put their most sensitive 
personal documents in the mail, including drivers' licenses and birth 
certificates. That would have been an unattractive prospect to a lot of 
people even before Louis DeJoy arrived at the postal service.

    These days, particularly because of the pandemic, the big challenge 
facing SSA is reaching people who are unable or prefer not to deal with 
the government online. In the future, SSA could face the opposite 
challenge. More people will want to interact with Social Security 
through a smartphone or a computer, and the face-to-face approach may 
be less common.

    When you talk about changing business as usual at Social Security, 
it's not just a question of responding to the pandemic. There are big 
challenges ahead. This committee and the Social Security Administration 
need to explore new ways of meeting the needs of Americans to provide 
the benefits they've earned, need, and deserve. Making smart 
improvements to Social Security based on the experience of COVID-19 
will pay off in the future in a big way.

    All of these issues fall under the far-out, revolutionary agenda I 
like to call ``making the government work better.'' That's never been 
more important than when you're talking about Social Security. For me, 
this hard work goes back to my days as the co-director of the Oregon 
Gray Panthers, which was an advocacy organization for seniors in my 
home State. In the course of that job, I visited with a lot of seniors 
who were walking an economic tightrope every day, barely able to cover 
the bills.

    Social Security was a life-saver for them. Far too many of today's 
seniors are still going through that kind of hardship, and it's made 
even more difficult by a global pandemic and a year of isolation. So 
this committee must maintain our commitment to upholding the promise of 
Social Security.

    I'm pleased the committee has this opportunity to discuss improving 
access to the benefits and services provided by Social Security today. 
We have an excellent witness panel, and I thank them all for their 
thoughtful testimony.

                                 ______
                                 

                             Communications

                              ----------                              


                                  AARP

                            601 E Street, NW

                          Washington, DC 20049

                             (202) 434-2277

                          https://www.aarp.org

Introduction

On behalf of our 38 million members and all older Americans nationwide, 
AARP would like to thank Chairman Wyden, Ranking Member Crapo and the 
members of the Finance Committee for holding this important hearing on 
``Social Security During COVID: How the Pandemic Hampered Access to 
Benefits and Strategies for Improving Service Delivery.'' We appreciate 
the committee's efforts to better understand the impact the pandemic 
had on the Social Security Administration's (SSA) service delivery to 
its customers. We also thank the committee for examining potential 
reforms and additional resources that SSA may need in order to better 
ensure millions of older Americans, those with disabilities and those 
who are at-risk can effectively access vital benefits and services.

 The Importance of Social Security Administered Benefits and Services

According to SSA, an estimated 178 million Americans paid into Social 
Security in 2019, and in March 2021, Social Security provided critical 
retirement, disability and survivor benefits to almost 65 million 
individuals. This included over 49 million retirees, almost 10 million 
Americans with disabilities, and their respective families.\1\ In 2019, 
SSA administered over $1 trillion in Social Security benefits to the 
American people. SSA also administers the Supplemental Security Income 
(SSI) program, which provides monthly cash benefits to about 7.8 
million older adults, individuals who are blind, or people with 
disabilities, and who have very low incomes and resources.\2\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \1\ Social Security Administration, Monthly Statistical Snapshot, 
March 2021, https://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/quickfacts/stat_snapshot/.
    \2\ Ibid.

For most Americans, Social Security is the only inflation-protected, 
guaranteed source of retirement income they have or will have. Despite 
its critical importance, Social Security's earned benefits are modest, 
and in March 2021, averaged only about $1,550 per month for all retired 
workers. Disability benefits are even more modest, averaging about 
$1,280 per month.\3\ Nonetheless, Social Security keeps approximately 
15 million older Americans out of poverty \4\ and allows millions more 
to live their retirement years independently, without fear of outliving 
their income. For those receiving SSI, their modest benefits are 
crucial given their circumstances, averaging only $586 per month.\5\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \3\ Ibid.
    \4\ Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Kathleen Romig, Social 
Security Lifts More Americans Above Poverty Than Any Other Program, 
February 2020, Table 2, https://www.cbpp.org/research/social-security/
social-security-lifts-more-americans-above-poverty-then-any-other-
program.
    \5\ Ibid.

In addition to administering benefits, SSA also provides a substantial 
array of services to current and future beneficiaries, businesses, and 
the general public, primarily to keep its programs running smoothly. 
These services include, but are not limited to: helping individuals 
apply for retirement, disability, and SSI benefits; administering the 
disability appeals process; enrolling eligible individuals in Medicare; 
paying death benefits; managing the Representative Payee program; 
verifying names and Social Security Numbers; replacing lost Social 
Security and Medicare cards; and managing reported wages from 
employers.

 The Impact of COVID-19 on SSA Service to the Public

SSA primarily provides services to individuals at their 1,230 field 
offices throughout the country, via their online My Social Security 
Account, and through a national 800 number. In March 2020, however, SSA 
announced it would be suspending in-person, face-to-face services at 
local field offices in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and 
protect the health and well-being of their customers and staff.

In FY 2019, prior to the pandemic, an estimated 43 million people 
visited a Social Security office.\6\ Without this option, SSA has 
primarily leveraged its online and phone services, while providing 
limited face-to-face interactions for those in dire need circumstances. 
AARP supported SSA's decision to temporarily close its field offices, 
which continues to this day, and we applaud SSA employees for their 
commitment to serving the public as many transitioned to and remain 
teleworking.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \6\ AARP.org, ``Closed Social Security Offices Hinder Applying for 
Supplemental Security Income,'' Sharon Jayson, March 26, 2021, https://
www.aarp.org/retirement/social-security/info-2021/closed-offices-
impact-ssi-applicants.html.

The closure of SSA field offices has, however, assuredly hindered 
service delivery for some individuals. The impact of these changes has 
likely been most acute for at-risk populations who need assistance with 
applications and other services. AARP remains especially concerned 
about these populations who may typically require or benefit from face-
to-face interactions with SSA to receive critical services, including 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
SSI.

In addition, many older Americans, those who live in rural communities, 
or those with low incomes may not have access to a computer or the 
Internet, or lack comfort with navigating online platforms like My 
Social Security in order to receive services. Some simply prefer 
speaking with a real person, either face-to-face or on the phone, 
especially when dealing with something as important as their Social 
Security benefits. While these individuals may have turned to SSA's 
phone lines during the pandemic, they likely experienced busy signals, 
as well as increased call volumes and wait times that made it more 
challenging to get the services they needed, especially when using 
SSA's national 800 number. Finally, the lack of face-to-face service 
availability has led to a troubling situation where some individuals 
must mail or drop off sensitive original documents such as birth 
certificates or drivers licenses. Many are understandably reluctant to 
do so.

 The Importance of Personal Interactions and Other Recommendations

Once again, AARP applauds the agency and its staff for their ability to 
pivot to remote work, and we appreciate the dual challenge of both 
serving the public and protecting the workforce during the pandemic. We 
also appreciate that employees at field offices around the country 
continued to go into work to process files, open, scan, and send mail, 
attend the fax machines and provide valuable face-to-face services for 
those in serious need.

We recognize that, over the first year-plus of the pandemic, limiting 
face-to-face interactions was a necessary reality. As more people are 
immunized against COVID-19 and more safety measures are implemented, 
however, AARP looks forward to a time when these offices can be safely 
reopened to the public. SSA should consider the need to prepare for a 
possible surge in applications and other service requests when field 
offices are reopened.

We also believe SSA should focus additional resources, which Congress 
will need to provide, toward its phone services, both at local field 
offices and the national 800 number. Even after field offices reopen, 
SSA phone services provide the personal interaction that many customers 
prefer and need. AARP appreciates that SSA provided teleworking 
employees with the technology to answer phone calls during the 
pandemic. We also appreciate that SSA made public local field office 
numbers that were not previously available. In June 2020, ``SSA's field 
offices and national 800 number received 30 percent more calls than 
June 2019, with field offices receiving most of the additional 
calls.''\7\ Despite this increase in volume, callers to field offices 
received fewer busy messages and shorter wait times. Callers to the 
national 800 number also experienced fewer busy signals, partly due to 
reduced hours, but waited longer for service.\8\ SSA should seek to 
build on the phone service improvements made thanks to local field 
offices while improving performance at the national 800 number.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \7\ Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector 
General, Congressional Response Report, ``The Social Security 
Administration's Telephone Services During June 2020,'' April 2021, 
https://oig.ssa.gov/audit-reports/2021-04-08-audits-and-investigations-
audit-reports-A-05-20-
50998/.
    \8\ Ibid.

AARP also appreciates the steps the agency has taken to reach 
vulnerable populations through mailings--including plans to send an 
additional 1.2 million letters to those who may be eligible for SSI--
and partnerships with other social services groups. SSA should continue 
to place particular emphasis on this work. To the extent that SSA can 
publicize these partner organizations to ease the burden on those 
seeking services, we believe this would be a worthwhile step. We also 
note that mailers alone will not be sufficient to reach all potential 
SSI beneficiaries, and the process of applying for SSI is still a very 
cumbersome endeavor. We encourage SSA to potentially expand its 
national communications campaign designed to raise awareness of SSI and 
disability programs and encourage people to apply. And we also 
encourage SSA to work to streamline SSI and other application processes 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
and make them more user-friendly.

AARP is also hopeful to learn about the pending expansion of express 
interview options for those who want in-person services. We would 
encourage SSA to incorporate more identity verification options as part 
of this process in lieu of requiring people to send or drop off 
critical identifying documents. Given the importance of these documents 
to individuals and the ongoing challenges with the postal service, 
sending such sensitive information through the mail should be 
discouraged.

The Importance of Administrative Funding for SSA

SSA continues to face significant administrative challenges, largely 
due to demographics and chronic underfunding. AARP believes the 
President's proposed FY 2022 administrative funding level of $14.2 
billion, including $895 million to strengthen SSA customer service and 
$75 million in additional funding for outreach, would help prevent 
further erosion in service delivery to customers. However, several 
important details have yet to be provided by the Administration.

In addition, and as AARP has previously communicated to the Office of 
Management and Budget and the House and Senate Appropriations 
Committees, the definition of ``program integrity'' should, by 
regulation or legislation, specifically authorize cost-effective field 
office infrastructure improvements. At present, many offices lack the 
high speed connections necessary for real-time document and medical 
image transfers and related-privacy protocols. Communications 
infrastructure enhancements, among others, would also enable SSA to 
conduct far more Continuing Disability Reviews, Redeterminations and 
other customer services.

Finally, SSA Commissioner Saul recently advised House Social Security 
Subcommittee Chairman Larson that it will be unable to spend about $200 
million in FY 2020 program integrity funds, citing operating ``issues 
receiving and verifying documents and medical evidence we need to make 
decisions.'' AARP strongly encourages the Administration and Congress 
to specifically authorize expenditure of the $200 million for this 
purpose, prior to the end of the fiscal year.

Closing

Once again, AARP would like to thank Chairman Wyden and Ranking Member 
Crapo for holding this important hearing. We look forward to working 
with you and the members of the committee to ensure Americans can 
continue to rely on the Social Security benefits and services they and 
their families need. We also look forward to continuing to utilize our 
communications channels to share information about Social Security and 
its benefits and services with our members and the general public.

                                 ______
                                 
          American Federation of Government Employees, AFL-CIO

                            80 F Street, NW

                          Washington, DC 20001

                             (202) 737-8700

                              www.afge.org

Chairman Wyden, Ranking Member Crapo and Members of the Committee, the 
American Federation of Government Employees, AFL-CIO (AFGE) appreciates 
the opportunity to provide this statement for the record of the 
Committee's hearing on ``Social Security During COVID: How the Pandemic 
Hampered Access to Benefits and Strategies for Improving Service 
Delivery.'' We thank the Committee for exploring this important topic. 
AFGE represents more than 700,000 federal and District of Columbia 
employees in 70 agencies, including over 45,000 employees at the Social 
Security Administration (SSA). It is essential that union 
representatives be explicitly engaged in deliberations over decisions 
that affect the safety, working conditions and morale of the workforce. 
This is an even more urgent matter when employees and the public they 
serve are threatened by both a deadly virus and potential challenges to 
timely service delivery.

AFGE's members are proud of their success in maintaining operations 
throughout the pandemic of all of SSA's components. They have continued 
to serve the public and work down the backlog of cases in claims and 
appeals. We commend the Committee for exploring how the challenges 
presented by the COVID-19 pandemic and the management of the agency 
could have made that service delivery better.

 SSA Restriction of Telework in 2019 and Early 2020

The unionized workforce's first challenge to continued service delivery 
during the pandemic was the abrupt migration to near-100 percent 
telework. This shift was made far more chaotic than necessary by SSA's 
earlier, ill-advised decision to revoke or severely limit telework for 
much of its workforce.

On October 27, 2019, the Social Security Administration informed SSA's 
Operations components (field offices, teleservice centers and data 
operations center) that all telework would end by November 22, 2019. 
Despite contractual and legal requirements, the agency did not provide 
a business rationale for ending telework. It simply revoked permission 
unilaterally.

On January 27, 2020, SSA informed non-Operations components, including 
the Office of Hearing Operations, that telework would be reduced in 
most components and that any employees currently using telework would 
have to submit a new telework agreement by February 7, 2020.

These poor decisions left the vast majority of the SSA workforce much 
less ready to shift to telework and virtual service delivery when the 
pandemic hit. Employees lacked equipment, training and had little or no 
input into the agency's continuation of operations plan.

Despite those poor management decisions, within a matter of weeks, SSA 
reported that wait times for calls were down and the number of calls 
answered per employee was up. The agency has also been able to reduce 
the pre-pandemic backlog of both newly filed claims and appeals claims. 
In the Office of Hearings Operations, the backlog of pending hearings 
requests also dropped. At SSA's headquarters in Maryland, the migration 
to telework was delayed for many who did not have a telework plan, 
including many who did not have access to the Internet at home. Their 
ability to work was delayed until equipment and connectivity to be 
acquired. Overall, SSA has not only maintained vital services, but 
performance has improved and wait times have decreased for many 
services. In order to meet all of the public's needs, however, SSA will 
need to address workloads that are not portable, or that have been 
suspended or altered because of the pandemic. As described below, this 
includes initial disability claims and continuing disability review 
(CDR).

 Most SSA Work Is Portable; Addressing Non-portable Work

As telework in most components has continued throughout the pandemic, 
it is important to identify the non-portable workloads and consider how 
more of this work can be portable in the future.

In SSA field offices, work that is non-portable includes:

      Original Social Security number applications for applicants over 
age 12

      Dire need Social Security new or replacement card requests

      Immediate payments for claimants in critical situations

      Opening, sorting and scanning mail

      Processing remittances

      Interaction with members of the public who need to visit the 
office to receive Social Security checks and notices--individuals who 
do not have access to the Internet, telephone or have a fixed address

      Updating an SSA account for those who have blocked ``mySSA'' for 
fraud purposes (updates such as change of address)

In the Office of Hearings Operations, work has remained largely off-
site. Hearings are being conducted by telephone and video. By providing 
these virtual service options, the backlog of immediate cases with 
hearings pending has decreased.

However, it is essential to recognize that individuals have the right 
to request an in-person hearing and may benefit from that personal 
interaction. It is therefore crucial that SSA return to the in-person 
hearing format as soon as it can do so safely and that SSA continue 
community-based service for disability hearings. It would be a mistake 
to centralize hearings and migrate to an all-video format that would 
impersonalize services for some of America's most fragile and 
vulnerable populations.

AFGE's Recommendations

Engage the Unionized Workforce and Replace Leadership

The past 4 years have seen a decline in employee satisfaction and a 
drastic upheaval of the treatment of the unionized workforce by agency 
management. It is essential to morale and efficient operations of SSA 
to restore regular labor-management relations. SSA needs leaders who 
view the unionized workforce as a partner and not an obstacle, and that 
views employees as the knowledgeable, professional and dedicated public 
servants that they are. SSA needs new leaders at the highest levels 
that will cooperate and collaborate with the unions representing the 
people who know best how to get the public's work done. A change in 
leadership will improve both public service and employee engagement and 
empowerment.

To make labor management engagement productive, meetings must include 
decision-makers among all parties with expectations to achieve results 
to build a better agency. SSA should engage with its unionized 
workforce through regular meetings and bargaining to find ways to 
further improve employee working conditions on issues such as 
technology, workstations, work processes, position descriptions and 
career development.

SSA must also work with AFGE to resolve as many outstanding disputes 
and grievances as possible, to further reset our relationship, improve 
morale and working conditions, and allow the parties to move forward 
less weighed down by the past four years.

 Plan for Expanded Telework in a Post-Pandemic Work Environment

We have described the work conducted in the telework environment 
necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Telework should continue into 
the future and SSA should identify additional portable work and the 
technologies needed make it possible.

Even before we envisioned the challenges of a pandemic, in a July 2017 
Office of Inspector General report, employees utilizing telework in SSA 
Operations positions indicated:

      68 percent completed more work when teleworking,

      78 percent feel more satisfied with their jobs since the 
implementation of telework,

      90 percent indicated no difference in communication with a 
supervisor when needed, and

      67 percent indicated no problems accessing SSA's systems.

Equally important, the report found that telework productivity and 
customer service in Field Offices, Teleservice Centers and the Office 
of Hearings Operations was not markedly different between those 
employees performing telework and those in the office. Had the findings 
of this report been considered, the agency would have been better 
prepared for telework during the pandemic.

 Making Expanded Telework Possible: Use Technologies to Deliver In-
                    Person Services in a Virtual Environment

Use of technologies such as electronic meeting platforms can enable SSA 
employees to meet with members of the public remotely. Secure platforms 
will allow for employees to verify documents through web cameras. This 
will make currently non-portable workloads such as application for 
Social Security cards and numbers available for video-meeting services. 
This will need to be conducted securely to avoid privacy concerns of 
both employees and beneficiaries.

Employees have identified as a service challenge the slow rate of 
answered outgoing phone calls. Numbers typically appear in caller ID as 
either random numbers or as blocked or anonymous callers. SSA should 
change the caller ID on those outgoing calls to improve the connection 
rate and deliver better public service.

Additionally, SSA must review its Personally Identifiable Information 
(PII) policy, which is not reflective of current technologies. If 
updated with appropriate guidance and safeguards, this has the 
potential to continue to protect the public while increasing 
productivity.

Provide In-Person Services in a Safe Manner

Mail: Limited staff will be needed to open, sort and scan mail. This 
function involves only a small number of employees and is necessary to 
maintain portable work.

Immediate Payments: Immediate payments are an ongoing need. This will 
require that each field office have an authorized check signer in the 
office each day and could require additional employees be accorded 
check signing authority.

Public Visits: Our field offices must continue to interact with members 
of the public who do not have access to telephone or internet. This 
requires a small number of employees in the office wo can maintain safe 
distances. This is an essential service, but demand is generally low.

Paper Files: Some files still exist only in paper format. Going 
forward, active files could be digitized and closed files could be 
destroyed in an appropriate manner.

 Disability Claims, Reconsideration and Medical Continuing Disability 
                    Review

Continuing Disability Reviews (CDR) are a necessary part of SSA's 
function. Medical Continuing Disability Reviews were temporarily 
suspended during the pandemic to avoid cessation of benefits, but they 
have resumed. With this resumption comes a backlog of cases that must 
be reviewed. The last administration pushed to require CDRs to be 
conducted as frequently as every six months, a bad idea the current 
administration wisely reversed.

Of greater concern right now is the decision by the agency to extend 
Public Service Indicator measurements to complete disability claims, 
reconsiderations and CDRs. Instead of changing the goals, SSA should 
hire sufficient front line field office personnel to address this 
delayed backlog to continue to deliver these vital services in a timely 
manner.

Office of Hearings Operations

Maintaining Community Operations: As noted above, individuals filing 
appeals have the right to an in-person hearing and may very well 
benefit from that engagement. SSA should plan for the resources 
necessary to address the influx of delayed live hearings and keep this 
essential community-based service available to the public.

Staffing: The Office of Hearing Operations (OHO) provides the essential 
service of an administrative appeals process for benefits decisions. At 
the core of OHO's work is the position of Legal Assistant. These are 
among the individuals whose telework was severely and restricted in 
January 2020 without any business case for the decision.

In 2017, OHO consolidated the position descriptions of Legal 
Assistants, capping their career ladders and specializations. Many 
legal assistants were previously categorized as specialists in major 
workloads, such as master docket and case pulling, and were highly 
productive performing specialized work. OHO should review and revise 
position descriptions and create new career ladders to allow legal 
assistants to develop and build in their OHO careers, instead of being 
capped at GS-8 with little chance to advance. Developing this career 
ladder will realign hearing offices to maximize employee talents, 
increase opportunity, and improve service as the post- pandemic demand 
for service will only grow.

Conclusion

AFGE thanks the Committee for considering how essential a respected, 
engaged and well-resourced workforce is to the effective function of 
the Social Security Administration. We have outlined the need for 
personnel management improvements, identified areas where additional 
resources are needed, and recommended some simple, practical solutions 
to overcome service delivery challenges. These should be viewed as 
closely connected and not severable. As labor and management relations 
come into balance and technology and staffing needs are addressed the 
public's vital needs will be better served during this pandemic and in 
its aftermath.

                                 ______
                                 
              American Federation of Government Employees

                      Council 220 New York Region

                           38 Bertrand Street

                          Old Bridge, NJ 08857

                           Tel: 732-991-7853

                           Fax: 609-642-8607

                          [email protected]

        When a flower doesn't bloom, you fix the environment in which 
        it grows, not the flower.

        --Alexander den Heijer

Chairman Wyden, Ranking Member Crapo, and Members of the Committee:

The leadership of the five AFGE C220 New York Region locals, on behalf 
of our bargaining unit, submit the following for the Committee's 
consideration in exploring the topic of improving service delivery by 
the Social Security Administration.

Introduction

As Federal employees we embody the ideal of the American dream. An 
ideal whose origins date back to the Founding Fathers and their 
courageous struggles in the name of life, liberty, and the pursuit of 
happiness. Through the years, the American dream has encompassed the 
honest labor of the people for the benefit of themselves and others. 
Federal employees devote their careers to promoting and effectuating 
the very programs that promise financial security to all Americans in 
their years of retirement or failing health. As civil servants of the 
American public and employees of the Social Security Administration, it 
is with great respect that we administer the greatest anti-poverty 
program ever conceived by the American people. It is our passion for 
our country and our sense of duty that enables us to serve the public 
day in and day out with great pride and distinction. This is an honor 
that we cherish; although often proven to be challenging with 
government cutbacks, attrition of civil servants, and the perils of 
predisposed beliefs that often devalue the contributions of federal 
employees. As discouraging as this may be at times, we do not allow 
this to impede our duty to serve the American public. It is with this 
enthusiasm that we bring to you our concerns over the mismanagement of 
SSA that threatens the very mission we have sworn to uphold.

Staffing Shortage Challenges

The customer service delivery issues encountered by SSA during the 
pandemic predate the current COVID-19 public health emergency. Our 
organization offers a unique perspective on the issues being discussed 
during hearings on this matter. The employees we represent are the 
public face of Social Security and interact with members of the public 
dealing with a wide range of their concerns. During the pandemic, the 
workforce has proven their dedication to the public by continuing to 
provide a high level of service, despite the limitations that the 
pandemic presents. However, there is a considerable amount of room for 
enhancing how SSA delivers service presently and in the future. This 
could readily be achieved if the Agency expressed a willingness to 
engage in a bona fide partnership with AFGE to provide the best 
customer service experience while maximizing the contributions of the 
employees without overburdening them.

Years of underfunding have left the Agency in desperate need of 
additional resources. While the need for SSA's services has increased 
exponentially over the years, staffing has been on a constant decline 
over the past decade, to the tune of approximately 20,000 front end 
employees. This failure to keep pace with public demand has caused an 
inordinate amount of stress on SSA bargaining unit employees. Every 
year, via retirement and lack of retention, the Agency loses decades of 
institutional knowledge that is not being replaced. The type of work 
that SSA does is complex and requires high level of commitment; and we 
deal with members of the public from diversified backgrounds and 
educational levels. SSA's computer infrastructure is mostly outdated, 
and any computer system modernization plan should target improving how 
work is processed and not be a substitute for direct customer service, 
especially when it appears to be at the expense of hiring much needed 
frontline employees. Whether service is being delivered by phone or in-
person, it is important that the public can speak with a live 
individual in an efficient and timely manner. It should be noted that 
most benefit applications that are completed at SSA are not paper 
applications, rather most, if not all, benefit applications are 
completed electronically by SSA employees.

Telework Is Effective

While SSA offices continue to struggle during the pandemic due to 
reduced staffing levels. Telework has given SSA offices an alternative 
option to provide quality customer service, process current workloads, 
answer phone inquiries, and process backlogs. Restoring staffing to 
levels commensurate with public demand in all field offices is critical 
as we transition to a post-COVID environment; this is crucial to 
restore SSA's full scope of services to the public. Merely returning 
employees to offices is not going to solve the deficiencies in being 
able to serve the public effectively. It will only revert the Social 
Security Administration to ongoing pre-pandemic challenges which 
include long in-office wait times and unmanageable backlogs.

Moving forward, SSA workers, during this pandemic, have proven that 
telework is an essential component to effectively processing SSA 
workloads and must be incorporated into any post-pandemic work model. 
Of course, any future vision should include the public being able to 
receive face to face service in a safe manner. Many SSA field offices 
have been closed because staffing has been reduced to levels that have 
prevented those offices from maintaining the level of service required. 
In upstate New York alone, there have been 5 SSA office closures within 
the past 15 years and over a dozen in the New York City area. In New 
Jersey, there have been 2 field offices and 2 teleservice centers 
closures. At the same time, retention of new hires has been anemic with 
many recent hires leaving the Agency during their training period. The 
COVID-19 emergency has only exacerbated working conditions for new 
hires.

Labor/Management Relationship

There are many approaches that can be jointly identified by the Union 
and SSA that would collaboratively motivate SSA to align itself with 
Executive Order 14003; recognizing the Federal Government as a model 
employer that should attract, as well as retain, the best and the 
brightest employees. First, field offices need to be reimagined to 
provide shared workspaces to accommodate teleworking on a sustained and 
rotating basis. This approach would allow for permanent workspaces for 
non-teleworkers who would continue to serve in-office visitors, and at 
the same time allow for offices to hire additional staff without the 
confines of a traditional office set up. Secondly, there needs to be 
mechanisms in place to properly staff SSA field offices based on the 
level of service being provided in a geographic area, accounting for 
attrition and customer demand. Having the Agency always telework ready 
will not only ease the transition to long-term telework, but it will 
also allow the Agency to effectively deal with any service disruptions, 
such as a pandemic or other hazardous condition.

Effective Training for Retention and Job Satisfaction

SSA's training methods have deteriorated precipitously over the years, 
preventing new hire retention as well as causing journeyman employees 
to either seek early retirement or employment outside of the Agency. 
This severely impacts the delivery of quality customer service. 
Traditionally, new hires attended in-person training classes for 
anywhere from 12-16 weeks where they were immersed in policy and 
systems training with an in-person mentor. Circa 2010, the Agency 
abandoned this approach and initiated a virtual training model, where 
trainees spend a couple of hours per day with a mentor in a remote 
location. The rest of their day is spent at their assigned duty station 
doing assigned production work for the Agency, under the guidance of 
in-office mentors who often do not have the time to help the trainee 
because they are normally engaged in assigned duties dealing with the 
more complex issues of the office. While the Agency stated the shift to 
virtual training was a cost-saving measure nevertheless, it has created 
a training environment full of distractions and unacceptable 
consequences. This has made it more challenging for new hires to be 
proficient doing their job. In many understaffed offices, training is a 
secondary concern as these offices will rely heavily on trainees to 
interview the public and process workloads, severely impeding the 
effective training of new hires. The Agency is critically hindering the 
ability of new employees to become successful and in turn this has the 
cumulative effect on the Agency's ability to provide quality service to 
the public.

Initial training is only the first component of the training process. 
The claims specialist position, the most common position at SSA, is a 
journeyman position that is a three-year process involving increasing 
responsibilities with accompanying training. When the pandemic ends, 
the Agency needs to revert to traditional proven training methods for 
all employees. To achieve this, the Agency needs to be provided with 
dedicated funding to ensure that training can be dispensed in the most 
effective manner. A short-term investment in training ensures that SSA 
will have a productive workforce in the long term. Likewise, meaningful 
improvements to the training process requires collaboration with the 
Union, who have been traditionally excluded from discussions and plans 
for new hire training and training in general.

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Service Delivery Issues

The Agency has alleged that the number of SSI claims taken have 
declined since the start of the pandemic. It is unclear what hard data 
the Agency is using to support this claim. During the pandemic, 
applications for all SSA programs has continued to be consistent with 
pre-pandemic levels. SSI is a needs-based program and is only one type 
of program that SSA administers. Individuals who file for Retirement, 
Survivors, and Disability benefits are always screened for SSI 
eligibility. It should be noted that SSA policy offers the option of a 
closeout notice or the completion of an abbreviated application as a 
formal notice of ineligibility to individuals who are screened and do 
not qualify for SSI; with the latter process being much more time 
consuming for both the member of the public and the employee completing 
that abbreviated application. Most SSA field office management 
officials mandate the completion of abbreviated applications in order 
to inflate application statistics. The Agency needs to formulate a much 
more efficient method to address SSI ineligibility that promotes 
efficiency for employees and the public.

If there is truly a decline in the number of SSI applications taken 
during the pandemic, it could very well be attributable to the fact 
that a lot of potential SSI recipients supplement their monthly income 
from part-time work. A lot of these same individuals have been eligible 
for the enhanced unemployment benefits, which would preclude SSI 
eligibility. Perhaps, this explains why the working disabled are filing 
less SSI applications.

Processing SSI initial claims is only one workload component of the SSI 
program. The additional adjudication of redeterminations and post-
entitlement actions involve more employee work hours than dealing with 
initial claims. Acerbating the situation are the volumes of regulations 
involved with administering the SSI program. Payments are determined on 
a monthly versus a yearly basis; and requires each month to be analyzed 
for income, resource, and living arrangement data. Likewise, the 
software ``enhancements'' that the Agency has utilized to modernize and 
speed up SSI claims processing instead, has slowed down the processing 
time of initial applications and post entitlement actions. Numerous 
software malfunctions are encountered by employees daily. This 
reinforces the argument that automation cannot be a substitute for 
adequate staffing in SSA field offices.

Another factor to keep in mind is that pre-pandemic, SSA field offices 
had limited appointment availability due to staffing shortages, which 
in turn contributed to reduced intake of SSI applications. An 
individual may have waited up to sixty days to get the next available 
appointment to file an application. This will continue to be a problem 
post-pandemic if adequate staffing is not restored to the Agency.

Alternatives to Paper Documents

Attempting to provide improved customer service during the pandemic, 
the Agency is piloting the use of document drop boxes. However, the use 
of drop boxes is only putting a band-aid on the immediate need to offer 
an alternative to mailing in documents and is not taking advantage of 
the opportunity to make bold changes in the way the Social Security 
Administration offers service delivery to the public. Moreover, while 
the use of the drop box facilitates the public in providing SSA with 
important documents, it still relies on the same undependable method of 
returning these documents, the mail system. This gives the appearance 
of being disingenuous; SSA shows great concern for the protection of 
vital documents to process claims but abandons those concerns when it 
comes to returning them. The Agency should explore alternative methods 
of document verification that would eliminate the need for the public 
to temporarily be separated from their documents. For example, the 
Agency should explore interfacing with other federal, state, and local 
government agencies to be able to verify information such as date of 
birth, marriage, citizenship, legal immigration status, etc. While the 
rest of the business world seems to have embraced technology, the 
Social Security Administration seems to be not only reluctant to find 
alternative methods, but also seems outright opposed to exploring these 
options.

The Agency should update their computer systems to be able to update 
records without the need to fill out and mail/drop off forms. In 
particular, the use of an SS5 (Application for Social Security card) 
should not be needed to update a claimant's citizenship on their 
record. The Agency should have the ability to update the record with 
appropriate verification of citizenship through an interface with U.S. 
Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). This simple example could 
have a ripple effect on the processing of claims by SSA. Not only would 
this eliminate the need for claimants to provide documentation, but 
applications for benefits would also be processed faster as a result. 
There are numerous other examples of how utilizing technology would 
better serve the public. Once again, the Agency is not even receptive 
to discussing or exploring any alternatives.

When the Union attempts to initiate any discussion concerning possible 
technological changes within the SSA systems, the Agency continues to 
disregard the Union's position as the exclusive representative of the 
bargaining unit. This failure to communicate and consult with the Union 
often results in vast amounts of taxpayer funded dollars being spent on 
outdated technology that often proves more cumbersome and ultimately 
creating an impediment to the efficiency of federal service. In the 
face of longer interviews with the public because of ill-conceived 
enhancements to the SSA systems, there are also less employees serving 
the public, thus creating an inefficient method of delivering vital 
public services at critical times. This is a failure by SSA to maintain 
a position of trust demanded by the American people. What makes this 
most egregious is that the solutions are not complex or unattainable. 
The hiring of sufficient new employees with a commitment to retaining 
them would enhance the Agency's ability to serve the public effectively 
and timely. The Agency has chosen the road of isolation rather than 
partnering with the Union to seek practical and pragmatic solutions. 
While the Union will always applaud the willingness to pursue new 
technologies, the application of new technology for its own sake with 
no measurable improvements represents poor judgement that reflects on 
the Agency's unwillingness to work with the Union.

SSA's Most Valuable Asset

SSA's most valuable commodity are the civil servants that are on the 
front line assisting the public. It has been proven time and time again 
that an employee that is motivated to be their best through an 
encouraging and positive work environment is likely to produce at a 
high level. Instead of providing a work setting that produces elevated 
office morale, the Agency is often alienating employees, detaching them 
from their sense of civic pride that is the driving force behind their 
desire to serve the public. Most employees enter civil service with the 
intent to make a difference in the lives of the average American. This 
should be fostered by the Agency instead of sabotaged. In violation of 
President Biden's Executive Order 14003, SSA has continued to operate 
under a collective bargaining agreement that was the result of 
President Trump's anti-federal employee executive orders that has 
diminished employee rights and made them feel unappreciated and 
dispirited. At the same time, the Agency continues its union animus 
that began over 4 years ago and has created a mistrust between the 
Union and the Agency that prevents SSA from fulfilling its mission 
effectively. After years of indignity and mistrust endured by the Union 
and the employees they represent, a complete reversal of course must be 
undertaken by SSA to rebuild the trust that has been shattered. The 
last four years have been traumatic for SSA employees and a once in a 
lifetime pandemic has only added to the challenges facing SSA front 
line employees. Employees need to feel appreciated and respected by 
their employer. Once again, they must be permitted to be guided by 
their love of their chosen vocation and their commitment to serving the 
American public.

Conclusion

AFGE Council 220 New York Region representing the bargaining unit 
employees at Field Offices and Teleservice Centers in New York, New 
Jersey, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, thank you for your 
time and consideration to our concerns regarding public service 
provided by the Social Security Administration. We have offered for 
your consideration the crisis of short staffing at the Agency, the 
importance of telework in providing possibilities to easily increase 
staffing while providing quality customer service, the need for 
effective training, the use of technology in moving the Agency forward 
effectively while not imposing hardship on the American public. We have 
provided some insight into the SSI program and welcome the opportunity 
to discuss potential improvement in the program and accessibility by 
the most vulnerable of the American public. We have offered the 
importance of a meaningful labor/management relationship for the 
benefit of the employees and the American public that are served by the 
Agency. Public service is at its best when the exclusive representative 
of the bargaining unit is respected, and the ideas of the bargaining 
unit brought forward on their behalf are valued by the Agency. It is in 
the interest of the public that the Agency engage with the Union in 
healing a broken relationship to move forward in a bold and effective 
manner.

Respectfully Submitted,

Angela Digeronimo
Regional Vice President, AFGE Council 220 New York Region
President, AFGE Local 2369

Edwin Osorio
First Vice President, AFGE Council 220
President, AFGE Local 3369

Rafael Arroyo
President, AFGE Local 2608

Shawn Halloran
President, AFGE Local 3342

Chris Delaney
President, AFGE Local 3343

Joseph N Cooke
Executive Vice President, AFGE Local 2369

Roy Porter
Executive Vice President, AFGE Local 3342

Jennifer Ramirez-Seranno
Treasurer, AFGE Local 3369

                                 ______
                                 
                        Center for Fiscal Equity

                      14448 Parkvale Road, Suite 6

                          Rockville, MD 20853

                      [email protected]

                    Statement of Michael G. Bindner

Chairman Wyden and Ranking Member Crapo, thank you for the opportunity 
to submit these comments for the record to the Committee on this topic.

I will allow the scheduled witnesses to deliver the problems and 
success stories regarding service delivery, which I expect will greatly 
resemble conditions which occurred at every Driver's License Renewal 
office in the nation, although I will draw that parallel. There are 
more urgent matters, aka, bigger fish to fry, on how Social Security is 
responding to the Pandemic.

My Driver's License expired in November. It was disconcerting to need 
an appointment to get one, but because of the pandemic it was no 
problem with it expiring in the mean time (of course, I don't drive 
anyway, so it was no big deal). Years before, a new license renewal 
meant almost an hour waiting for my number to be called. When, pre-
pandemic I was applying for temporary disability and to get a new card 
because of a new job, the lines were worse than at the DMV.

This time, there was very little waiting while my number was called to 
get a license. I imagine that my local Social Security office has done 
the same things to cope with COVID--at least I hope so. We need to 
preserve these lessons and create a new normal.

Money will be an issue. We need more Social Security offices and maybe, 
because they have similar functions, cooperation with the DMV might be 
in order. It would require cross training citizen service workers, but 
that just means we would have to pay them more and hire more of them. 
Just a stray thought. More importantly, building more offices for both 
DMV and Social Security will take money and it should not require 
higher driver's license fees or take away from the pool of money used 
for benefits.

Social Security has low administrative costs. It should not have any. 
The general fund already owes trillions of dollars to the Social 
Security Trust Fund. Preserve the trust fund a bit more and use general 
revenues now to fund administration, improvements and more office 
space. As the pandemic wanes, caution will still be necessary for a 
while. It is time to build out some infrastructure in both government 
and leased space.

Now for the bigger fish. In the last six months, I can no longer afford 
big fish. My SSDI was inadequate for food, medicine, clothing and 
cable. If I owned a vehicle, there is no way I could maintain it or 
even buy gas. I have an above average benefit, high enough to be 
ineligible for SNAP or Medicaid. Many are not so lucky, even on a good 
day.

In the last few months, days have not been so good. Were it not for 
stimulus payments, I would be running out of food as I write this and 
would not have just bought new clothes, from socks and underwear to a 
jacket I can wear when the Committee finally asks me to testify in 
person. As it is, I will need to use the last $600 from my December 
payment (which should have come through Social Security) to attend my 
upcoming high school reunion. Whale I have wi-fi, I cannot afford cable 
and a car is still out of reach.

Let me underline a point. In most months, new underwear is not an 
option, I rely on free bus rides due to the pandemic and subsidies from 
Ride On and there is never enough money in that last week before the 
check comes. When it does arrive, the cupboard is bare.

Double underline: food prices are skyrocketing. Part of the problem may 
be too much money chasing too few goods, but retirees and the disabled 
find (our) selves between a rock and a hard place. We don't need 
stimulus money, we need a COLA.

We don't need a COLA next year. We are thirsty now--or rather--hungry.

Please address this. Don't hold hearings, just pass a bill.

Thank you for the opportunity to address the committee. We are, of 
course, available for direct testimony or to answer questions by 
members and staff.

                                 ______
                                 
               Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities

                    820 First Street, NE, Suite 740

                          Washington, DC 20002

                            Ph 202-567-3516

                            FAX 202-408-9520

                             [email protected]

                             www.c-c-d.org

May 12, 2021

Senator Ron Wyden                   Senator Mike Crapo
Chair                               Ranking Member
U.S. Senate                         U.S. Senate
Committee on Finance                Committee on Finance
Dirksen Senate Office Bldg., Rm. 
SD-219                              Dirksen Senate Office Bldg., Rm. 
                                    SD-219
Washington, DC 20510-6200           Washington, DC 20510-6200

        RE: April 29, 2021 Hearing on ``Social Security During COVID: 
        How the Pandemic Hampered Access to Benefits and Strategies for 
        Improving Service Delivery''

Dear Chairman Wyden and Ranking Member Crapo:

This statement is submitted by the cochairs of the Social Security Task 
Force of the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities, the nation's 
largest coalition of national disability organizations. We thank you 
for holding this hearing on the important topic of service delivery at 
the Social Security Administration (SSA). Our comments focus on issues 
related to SSA's Operations component because the Deputy Commissioner 
of Operations was the agency's witness for this hearing.

SSA faced difficulties in customer service before COVID-19; the 
pandemic worsened some challenges and introduced new ones. Many of 
these issues, new and old, were highlighted by the hearing and we were 
grateful for the substantial interest from members of both parties in 
ensuring that SSA processes are straight forward and easy to navigate 
and that beneficiaries can access the benefits to which they are 
entitled. To inform Congressional work, we wish to highlight problems 
that we as a coalition have also focused on or of which we have been 
made aware. Some ways of improving or fixing the agency's problems 
require changes to the law or increased administrative funding; others 
could be done by SSA itself, but would benefit from Congressional 
oversight.

We are grateful for SSA's communications with the public and with 
advocates throughout the pandemic. SSA is providing better services now 
than it was a year ago when we were only six weeks into stay-at-home 
orders. There even are some aspects of SSA's workloads that are being 
performed more efficiently than they were before the pandemic. But many 
challenges remain, especially for the lowest income and most 
disadvantaged beneficiaries.

 (1) Pandemic Disaster Relief and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 
                    Beneficiaries

As Senator Menendez highlighted, many people with disabilities who rely 
on SSI are encountering challenges when dealing with pandemic relief, 
either related to unemployment insurance compensation or economic 
stimulus. Last year, we highlighted some of these issues in our 
statement for the record in response to the Finance Committee's hearing 
on Unemployment Insurance During COVID-19.\1\ As Deputy Commissioner 
Kim said, we know that SSA has been working to determine if the 
disaster protections of 20 CFR Sec. 416.1150 apply in this context--
other agencies have applied disaster relief regulations since last year 
and this seems to be a reasonable interpretation to us.\2\ It was 
clearly not Congress' intent to deprive people of benefits by providing 
relief.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \1\ http://c-c-d.org/fichiers/FINAL_CCD-Statement-for-the-Record-
re-UI-Disregards-_6-23-20.pdf.
    \2\ We will note that the Department of Labor is applying the 
Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) regulations: https://
wisconsinexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Wisconsin-Department-
of-Workforce-Development-SSDI-Inquiry.pdf.

We have received reports of children with disabilities receiving SSI 
benefits having their benefits cut because of their parents' receipt of 
unemployment benefits; SSI beneficiaries who do work having their 
benefits suspended or terminated because of unemployment compensation; 
and of SSI beneficiaries being inappropriately terminated for being 
over the asset or resource limit, despite a clear statute prohibiting 
the stimulus payments from being considered assets for the first 12 
months. We know that these problems will continue in response to the 
recent additional stimulus checks. We believe that this confusion is 
actively harming beneficiaries. It is extremely frightening for 
beneficiaries to receive termination or suspension notices, incorrect 
or not, especially since eligibility for SSI benefits often conveys 
eligibility for health care. We would urge Congress to both increase 
asset limits (which have not been updated since 1984) and to work with 
SSA to ensure that no one is terminated inappropriately. No one on SSI 
should be have their benefits terminated due to pandemic relief 
assistance.

(2) Redesign on the SSI Application

As mentioned by Mr. Causeya, the SSI application is only available 
online to an incredibly narrow group of applicants: people age 18-64 
who are not blind, never married, and never made a claim for any SSA-
administered benefit. With the field offices closed and the paper SSI 
application form only available buried on the SSA website, thousands of 
potential applicants have been unable to apply.\3\ The phone lines are 
often too busy, leading to extended delays. A widely available online 
SSI application would help ensure that those who are eligible for SSI 
can apply, especially if accompanied by other reforms to ensure that 
the SSI application is understandable for those with disabilities who 
need to use it. During the working groups that SSA mentioned, we know 
that the many issues with the current application have been brought to 
SSA's attention. We would be glad to work with Congress and SSA to 
ensure that the application is available online and in a more 
understandable form.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \3\ https://www.aarp.org/retirement/social-security/info-2021/
closed-offices-impact-ssi-applicants.html.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

(3) Assistance for Assisters

Many people unable to navigate SSA's current systems have turned to 
legal services organizations, other community navigators such as the 
program run by Mr. Causeya, the media, or their members of Congress for 
assistance. Others simply are not receiving the benefits for which they 
qualify. We know that applications and awards for disability benefits 
have declined significantly \4\ during the pandemic: this is 
detrimental to people who are going without financial supports and the 
Medicare or Medicaid that can accompany them. It also means that SSA 
must prepare now for a coming increase in people seeking the agency's 
services. These same individuals will also seek help from legal 
services organizations and other community navigators who assist with 
applications, increasing a burden on already stressed assistance 
system.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \4\ https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/14/opinion/supplemental-
security-income-ssa-disability.html.

SSA's policies are complicated. People benefit from skilled assistance 
interacting with SSA--and when the public has more information so 
claimants can provide necessary documentation and complete forms 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
accurately, the agency benefits too.

Ensuring that appointment of representative forms (SSA-1696) are 
processed quickly and accurately is critical: SSA should track this 
workload more closely and make efforts to improve it. Paying approved 
representative fees promptly is important too: it allows beneficiaries 
to receive any portion of withheld past-due benefits that exceeds the 
authorized fee and encourages skilled representatives to continue 
practicing in this area. Congress should also increase funding for 
legal services, SOAR, Protection and Advocacy for Beneficiaries of 
Social Security, and Work Incentives Planning and Assistance programs. 
These programs provide valuable services and help SSA work more 
efficiency. A specific navigator program for people with disabilities 
applying for SSI over the next several years would also help reverse 
the dramatic drops in application and award rates, provide access to 
needed benefits to COVID-19 long haulers, and reduce the burden on the 
agency and newly opened field offices.

(4) Issues Stemming from Field Office Closures

In Fiscal Year 2019, SSA had more than 174,000 visits each day \5\ to 
its network of over 1,200 field offices. Some of those visits were 
successfully replaced during the pandemic with phone calls, faxes, 
online services, and mailed communications; indeed, some people with 
disabilities prefer to use such services when they are available and 
accessible. But many people lack technology, mailing addresses, or 
phone minutes. Some need services that SSA does not provide online, 
like new (or, in some states, replacement) Social Security cards; 
online SSI applications for most claimants; or reporting the death of a 
loved one and applying for survivors' benefits. And others are unable 
to verify their identities using SSA's system based on credit-
bureau data, and thus cannot set up the mySSA accounts needed to 
receive many of the agency's electronic services. A disproportionate 
number of low-income people rely on Social Security and SSI benefits 
and are less likely to have access to regular Internet access, a 
problem compounded in rural areas.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \5\ https://www.ssa.gov/open/data/field-office-visitors-average-
daily.html.

We also note there is considerable variation across and within field 
offices as to how SSA's policies are applied and services are provided. 
Some field office staff are quick to return phone calls and others are 
not. Some offices scan mailed or faxed documents into the WorkTrack 
system quickly and assign them to workers; in other offices, field 
office staff are unable to review documents that have been submitted 
and ask for them to be re-sent multiple times.Looking in from the 
outside at such a massive agency with so many complex workloads, it is 
hard to know precisely how SSA should improve efficiency and 
consistency. Collecting and publishing management information, tracking 
how field offices compare to each other on different metrics and 
adopting best practices from high-performing offices, providing 
adequate training and resources, and ensuring that productivity 
measures do not reward inaccurate work or incentivize employees to 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
ignore challenging cases are all parts of the solution.

We have received reports of numerous issues resulting from the closure 
of field offices and will discuss a few in detail.

A. Issues Related to Identity Verification Documents

One area where there is a lot of variation is getting in-person 
appointments versus needing to mail in documents. This issue was 
highlighted by many different Senators during the hearing. One of our 
organizations was recently contacted by the relative of an elderly 
person who was born in the former Yugoslavia. She was incredibly 
nervous about mailing in her marriage certificate because if it were 
lost, she would never be able to replace it when the issuing government 
no longer existed. Yet she was told that her only option to obtain 
widow's benefits was to mail it: numerous field office employees said 
she could not have an in-person appointment. We helped her relative 
connect with the District Manager and Area Director and the situation 
was quickly resolved. SSA has issued guidance \6\ about when in-person 
appointments are available, but it is quite vague and even when the 
agency offers an appointment it might be weeks or months away. Although 
SSA finally stated in late December that people should not mail their 
lawful presence documents (green cards) to field offices, we are aware 
of people who have still been asked to do so. SSA has also created a 
``policy flexibility'' whereby people who would normally have to submit 
their drivers' licenses can send other forms of identification instead, 
and drivers' license information can be verified via data sharing. We 
support these changes, because people generally cannot be without 
drivers' licenses for over a month when they need the licenses for 
identification and to drive legally. However, this plan will not work 
for everyone, especially those who may not possess multiple forms of 
identification. SSA needs to create a plan to ensure that people can 
make in-person appointments to provide these forms of identification, 
or to use data sharing to verify information without hands-on 
examination of documents, and Congress should ensure that happens as 
promptly as possible.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \6\ https://www.ssa.gov/coronavirus/.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

B. The Intermediary Role of the Field Office

Field offices are also the intermediaries between the public and other 
SSA offices like payment centers, the Office of Central Operations, and 
Workload Support Units. Beneficiaries may not understand that their 
case is being handled by one of these offices and when they call the 
field office or 800 number the person who answers the phone may not 
have access to, or know how to, review all the information that these 
offices are reviewing. This causes a lot of confusion and inefficiency 
that SSA should consider how to improve.

An example of problems between field offices and program service 
centers is handling reports from beneficiaries who work. We know that 
SSA's work incentives are important to the agency and to Congress, but 
during the pandemic disability beneficiaries who returned to work are 
having difficulties reporting that work activity and having their 
benefits adjusted properly, causing both overpayments and 
underpayments. Those whose benefits were suspended in the past for work 
activity and then lost their jobs or saw earnings decrease are having 
difficulty obtaining the expedited reinstatements they should be 
receiving. Communications breakdowns within field offices and between 
field offices and program service centers/payment centers often mean 
that people are waiting months even for provisional benefits to start. 
In many cases, the agency has not decided on whether benefits can be 
reinstated by the time the six months of provisional benefits end. 
SSA's neglect of this important work incentive is unacceptable. People 
with disabilities who rely on SSI and other Social Security disability 
benefits should be encouraged to work to the best of their ability, not 
punished for doing so.

C. COVID Overpayments Caused by SSA

SSA has tried to simplify its process for waiving overpayments caused 
by the agency's suspension of certain workloads during the pandemic. 
Although we appreciate the agency's efforts, we made several 
recommendations \7\ that have not been implemented. Furthermore, some 
field office employees seem much more aware than others of this 
temporary final rule.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \7\ http://c-c-d.org/fichiers/SSTF-Comments-on-SSA-Waiver-
Rule_final-for-signon.pdf.

Another area where we are beginning to see allegations of overpayments 
is when SSI recipients received stimulus payments. By law, these 
payments are considered tax refunds and exempted from SSI resource 
limits for 12 months. However, some SSI recipients are receiving 
notices stating that they were over resources during that time period, 
and this is due to the agency's failure to apply these policies. SSI 
recipients who are able to obtain legal services or other assistance 
can likely successfully contest these alleged overpayments, but we are 
concerned that some low-income, low-asset, people with disabilities and 
senior citizens will have their benefits reduced from their already low 
level (a maximum of $794 per month, well below the poverty line) in 
order to recover overpayments that never should have been assessed.

D. DDS Difficulties and Delays

Every state has an agency funded by SSA (generally referred to as 
Disability Determination Services or DDS, though some states use 
different names) that decides if disability claimants meet medical 
requirements. Some state agencies adjusted much faster than others to 
the switch to remote work during the pandemic, and some states are 
still much more communicative with claimants and representatives than 
others.

There are major differences between different states in how DDS 
backlogs have changed. For example, according to SSA's data, \8\ 
Alabama, New Hampshire, New Mexico, and Wyoming saw their initial level 
backlogs more than double from April 2019 to December 2020. Other 
states, such as Alaska, Hawaii, Rhode Island, and Vermont, reduced 
their initial level backlogs during the same time period.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \8\ https://www.ssa.gov/disability/data/ssa-sa-mowl.htm.

Some cases take more time than others. We do not believe that DDSs 
should be pushed to decide cases before evidence is received or the 
appointment of representative form is processed. It is taking longer to 
gather medical evidence during the pandemic and some delays are 
therefore to be expected. But it seems from the representatives that we 
have talked to that some cases are sitting for months after all 
evidence has been submitted and DDS staff in many of those cases are 
not responsive to attempts to contact them. We encourage Congress and 
SSA to closely monitor this situation.

E. Paper and Non-Disability Appeals

Some of the most challenging cases for SSA to consider are about the 
amount of benefits someone should receive or if they meet SSA's non-
medical requirements. Such cases often involve evidence provided by 
SSA, financial documents like pay stubs and worker's compensation 
settlements, and other documents like birth and death certificates. 
They can touch on issues of tax law, immigration law, trusts and 
estates, family law, and more. Further complicating matters is the fact 
that these cases are often not electronic. They are paper files that 
get mailed to different Social Security offices when the beneficiary 
moves or appeals. Many of these paper files were stuck in field offices 
or hearing offices for months during the pandemic. Although SSA has 
recently begun tracking them, we know that there are some that the 
agency acknowledges have been misplaced, have systems issues that 
preclude processing them, or must be redeveloped. And we believe that 
there could be paper files in SSA offices that the agency is not 
tracking, if they are on someone's desk or in a file cabinet or another 
place that nobody has looked recently.

These are important cases, whether they involve hundreds of thousands 
of dollars--as did a recent survivors' benefits case, stalled for 
years, of which we recently became aware--or a change in SSI benefits 
of only a few dollars a month. SSA should institute better methods for 
tracking these cases and converting them to electronic cases so they 
can be more easily transferred across offices and more accessible to 
beneficiaries and appointed representatives

Conclusion

Thank you for your efforts on behalf of disability claimants and 
beneficiaries and the millions of others who interact with SSA. We 
stand ready to work with you, other members of Congress, and SSA to 
improve services to the public.

Sincerely,
Stacy Cloyd
National Organization of Social Security Claimants' Representatives

Tracey Gronniger
Justice in Aging

Bethany Lilly
The Arc of the United States

Jeanne Morin
National Association of Disability Representatives

                                 ______
                                 
                         Inner City Law Center

                    624 S. Grand Avenue, Suite 2510

                         Los Angeles, CA 90017

                          TEL: (213) 443-2355

                          FAX: (213) 891-2888

                       https://innercitylaw.org/

May 12, 2021

U.S. Senate
Committee on Finance
Dirksen Senate Office Bldg.
Washington, DC 20510-6200

Chairman Wyden, Ranking Member Crapo, and Members of this Committee:

Thank you for the opportunity to submit a statement for the record 
regarding the important issues discussed during the hearing held April 
29, 2021, on Social Security Administration services during the COVID-
19 pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has created an unprecedented 
challenge in service delivery for SSA--the agency charged with 
providing crucial income supports to individuals with disabilities and 
seniors. Although SSA took steps during the pandemic to change 
procedures to reflect the COVID reality and SSA front-line staff are 
undoubtedly working very hard, the agency's service delivery to the 
public is nonetheless in crisis.

Inner City Law Center (``ICLC'') is a non-profit legal services 
provider based in the Skid Row neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. 
For more than thirty years, ICLC has provided critical legal services 
to low-income individuals who are either experiencing homelessness or 
at risk of homelessness. This has included several decades of work 
representing clients whose Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social 
Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits have been reduced, 
denied, or terminated. Currently, we represent hundreds of clients in 
appeals before the Social Security Administration, which necessitates 
daily contact with SSA field offices across Los Angeles County. In 
addition, we work closely with a Los Angeles County program based on 
the SOAR model that has assisted thousands of low-income Angelenos who 
are homeless or at risk of homelessness with applying for SSI and SSDI 
benefits. This program is in constant contact with SSA field offices 
and we advise them on how to resolve issues with SSA field offices 
related to individual applications.

A. INTRODUCTION

This statement responds to and challenges assertions that were made by 
SSA during the Senate Finance Committee hearing held April 29, 2021, 
and provides additional information to the members of the Committee on 
the crisis that we have witnessed unfolding on the ground. Failure to 
take immediate steps to improve service delivery at SSA's field offices 
will have the continued effect that thousands of our nation's most 
vulnerable individuals will either lose their urgently needed benefits 
or they will continue to be unable to even apply for benefits in the 
first place.

The most critical issues we have witnessed at SSA's field offices 
include the lack of in-person access to SSA personnel, limited ability 
to make appointments, a phone system that is seriously overburdened, 
failure to implement effective policies within SSA's discretion, SSA 
personnel misstating rules or policies that create additional burdens 
on the public, and SSA's failure to leverage the knowledge of community 
organizations and advocates who have assisted the public with Social 
Security issues for decades.

There are approximately thirty SSA field offices in Los Angeles County, 
making it one of the largest, if not the largest, SSA service-delivery 
regions in the country. Our office has clients spread across Los 
Angeles County and so we interact regularly with many of these field 
offices. We also collaborate with advocate networks throughout 
California and nationwide. The problems noted below are not confined to 
one or two offices, or just to Los Angeles County, but are systemic 
problems that are occurring throughout the SSA system.

The impact of the field office closures has been immediate and 
catastrophic. SSI applications and awards plummeted during the 
pandemic. SSA statistics show that, from July to November 2020, ``the 
Social Security Administration awarded benefits to about 100,000 fewer 
individuals compared with the same period last year. In July 2020 the 
agency distributed just 38,318 new awards--the fewest in 20 years of 
available data.''\1\ Thus, the real-world consequence of field office 
closures is that tens of thousands of people who are impoverished and/
or disabled will not receive the benefits to which they are entitled 
under federal law. This is a permanent loss of benefits to these 
individuals as the amount of money one is awarded is tied to when an 
application is filed. In other words, even if these individuals file an 
application for benefits in the future, they will never be able to get 
money for the period of time when their applications were not filed.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \1\ Jonathan Stein, David Weaver, ``Disabled Americans Are Losing a 
Lifeline,'' New York Times, January 14, 2021.

Moreover, SSA's focus during the pandemic has overwhelmingly been to 
increase online and virtual service delivery. Although this is 
understandable, it further marginalizes members of the public who 
cannot access the Internet. Online access is far from universal in our 
country and access has eroded during the pandemic. As one example, many 
low-income individuals rely on public libraries to access Internet 
resources but many libraries have been closed or had limited operating 
hours since March 2020. Although the creation of online tools is 
useful, these tools cannot substitute for in-person and telephone 
access to SSA.

B.  THERE ARE SERIOUS ISSUES WITH THE PUBLIC'S ACCESS TO FIELD OFFICES

SSA field offices play a critical role as the front-line of the 
public's access to the Social Security Administration. In their written 
testimony, SSA did not acknowledge that phone service is an imperfect 
substitution for in-person service as some members of the public do not 
have access to phones or are unable to effectively communicate by 
phone. The promised in-person appointments for critical issues are 
illusory as there is no system for making such appointments. Most 
worrisome, the phone systems at SSA local offices are so overburdened 
that in many cases it is not possible to even reach offices by phone.

SSA stated in their written testimony that their efforts to maintain 
access to the public included that, ``[w]e marketed field office 
telephone lines, so the public could directly reach employees in local 
offices by telephone. We posted signs in our offices, messaging the 
availability of services online, by mail, telephone, and limited in-
office appointments.'' (Deputy Commissioner Kim's Written Testimony, p. 
4.)

The measures implemented by SSA have been wholly insufficient to meet 
the needs of the public. As one example of this, Deputy Commissioner 
Kim lauds SSA for listing the phone numbers of SSA field offices on 
their website during the pandemic. She fails to explain that this was 
necessary only because SSA had previously scrubbed the field office 
phone numbers from the national website. Many advocates, including our 
office, had to maintain independent lists of field office numbers that 
we could provide to clients because this information was unavailable 
otherwise. Members of the public who previously did not have access to 
direct field office telephone numbers had to call the national 800 
number, which typically has extended wait times, provides inconsistent 
information, and is unable to effectively communicate with the field 
office employees who are making the actual decisions in these cases. 
Providing a list of field office phone numbers is a minimal level of 
service to the public and not, as SSA implied, a dramatic improvement 
in service delivery.

    1.  SSA Had Serious Pre-existing Customer Service Issues that Have 
Been Exacerbated by the COVID-19 Pandemic.

It has always been difficult to get answers by phone from SSA field 
offices due to wait times and failure of SSA personnel to return phone 
calls. Individuals who lacked phones or were not able to communicate 
effectively by phone frequently visited field offices in person in 
order to get answers to their questions. Field office access thus 
provided a safety valve that enabled members of the public to bring in 
a written notice they did not understand, ask for the status of their 
cases, or submit an appeal in person.

Even when field offices were open to the public, this was an imperfect 
system because SSA has never had a system where the public or an 
advocate can make an appointment at an SSA office. A visit to an SSA 
field office typically meant getting to the office before it opened, 
waiting in line 30 minutes to an hour to check-in, and then waiting 
anywhere from one to two hours to speak to a representative at the 
window. Many claimants, due to physical or mental disabilities, were 
not able to access in-person services as their disabilities made it 
impossible for them to wait the one to two hours required to speak with 
an SSA employee. This already imperfect system is now in crisis.

    2.  SSA's Offices are very difficult to reach by telephone.

The only way to communicate with SSA in real time over the last year 
has been by telephone but SSA's telephone access is unpredictable and 
frustrating. SSA noted in their written testimony that the number of 
phone calls SSA receives has tripled in the last year. (Deputy 
Commissioner Kim's Written Testimony, p. 8.) We have found that it has 
grown increasingly difficult to speak with both field office and 
hearings office employees via telephone due to wait times of 30 minutes 
or more, calls being dropped, phone lines not being operational, and 
employees failing to respond to voicemails in a timely manner or at 
all.

Below are two representative examples of what this actually looks like 
on-the-ground:

      We needed to confirm that the Lakewood, California field office 
had processed a client's appeal after we submitted it on November 4, 
2020. Our staff called the Lakewood Field Office more than fifteen 
times between January 5, 2021 and March 16, 2021. Eleven of those phone 
calls would not connect to an SSA representative either because the 
line was busy, we received an error tone, or the call simply ended in 
dead air. We were not able to confirm that the client's appeal was 
processed until the end of March 2021 when we were given a particular 
employee's extension. Even then, we had to call that employee 
repeatedly until they confirmed the claimant's appeal was processed. 
The average unrepresented claimant would likely not have the telephone 
access, stamina, or understanding of the process to enable them to 
follow up so extensively to ensure their case was moving forward.

      In another example, we contacted the Huntington Park, California 
Field Office after a client was awarded less money than he was due. We 
received busy signals, error messages, and unreturned voicemail 
messages on more than 10 occasions between December 2020 and April 
2021.

These are only two examples, but we have found that calling SSA field 
offices and hearing offices frequently results in error messages 
(``your call could not be completed''), busy signals, dropped calls, 
and very long wait times to reach a representative. In the cases 
described above, we were ultimately only able to resolve the issues 
because we had the names and extensions of specific employees, which is 
not information that is available to the public. Even when armed with 
employees' extensions, we still cannot reach them when the office's 
phone line is busy or fails to connect.

Moreover, the average member of the public does not know how to access 
a supervisor if their case is languishing or they are provided 
contradictory information--and if by chance they are transferred to a 
supervisor's voicemail from a frontline staff member, the supervisor 
far too often fails to respond to voicemail messages at all.

There are additional problems with reaching DDS--the state agency 
contracted by SSA to complete disability evaluations. Despite being a 
year into the pandemic, the Disability Determination Services' notices 
in California do not include the correct telephone number to reach the 
person assigned to the case. Claimants call the telephone number listed 
on notices only to reach a voicemail that states that the person cannot 
accept calls at that number and a different telephone number must be 
called. This could be easily remedied if DDS updated their notices to 
reflect their employees' remote work telephone numbers.

These problems are not just occurring at one or two SSA offices in Los 
Angeles, but across nearly all of the offices. We have heard similar 
feedback from other non-profit agencies across California and 
nationwide. For this reason, the SSA phone system needs to be 
overhauled with more rigorous oversight to track numbers of dropped 
calls, frequency and timeliness of returned voicemail messages, and 
accuracy of information provided. Re-opening field offices in a limited 
fashion with all Centers for Disease Control protocols rigorously 
enforced would be another way to increase the public's meaningful 
access to SSA.

    3.  SSA Field Offices and Hearing Offices fail to timely process 
paperwork received by mail or by fax.

Prior to the pandemic, it was common knowledge among SSA advocates that 
SSA would frequently fail to process submitted paperwork or would 
process it only after a long delay and repeated telephone calls to 
follow-up. As the pandemic has forced most documentation to be sent via 
mail or fax, the processing has slowed down even further. As Deputy 
Commissioner Kim stated, they continue to have very few staff members 
in the office to process mail or faxes and they are receiving a massive 
increase of documents to be scanned in. Although we certainly 
appreciate the Administration's need to keep their staff safe by having 
limited people on-site, they have to continue providing services to the 
American public in a reasonable and competent way. Too often, we have 
found that this is not the case, even more than a year after their 
offices closed to the public.

These delays and failures to process paperwork are made worse by the 
fact that the electronic systems of the different branches of SSA often 
do not update each other. Thus, for example, we regularly need to 
submit our Appointment of Representative forms more than three times in 
order for them to be processed by a field office and even then, the 
hearing office systems are not automatically updated to include the 
representative's information.

SSA's repeated failure to process critical forms received by mail or 
fax, including appeal forms, is a significant due process issue created 
by the agency. SSA must have an effective and error-free system to 
process forms and appeals. SSA has frequently lost appeals requests 
sent by our office. These failures lead to claimants being incorrectly 
told they missed an appeals deadline, claimant's representatives not 
receiving timely notice of denials and approvals, and, most critically, 
claimants being incorrectly terminated from benefits.

Moreover, we have found that field offices frequently fail to process 
the Appointment of Representative (SSA-1696) forms we submit. When they 
do not update their system to reflect that we are the representatives, 
field offices refuse to provide us information on the status of cases 
and do not send us notices in the case. This can lead to claimants 
missing critical appeals or submission of evidence deadlines in their 
cases. Offices have failed to send us notices about cases even after we 
represented the claimant at a hearing. This has led to claims being 
improperly closed. Further issues exist when organizations assisting 
individuals call field offices for information on their claim. SSA 
rules state that, if the claimant is on the phone, they may provide 
verbal authorization for an advocate to receive information from SSA. 
However, the countywide program we advise has found that this rule is 
frequently ignored. SSA representatives have told advocates that verbal 
authorization is not permitted, that there is no such rule, and will 
even refuse to connect the advocate to a supervisor when requested.

The new process SSA has initiated in the last few months to allow for 
electronic signing of the Appointment of Representative form is 
unlikely to remedy the above problems.\2\ The process requires the 
claimant to have an email address and to be able to e-sign the form 
within five days after receiving the link from SSA in their email. 
Given our clients lack of access to the Internet and the step-by-step 
support they would need to follow the process, it is easier for our 
clients to receive and sign a paper form.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \2\ As one obvious example, the e-1696 portal does not work in 
Google Chrome as the link leads to a blank page that does not load. 
This is nearly unbelievable given that nearly 50% of Internet users use 
Chrome as their browser.

    4.  In-person appointments, even for critical issues, are an 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
illusory promise by SSA.

SSA has never had a system that enabled members of the public to make 
their own appointments at a field office. An appointment could only be 
made if a particular SSA field office representative chose to do so. 
They frequently declined to do so prior to the pandemic and this has 
not changed over the last year.

SSA stated in their testimony that they have in-office staff available 
to handle ``critical in-office interviews that cannot be handled 
online, through the mail, or over the phone.'' (Deputy Commissioner 
Kim's Written Testimony, p. 5.) The SSA website says that a ``critical 
situation'' exists when an individual lacks food or shelter and needs 
to apply for benefits or when an individual receives benefits and 
cannot receive a payment electronically.\3\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \3\ https://www.ssa.gov/coronavirus/. ``I Need Help with 
Benefits.'' Visited May 8, 2021.

We have not heard of any in-person appointments, even in the above 
situations, being offered to claimants in our region. There is no 
online portal or centralized phone number to request an appointment for 
an individual in these critical situations. Calling a field office also 
does not guarantee that an appointment will be made as this has been 
left completely to the discretion of individual field offices. It is 
not clear from SSA's testimony that SSA representatives are, in fact, 
scheduling appointments for individuals on a consistent basis. SSA 
should create an online and telephone system to request appointments 
and provide data on the number of appointments made for and attended by 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
claimants at the field offices.

SSA's poor results thus far in making in-person appointments available 
to the public stands in contrast to other public agencies. As an 
example, the California Department of Motor Vehicles moved quickly 
after the beginning of the pandemic to make limited in-person 
appointments available for critical issues. These appointments were 
available at limited offices in early May 2020, just two months after 
the pandemic began, and expanded to include additional offices later 
that month.\4\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \4\ https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/news-and-media/select-dmv-field-
offices-reopen-to-public-2/. Announcing reopening of 25 facilities for 
critical appointments that must be done in person. Visited May 8, 2021.

    5.  SSA has not created a system that enables individuals to safely 
provide original documentation of their identity without sending 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
original documents in the mail.

SSA lacks a secure system for individuals to provide original 
documentation. Although SSA explained in their testimony that they have 
begun to pilot using drop boxes at field offices, this is not a 
substitute for in-person verification of documents because it still 
requires individuals to give over their critical primary identification 
documents to a government agency without knowing when or how they will 
be returned. Early in the pandemic, our agency heard from a client who 
had been asked to mail her original Lawful Permanent Resident card to a 
field office so that they could issue benefits. We were very concerned 
due to the risk of inadequate security measurements being taken with 
these documents, as has been confirmed in North Carolina,\5\ and were 
therefore relieved when SSA issued guidance to the field offices 
stating that this practice should be discontinued. However, SSA has 
failed to consistently allow for any alternate means of presenting 
original documents for verification. Immigrant clients, and some 
naturalized U.S. citizens, are often required to provide original 
documentation of immigration status or citizenship to the field office 
after medical approval of an SSI or SSDI claim so that benefits may be 
issued. There is no nationwide system in place for clients to safely do 
so without risking their documents being lost.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \5\ Nate Morabito, ``SSA Mistake Sends Confidential Documents to 
Wrong People in Charlotte,'' WCNC Charlotte, February 5, 2021, https://
www.wcnc.com/article/news/investigations/ssa-mistake-sends-
confidential-documents-to-wrong-people-in-charlotte/275-98f18187-5466-
4f4e-a730-0e648fed775e.

C.  SSA HAS FAILED TO IMPLEMENT POLICIES THAT WOULD ALLEVIATE PROBLEMS 
                    CAUSED BY THE COVID PANDEMIC

Deputy Commissioner Kim's written testimony states that, ``we have been 
working hard to implement policies and engage in activities that 
support the public during this difficult time. In our field offices, we 
implemented emergency policy flexibilities . . .'' (Deputy Commissioner 
Kim's Written Testimony, p. 4.)

Contrary to their testimony, SSA has failed to effectively use their 
policy discretion in a meaningful way to address the problems caused 
for the public by the COVID pandemic and the shuttering of SSA field 
offices for the past year.

    1.  SSA has refused to make accommodations for claimants who are 
unable to effectively communicate via telephone.

Some claimants, including those with intellectual disabilities or 
limited literacy, have historically relied on visiting local offices in 
order to understand and respond to information in Social Security 
notices. SSA has failed to provide any means for in-person services 
with claimants with such needs. These individuals are not provided with 
information on how to make an in-person appointment in critical 
situations or any other specific accommodations. This is despite the 
fact that SSA knows which clients were approved for disability benefits 
due to intellectual disabilities or significant mental illness who may 
therefore require such accommodations. Additionally, many of our most 
vulnerable community members who lack regular and meaningful access to 
telephones or the Internet are left without any means of communicating 
with SSA because they cannot meet in person with SSA employees at field 
offices. SSA could begin to allow for more in-person office visits, 
with all Centers for Disease Control protocols rigorously enforced.

    2.  Although SSA has expanded electronic access during the 
pandemic, there continue to be significant barriers to electronic 
communication with SSA personnel.

Given the difficulty of reaching field offices by phone, SSA should 
expand their ability to receive information electronically. SSA has no 
system where claimants or claimants' advocates can email a specific SSA 
representative or fax a submission directly to a specific SSA 
representative. We think it would be tremendously useful if claimants 
and their representatives could email SSA employees directly. This 
could be done in a safe manner that would limit the risk that 
personally identifiable information is sent to an incorrect party.

As one example of policy flexibilities they have initiated, SSA stated 
that they have ``expanded telephone attestation procedures in place of 
requiring wet signatures.'' (Deputy Commissioner Kim's Written 
Testimony, p. 4.) Far from exhibiting flexibility in following SSA 
policy in order to best serve the public, we have instead found that 
some field offices create non-existent policies that are barriers to 
clients.

As one example of this, we represent a client where the field office 
refused to process a Request for Reconsideration (SSA-561) for eight 
months on the stated basis that the signature from the client 
``appeared to be `an electronic signature' '' despite the fact that the 
Request for Reconsideration does not even require a claimant signature, 
much less a wet signature. Despite our repeated calls to the field 
office, it nonetheless took 8 months and intervention by a supervisor 
for the appeal request to be filed.

    3.  SSA has refused to create a blanket rule allowing for late 
submissions of appeals due to the COVID pandemic and the closure of 
field offices.

SSA stated that they, ``[e]xtended timeframes for the submission of 
evidence and appeals due to mail delays or limited access to our 
offices.'' (Deputy Commissioner Kim's Written Testimony, p. 4.) 
However, SSA fails to state that they have not implemented any blanket 
rules that direct field offices to accept late appeals or late 
submission of evidence. SSA has left it to the discretion of individual 
field offices to determine whether an individual claimant had a COVID-
19 related reason for filing the appeal late.\6\ In our experience, 
this has led to wide variation in interpretation of this rule by 
different field offices to the detriment of claimants.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \6\ ``What Do I Do if I Have Missed the Deadline to File My Appeal 
Request?'', https://www.ssa.gov/coronavirus/.

It is tremendously difficult for low-income individuals, especially 
those experiencing homelessness, to file an appeal of a denial or 
termination of benefits. SSA does not include the appeal form or a pre-
addressed return envelope with notices that deny, reduce, or terminate 
benefits. So, an individual must then find the correct form on the SSA 
website and possess the ability to print out the form. Then, the 
individual must correctly fill it out and mail it to the correct field 
office. In practice, our low-income community members typically visited 
a field office in person for assistance with obtaining, completing, and 
submitting appeals forms. With the field offices closed, many 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
individuals are not able to complete these steps in a timely manner.

SSA should implement a blanket rule that allows for late submission of 
appeals in all cases due to the continued closures of field offices 
without requiring claimants to state a specific good cause reason. It 
seems likely that good cause for late filing exists in all cases 
because there is a nationwide pandemic, all SSA offices serving the 
public have been closed for more than a year, most other public 
services (such as libraries) have also been closed, and simply riding 
on public transportation or leaving home at all has been hazardous.

    4.  SSA continues to hold claimants responsible for overpayments of 
benefits even when the overpayment is due to SSA's late processing of 
income or other information.

SSA stated that they ``published an interim final rule to streamline 
the overpayment waiver process for beneficiaries who incurred 
overpayment debts between March and September 2020 due to our deferral 
of certain workloads. Under the streamlined waiver process, we can more 
quickly waive recovery upon receiving a verbal request for qualified 
debts.'' (Deputy Commissioner Kim's Written Testimony, p. 5.)

Although streamlining the waiver process for overpayments caused by SSA 
is a step forward, SSA should instead automatically waive any such 
overpayments. These are overpayments caused by the temporary deferral 
of processing of information by SSA due to the pandemic. SSA can 
identify any such overpayments and waive them. Requiring a claimant to 
verbally request a waiver is an unnecessary barrier that will cause 
many claimants to pay back overpayments that should have been waived. 
In order to verbally request a waiver, a claimant must be able to: (1) 
understand the reason for the overpayment, (2) know that they can ask 
for a waiver, and (3) have the ability to call the field office and 
request a waiver. As described above, we have found that it has become 
increasingly difficult to get through by phone to field offices. For 
claimants with limited or unstable phone access, making a verbal 
request for a waiver is an unnecessary barrier when these overpayments 
could instead be administratively waived by SSA without the need for 
such a request.

D.  SSA'S PARTNERSHIP WITH CLAIMANT ADVOCATES WORKING WITH VULNERABLE 
                    POPULATIONS NEEDS TO RESPOND TO THE NEEDS OF 
                    CLAIMANTS' ADVOCATES

Deputy Commissioner Kim stated in her written testimony that SSA has, 
``entered into an unprecedented partnership with claimant advocates and 
other organizations to promote our services and ensure they are 
accessible to our most vulnerable populations.'' (Deputy Commissioner 
Kim's Written Testimony, p. 4.)

Given the drastic decline in SSI applications and awards in 2020, it is 
a positive step that SSA is reaching out to community organizations for 
assistance in serving claimants. However, SSA has not offered any 
concrete changes in systems to these organizations such as enabling 
their access to information or improving communication with field 
offices. They also are not providing any funding for this work, instead 
relying on non-profits to seek independent funding.

    1.  Claimants' advocates have well-established and effective 
programs assisting individuals file applications for SSI and SSDI and 
SSA should create an effective collaboration with programs like ours.

Our organization works with a county-wide program that is similar to 
the program run by Central City Concern, whose representative testified 
at the hearing. There are hundreds of such programs nationwide that 
have demonstrated success in assisting individuals apply for SSI and/or 
SSDI benefits based on disability. As one example, programs that use 
the SOAR model have a cumulative success rate of 65% for initial 
applications.\7\ This is in comparison to the 37% initial approval rate 
\8\ reported by SSA nationwide. The Los Angeles County program we work 
with has a comparable approval rate. We have trained hundreds of non-
attorney advocates in drafting and filing SSI and SSDI claims, have 
reviewed thousands of applications for benefits, and have a thorough 
understanding of how the application process could be improved. 
Nonetheless, SSA's initiative has not created a mechanism by which 
organizations like ours can effectively collaborate with SSA to improve 
their system.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \7\ See https://soarworks.prainc.com/article/soar-outcomes-and-
impact#::text=Cumulative%20
Outcomes%20(2006%2D2020)&text=Of%20the%20applications%20assisted%20using
,approved%20
on%20reconsideration%20or%20appeal.
    \8\ See https://empirejustice.org/resources_post/ssa-publishes-
annual-waterfall-chart/.

    2.  SSA should fix known problems with claimants' advocates' access 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
to information.

SSA's first step in collaborating with claimants' advocates should be 
to create streamlined mechanisms that allow these organizations to send 
and receive information to field offices and DDS. As explained above, 
one of the most significant barriers to advocates' work is the 
inability to communicate easily with field offices. SSA should 
designate a liaison at each field office and DDS office for these 
programs, share designated SSA staff email addresses with advocates, 
and ensure that Appointment of Representative forms are processed 
quickly and consistently in all cases.

Additionally, there are other steps SSA could take to improve 
electronic access to information through ERE. Although SSA recently 
took the positive step of expanding ERE access at the initial and 
reconsideration levels, the system does not appear to be implemented 
consistently and is not available to all claimants' representatives. 
Although attorneys at our agency have Electronic Records Express (ERE) 
access, they have found that they still cannot access information at 
the initial or reconsideration levels on a consistent basis. 
Additionally, this system is only available to claimants' 
representatives who represent claimants at the hearing level. Many of 
the most effective programs assisting claimants with initial 
applications are non-
attorney advocates who do not represent claimants at the hearing level. 
This system should be immediately expanded to all claimants' advocates 
and improved so that access is consistently and easily granted once an 
Appointment of Representative form has been filed.

    3.  Claimants' advocates should be consulted on ways to reform the 
application process to fix known problems.

As Tara McGuinness testified so eloquently, ``[t]his isn't just about 
making paper applications digital. Digitizing a broken process gets you 
a digitized broken process.'' (McGuiness's Written Testimony, p. 2.) We 
agree completely. The complexity of the application process for SSI and 
SSDI means that a claimant is virtually guaranteed to fail to provide 
important information or miss a critical step in the process. Even 
trained non-attorney advocates require constant technical assistance 
support from our office in order to submit accurate and complete 
applications for disability benefits. There are numerous, concrete ways 
that the process may be improved and made responsive to claimants' 
needs. We strongly encourage SSA to be directed to collaborate with 
offices like ours that are on the front-line of assisting claimants 
apply for benefits and find ways to expeditiously implement fixes for 
the challenges that are identified.

Thank you for holding a hearing to address these very important 
concerns. We appreciate the opportunity to provide a statement on the 
issues raised.

Sincerely,

Rebecca Watson, Directing Attorney
Jin Lee, Supervising Attorney
Eve Rutzick, Supervising Attorney

                                 ______
                                 
       International Association of Rehabilitation Professionals

                      1000 Westgate Dr., Suite 252

                           St. Paul, MN 55114

                              612-290-6260

Chairman Wyden, Ranking Member Crapo and Members of the Committee, the 
International Association of Rehabilitation Professionals' (IARP) SSVE 
Section is pleased to submit these comments in response to the Senate 
Finance Committee's hearing on the impact of the pandemic on SSA's 
service delivery and suggestions for improvements. IARP is the only 
organization focused on and committed to comprehensively serving the 
professional private rehabilitation industry. IARP has five specialty 
practice sections--Rehabilitation and Disability Case Management; 
Forensic Rehabilitation; Life Care Planning; Social Security Vocational 
Expert; and Vocational Rehabilitation Transition Services. SSVE Section 
members provide vocational expert testimony during hearings held before 
SSA Administrative Law Judges to determine whether a claimant meets the 
agency's definition of disability and should be awarded benefits.

We want to thank you for holding this hearing. Our members are 
extremely concerned that SSA office closings during the COVID-19 
pandemic are making it impossible for millions of low-income people 
with disabilities to access Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits 
that they desperately need. The SSI program provides modest payments to 
low-income seniors, disabled adults, and families with disabled 
children. While the need for these benefits has likely intensified 
during the pandemic, access to them has been severely restricted.

Vocational experts anticipated an increase in SSI applications during 
the current pandemic, as has occurred during previous economic 
downturns. However, our members have noticed just the opposite: a sharp 
drop in the number of hearings held as well as the number of initial 
applications filed. We are concerned that administrative hurdles are 
preventing potentially qualified people from applying for and receiving 
these benefits.

In July of this year, SSA awarded SSI benefits to just over 25,000 
disabled adults ages 18 to 64. That is the lowest monthly award figure 
in the last 20 years for this group. It is also 40 percent lower than 
the figure for this group for the same month in the previous year. With 
regard to disabled children, SSA awarded SSI benefits to 8,400 
claimants in July of this year. That is the lowest number of awards for 
any month in the last 20 years for this group. It is also 43 percent 
lower than the award figure for this group for the same month of the 
previous year. Declines in awards on the order of 40 percent or more 
will, over time, lead to hundreds of thousands of disabled individuals 
missing out on vital cash and health benefits.

One reason for these sharp declines is the lack of effective outreach 
following the closure of SSA's 1,200 field offices due to the COVID-19 
pandemic. Before the pandemic, potential SSI recipients learned about 
the program during in-person visits to their local field office. They 
were able to request an application, get answers to their questions, 
and submit the application directly to that office. It is imperative 
that SSA take immediate steps to remove the hurdles caused by office 
closures and other impediments to communicating with these offices 
during the pandemic.

Unlike with other types of benefits that SSA manages, there is no 
electronic option to apply for child SSI benefits, and only some 
disabled adults can apply online. With the field office closures, the 
only option SSI applicants have is to call the agency's toll-free 
number and face telephone wait times that can stretch to hours. For 
those who pay by the minute for their cell phone usage, including many 
potential SSI applicants, the cost of hours on hold alone is 
prohibitive to obtaining the assistance they need and deserve.

Safely reopening SSA Field Offices to the public as quickly as possible 
is the ultimate solution. In the process of reopening, SSA should 
prioritize marginalized populations such as SSI applicants. In the 
meantime, SSA must identify ways to reach those who have been 
disenfranchised due to pandemic closures. For example, establishing a 
centralized SSI intake unit with dedicated, direct phone lines for 
potential SSI applicants would be a good first step. In order to be 
effective, SSA would have to engage in targeted mailings and other 
forms of communication to inform the public of this option while field 
offices are closed. Setting up contactless kiosks where potential 
claimants could safely speak face-to-face with a Field Office employee 
also would help to address the unmet need for assistance in applying 
for SSI. Congress, as well, has an obligation to provide effective 
oversight in order to ensure individuals who are unable to work due to 
disability receive the services they need and are due under the law. 
Fully funding SSA's administrative expenses will be essential to 
assuring that those who qualify for benefits are able to access them. 
We look forward to working with Congress and the Administration to 
assure that the most vulnerable among us are able to access the Social 
Security benefits they are entitle to and so desperately need.

Thank you for considering these comments.

Sincerely,

Michelle Aliff, Ph.D., CRC, CVE
Chairperson, SSVE Section

                                 ______
                                 
                            Justice in Aging

                    1444 Eye Street, NW, Suite 1100

                          Washington, DC 20005

                              202-289-6976

May 12, 2021

Senator Ron Wyden
Chair
U.S. Senate
Committee on Finance
Dirksen Senate Office Bldg.
Washington, DC 20510-6200

RE: April 29, 2021 Hearing on ``Social Security During COVID: How the 
Pandemic Hampered Access to Benefits and Strategies for Improving 
Service Delivery''

Dear Chairman Wyden,

This statement is submitted on behalf of Justice in Aging, an advocacy 
organization with the mission of improving the lives of low-income 
older adults. We use the power of law to fight senior poverty by 
securing access to affordable health care, economic security, and the 
courts for older adults with limited resources. We have decades of 
experience with Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 
benefits, with a focus on the needs of low-income beneficiaries and 
populations that have traditionally lacked legal protections such as 
women, people of color, LGBT individuals, and people with limited 
English proficiency. Justice in Aging conducts training and advocacy 
regarding Social Security and SSI benefits, provides technical 
assistance to attorneys and others from across the country on how to 
address problems that arise under these programs, engages with the 
Social Security Administration (SSA) to address issues around agency 
policies and procedures that affect claimants' or beneficiaries' 
abilities to access Social Security and/or SSI benefits, and advocates 
for strong protections to ensure that beneficiaries receive the 
benefits to which they are entitled promptly and without arbitrary 
denial or disruption.

We thank you for holding this hearing on the important topic of service 
delivery at the Social Security Administration (SSA). Our comments 
focus on the SSA's Operations component because the Deputy Commissioner 
of Operations was the agency's witness for this hearing.

Even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, SSA faced difficulties providing 
appropriate customer service. The pandemic worsened some challenges 
while also introducing new barriers to access, particularly for low-
income individuals, including low-income older adults, limited English 
proficient individuals, and people of color. It is vital that we 
address these problems to allow people who are desperately in need of 
benefits to receive them quickly and without unnecessary roadblocks. 
Some improvements will certainly require changes to the law or 
increased administrative funding, but there are some solutions that SSA 
can implement itself right now. Congressional oversight of the agency's 
activities will speed up these fixes and are important to demonstrating 
the importance of appropriate support, funding, and other resources to 
ensure that SSA is able to fulfill its mission.

We are grateful for SSA's communications with the public and advocates 
throughout the pandemic. SSA is providing better services now than at 
the beginning of the pandemic, when many government agencies and 
private companies shut their offices and, where possible, began to 
engage in remote work. SSA is even performing some of its work more 
efficiently than it had been before the pandemic. Yet many challenges 
remain.

Field Office Closures

In Fiscal Year 2019, SSA had more than 174,000 visits each day to its 
network of over 1,200 field offices. With the closure of SSA field 
offices in March 2020, SSA forced customers to adapt to an almost all-
virtual mode of communication. Some of the services the agency provides 
were successfully replaced with phone calls, faxes, online services, 
and mailed communications. For some, including some people with 
disabilities, these other methods are preferable when they are 
available and accessible. However, there is a significant subset of the 
population SSA serves that lack Internet access, mailing addresses, or 
minutes on their mobile phone plans. Some need services that SSA does 
not provide online, like new Social Security cards; applying for 
survivors' benefits; and SSI applications (only people age 18-64 who 
are not blind, never married, and never made a claim for any SSA-
administered benefit can use iSSI, the online SSI system). Others are 
blocked due to an inability to verify their identities using SSA's 
system based on credit-bureau data--this means they cannot set up the 
mySSA accounts needed to receive many of the agency's electronic 
services.

Some people unable to navigate SSA's current systems have turned to 
legal aid organizations, the media, or their members of Congress for 
assistance. Others simply are not receiving the benefits for which they 
qualify. We know that applications and awards for disability benefits 
have declined significantly during the pandemic. This hurts many people 
who go without financial supports or the Medicare or Medicaid that can 
accompany them. It also means that SSA must prepare now for a coming 
increase in people seeking the agency's services.

Inconsistent Levels of Service

There is considerable variation across and within field offices as to 
how SSA's policies are applied and services are provided. Some field 
office staff are quick to return phone calls and others are not. Some 
offices scan mailed documents into the WorkTrack system quickly and 
assign them to workers; in other offices, field office staff are unable 
to review documents that have been sent in and ask for them to be re-
sent multiple times. Looking in from the outside at such a massive 
agency with so many complex workloads, it is hard to know precisely how 
SSA should improve efficiency and consistency. Collecting and 
publishing management information, tracking how field offices compare 
to each other on different metrics and adopting best practices from 
high-performing offices, providing adequate training and resources, and 
ensuring that productivity measures do not reward inaccurate work or 
incentivize employees to ignore challenging cases are all parts of the 
solution.

There are a number of areas where the variation in services leads to 
barriers to access critical benefits. SSA did create the opportunity 
for ``dire need'' appointments that would allow individuals who needed 
them to have an in-person person meeting with SSA for certain limited 
types of services. We've found, however, that some SSA field offices 
are extremely reluctant to schedule these dire need meetings, even when 
they are entirely warranted. For example, in December 2020 we heard 
from a social worker in Seattle, Washington helping homeless veterans 
secure housing. These individuals needed to receive benefit 
verification letters from SSA within a short period of time as proof of 
income to qualify for subsidized housing, but were unable to print out 
a copy from an online my SSA account or receive a letter through the 
mail due to their homelessness. Despite making repeated requests on 
behalf of several homeless veterans, the social worker continued to be 
told by the manager of the local field office that this situation did 
not qualify for a ``dire need'' in person appointment. We were able to 
bring this gross injustice to the attention of our contact in 
Operations at SSA headquarters who intervened with the management of 
that field office so that these veterans could secure urgently needed 
housing during the pandemic.

Overpayment Waivers

For a portion of this pandemic, due to the difficult transition to 
remote work that occurred for SSA and many other agencies and 
businesses throughout the country, SSA prioritized certain types of 
work and suspended others. We greatly appreciated the agency's efforts 
to ensure that people were able to keep their benefits in the early 
months of this pandemic. However, SSA resumed all of its workloads in 
September 2020 (despite the fact that their offices remain closed and 
the pandemic continues to hinder many people's ability to engage with 
the agency), and we are concerned about the effects on people who 
received overpayments through no fault of their own, and are now being 
asked to pay back money that they very likely already spent. SSA has 
put a process in place to waive these overpayments, however it is 
insufficient to adequately help all those affected.

Instead, we have recommended to the agency that it provide automatic 
waivers, bypassing the complicated and confusing steps that people 
would have to take to seek out a waiver they obviously need and are 
eligible for. Despite our recommendations, SSA has chosen not to 
implement them, to the detriment of low-income older adults and people 
with disabilities who cannot navigate the waiver process, or the uneven 
administration of the policy at various field offices that may turn 
them away improperly.

We've also begun to hear reports that SSA is claiming that SSI 
recipients have overpayments based on their receipt of stimulus 
payments. By law, these payments are considered tax refunds and 
exempted from SSI resource limits for 12 months. However, some SSI 
recipients are receiving notices stating that they were over the 
resource limit during that time period due to the agency's failure to 
apply these policies. SSI recipients who are able to obtain legal 
services or other assistance can likely successfully contest these 
alleged overpayments, but we are concerned that low-income, low-asset 
people with disabilities and senior citizens without representation 
will have their benefits further reduced (from a maximum of $794 per 
month that is well below the poverty line) in order to recover 
overpayments that never should have been assessed.

Paper and Non-Disability Appeals

Some of the most challenging cases for SSA to consider are about the 
amount of SSI benefits someone should receive or if they meet SSI's 
non-medical requirements. Such cases often involve evidence already 
held by SSA, as well as financial documents like pay stubs and bank 
account statements, and other documents like birth, marriage, and death 
certificates. They can touch on issues of employment law, immigration 
law, trusts and estates, family law, and more. Further complicating 
matters is the fact that these cases are often not electronic. They are 
paper files that get mailed to different SSA offices when the 
beneficiary moves or appeals. Many of these paper files were stuck in 
field offices or hearing offices for months during the pandemic. 
Although SSA has recently begun tracking them, we know that there are 
some that the agency acknowledges have been misplaced, have systems 
issues that preclude processing them, or must be redeveloped. We also 
believe that there could be paper files in SSA offices that the agency 
is not tracking if they are on someone's desk, in a file cabinet, or in 
another place that nobody has looked recently.

These are important cases, whether they involve many thousands of 
dollars or a smaller change in SSI benefits. SSA should institute 
better methods for tracking these cases and converting them to 
electronic cases so they can be more easily transferred across offices 
and more accessible to beneficiaries and appointed representatives.

 Assistance for Legal Services, Community Organizations, and Other 
                    Assisters

SSA's policies are complicated. Legal services organizations; service 
coordinators; SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access, and Recovery (SOAR); 
Protection and Advocacy systems; and Work Incentives Planning and 
Assistance programs all provide critical help to individuals attempting 
to access SSI and Social Security benefits. Congress should increase 
SSA's budget specifically to provide funding to these important 
organizations. As SSA attempts to engage the community to help make up 
for the work that it is unable to perform while its field offices are 
closed, we must support those organizations, which are already 
operating under limited budgets themselves.

Racial Equity and Justice

SSA and other federal agencies have been tasked by the Biden 
Administration with reviewing their programs, policies, and procedures 
to determine whether there are racial equity issues preventing full and 
fair access to benefits for people of color and others who have been 
historically underserved. SSA must perform this same equity analysis in 
determining who has or lacks access to services because of the 
pandemic. Some of SSA's own research has already indicated that people 
with limited English proficiency, for example, have had trouble 
applying for SSI due to the lack of in-person services that the agency 
used to provide. There must be additional efforts by SSA to study 
whether claimants and beneficiaries who are people of color or from 
other underserved groups are being disproportionately impacted by SSA's 
current pandemic policies. SSA must collect data on race and ethnicity 
to identify gaps in service, barriers to access, and other systemic 
problems.

Conclusion

Thank you for your efforts on behalf of older adults and people with 
disabilities, and the millions of others who interact with SSA. We 
stand ready to work with you, other members of Congress, and SSA to 
improve services to the public.

Sincerely,

Tracey Gronniger
Directing Attorney

                                 ______
                                 
                   National Disability Rights Network

                    820 First Street, NE, Suite 740

                       Washington, DC 20002-4243

                           Tel: 202-408-9514

                           FAX: 202-408-9520

                           TTY: 202-408-9521

                         Website: www.ndrn.org

                          Email: [email protected]

The National Disability Rights Network (NDRN) thanks the committee for 
holding this important hearing on the Social Security Administration's 
actions on delivery of services during the COVID-19 pandemic. We 
appreciate the opportunity to raise concerns with SSA's running of the 
Protection and Advocacy for Beneficiaries with Representative Payees 
(PABRP) program during the height of the pandemic of March 2020 to 
March 2021. As will be demonstrated below, SSA has attempted to thwart 
the intent of Congress in passing the PABRP program and made the lives 
of some of our most vulnerable individuals in this country, Social 
Security beneficiaries with representative payees, more dangerous and 
open for abuse and neglect.

NDRN is the voluntary membership association for the nationwide network 
of Protection and Advocacy (P&A) agencies. The P&A agencies are 
congressionally mandated, cross disability organizations operating in 
every state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. 
Territories (American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, and the US 
Virgin Islands). There is also a P&A affiliated with the Native 
American Consortium which includes the Hopi, Navajo, and San Juan 
Southern Paiute Nations located in the Four Corners region of the 
Southwest. NDRN is also the National Association Grant (NAG) holder for 
the training and technical assistance provided to the P&As under PABRP 
program.

The PABRP program was created by Congress in 2018 to take advantage of 
the expertise and knowledge of the nationwide network of P&A agencies 
to ensure the health and well-being of the over 5 million Social 
Security beneficiaries with representative payees, along with an actual 
accounting of the benefits received. This intent to ensure the health 
and well-being of these beneficiaries was clearly laid out in both the 
statute and committee statement that was released.

Congress through both the statute and the statement recognized that 
this was the most vulnerable population in the country to abuse, 
neglect and financial exploitation, and that the nationwide network of 
P&A agencies was best positioned to address all aspects (health, well-
being, and finances) of these beneficiaries. The past work of the P&A 
agencies to monitor representative payees was well demonstrated and 
recognized in multiple hearings before passage of the legislation. 
Additionally, the Congress relied on the more than 40 years of work of 
the nationwide network of P&A agencies to monitor and prevent abuse, 
neglect and financial exploitation in assigning the P&A network this 
task.

In March of 2020 as the nation went into a temporary closure to slow 
the spread of COVID, NDRN and the P&A Network gathered to figure out 
ways to continue to do the important monitoring work of the PABRP 
program in order to ensure the health and well-being of this vulnerable 
population during the COVID pandemic. Unfortunately, SSA's initial 
response was to temporarily halt any new casework under the program, 
even in the virtual ways developed to at least maintain some measure of 
connection with the beneficiaries. After more than two months of 
discussion, SSA finally relented to allow virtual monitoring to 
continue and the P&As immediately began to reach out to these 
individuals to check on their health and well-being.

But even though limited, this work done by the P&As during this time 
was critical to beneficiaries. From March 16, 2020 through March 15, 
2021, P&As interviewed 2,559 payees and 10,067 beneficiaries. This 
monitoring led to 1,174 referrals to a variety of agencies including 
Children and Adult Protective Services, licensing agencies, health and 
safety inspectors and others. All told, this work positively impacted 
151,508 individuals.

Given the events in the nation, those interactions clearly contained 
questions around COVID related issues to assess the health and well-
being of the beneficiaries. To do otherwise, would have been to ignore 
the Congressional intent of the program. What follows is some examples 
of the issues uncovered by the P&A agencies during the year starting 
March 2020-March of 2021:

Georgia

      A beneficiary moved into a nursing facility with no personal 
belongings, literally in bare feet and only the clothes on their body. 
A family member served as payee and did not issue payment for housing 
(beyond the first month) or spending money for personal needs. The 
facility maintained a locked closet with spare clothing and socks that 
were shared between a few residents who were also in need of clothing. 
At the time of review, the nursing facility had not received rent for 
this individual for almost six months. The P&A issued referrals to 
Adult Protective Services and the local Health Department.

      During outreach calls to facilities and group homes regarding 
COVID-19, the P&A, Georgia Advocacy Office, talked with a provider in a 
rural part of the state. This provider reported concern with lack of 
access to testing even though people receiving services had exhibited 
symptoms and 2 people had died within the past few weeks. When she 
tried to get testing for the people she supports and for her staff, she 
was told that their symptoms were not severe enough. The P&A provided 
resources and information regarding testing in that part of the state. 
The provider has since reported that everyone was tested.

      The P&A, Georgia Advocacy Office, is calling providers and 
facilities to offer resources, ask about COVID-19 policies and 
practices that they have in place, and to ensure that they have access 
to PPE and have trained staff appropriately. They talked to a 
developmental disability provider who manages several group homes and 
learned that their PPE supply was very low and they had submitted a 
request to the Department of Public Health which was denied. The P&A 
followed up with the Department of Public Health and the state's 
developmental disabilities agency and discovered there was a systemic 
issue with the request for PPE from DD providers. The P&A's work 
resulted in not only resolving the issue for that particular provider, 
but for other DD providers in the state as well.

Michigan

      A beneficiary experiencing homelessness was told by Payee that 
their monthly SSI was only $400, but records show it was $771 a month. 
The difference could not be found, and the payee had no information 
about where the missing funds went. The P&A's review included the 
following:
          Several beneficiaries' landlords complained about 
consistently late rent.
          A beneficiary who rents out a storage unit 
learned that the bill wasn't paid. Upon following up with the payee, 
the beneficiary was neither given a response about whether the overdue 
bill was paid, or if the contents were removed due to nonpayment.
          Another beneficiary made several requests in 
advance for cash to pay for medical visits and medication. These 
requests were initially ignored, then denied because ``there isn't 
enough money.''
          Another beneficiary received threats of 
cancellation from the electric company, then paid the overdue bills out 
of pocket. The beneficiary requested that the payee reimburse the late 
fee but was denied. This beneficiary was also put ``on probation'' for 
allegedly calling the payee too often.

      A beneficiary's family member serves as payee and legal 
guardian. The family member stated that the first stimulus check went 
to the county court to pay off child support in arrears without the 
beneficiary's knowledge or consent. The beneficiary asked the P&A to 
assist with finding a new payee and guardian.

      Payee withheld Personal Needs Allowance (PNA) from beneficiaries 
for several months and used stimulus funds to establish a burial 
account for a beneficiary who specifically stated they want to be 
cremated.
          A staff person will only disburse PNA ``when they 
feel like it,'' and refused a beneficiary access to their own TANF card 
because it would be ``double-dipping'' since they already receive $25 
for groceries each week.

      Payee I payee maintained beneficiary bank accounts in the red; 
some nearly -$1000. The payee also requires beneficiaries to purchase 
their own toilet paper, paper towels, and other bathroom supplies 
(including cleaning supplies). The P&A made a referral to the state 
licensing bureau.

      Payee rents their home to three beneficiaries. One beneficiary 
hosted an overnight guest, to which the payee responded by physically 
assaulting the beneficiary and evicting them immediately, claiming it 
was against house rules to have overnight guests. The P&A's report 
resulted in the beneficiary getting a new place to live and being 
served by a new payee.

Maryland

      When a beneficiary was being interviewed, they shared that their 
roommate was beaten by a staff person with the remote control to their 
adjustable bed. The P&A followed up with a referral to the state office 
of Healthcare Quality.

New Jersey

      Payee withheld Personal Needs Allowance (PNA) from a beneficiary 
who was described by staff as ``confined to a bed,'' and ``having no 
use for money.''
          PNA was withheld from another beneficiary who was 
told by a caseworker that they ``live on a locked unit and it would be 
dangerous to give them money.''

      Payee has issued a beneficiary's family over $7,000 total as 
reimbursement for various purchases, none of which were made for the 
beneficiary. They included gifts for other relatives and financial 
assistance to their grandmother to purchase groceries. The family 
believes these funds are an extension of their own financial resources. 
Staff made complaints about this, resulting in a closed-door meeting 
with the payee and the family. The P&A's review included referrals to 
ABLE and SSA's Office of the Inspector General.

New York

      During an interview with the P&A, a beneficiary reported having 
been repeatedly physically assaulted by a housemate. The beneficiary 
reported this to Payee, who did not intervene by helping the 
beneficiary find a new place to live. At the time of the review, the 
beneficiary's caseworker was still ``working on it.''

      A beneficiary had a prepaid cell phone with two days left on it; 
when they called the payee for additional funds, Payee hung up on them. 
The same beneficiary said that requests for grocery money were denied 
due to a history of substance abuse.
          Another beneficiary asked for the status of their 
stimulus funds and the person answering the phone said, ``We called SSA 
and they said it was fine for us to go ahead and spend it.'' The same 
beneficiary was threatened with institutionalization if they did not 
use contraceptives.
          A staff person was quoted to have called 
beneficiaries ``fat,'' ``disabled,'' and ``incompetent'' to their 
faces. They were also quoted as having said behind beneficiaries' backs 
but within earshot, ``I can't stand working with these f'n people. I 
hate them. All they do is smoke and drink off other people's money.'' 
The same staff person also made a false report to the police alleging 
domestic violence against a beneficiary's husband, resulting in his 
immediate arrest.

      Payee lacked a plan to control a COVID outbreak, resulting in 
the death of a beneficiary with complex medical needs. Staff did not 
consistently provide the level of care they needed, resulting in 
bedsores and falling out of bed.
          Another beneficiary was covered in open sores and 
was reported to have fallen out of bed at least five times. Their 
clothing was shared throughout the floor because ``we share here,'' as 
a staff person reported to the P&A.
          On their birthday, a beneficiary was found by 
their family wrapped in excrement-soaked bedsheets. The family took 
photos and called the police and the local news to prevent the facility 
from ``sweeping this under the rug.''
          The P&A stated that the finance coordinator for 
the facility claimed not to know how staff conduct themselves while on 
the clock.

Ohio

      A beneficiary was denied access to their own bank statements, 
was refused money to repair or replace a broken vacuum, was denied 
funds to have the exterior of the home repainted and had contact with 
Payee maybe once a month. The beneficiary is now their own payee.

      Payee rents a two-bedroom apartment that is shared by six other 
people--five are beneficiaries they are responsible for, and one is a 
family member who is in a relationship with one of the beneficiaries. 
There are makeshift bedrooms in the kitchen and living room. 
Mismanagement of funds caused one beneficiary to leave and become their 
own payee.
          The payee retained the stimulus checks for at 
least two beneficiaries, as well as the unused funds of the beneficiary 
who is now their own payee.

Virginia

      A beneficiary was found to have been sexually assaulted while 
living in a facility operated by Payee; tests concluded it was likely 
done with a foreign object. The perpetrator was never identified. The 
beneficiary passed away from COVID complications before alternative 
housing could be secured.
          Another beneficiary had bedsores so deep they 
reached the bone and had both hips broken after being dropped by staff. 
The head nurse was able to obtain Power of Attorney (POA) over the 
beneficiary without the family's knowledge or consent, and subsequently 
did not discuss with the family how their SSI was being used. 
Currently, the beneficiary lives elsewhere and has family serving in 
the roles of POA and payee.
          Another beneficiary was denied access from using 
the telephone on the floor they lived on, resulting in the family not 
being able to call. The family expressed concern due to the pandemic, 
especially while not being able to visit in person. The P&A made a 
referral to the state licensing agency.

West Virginia

      Payee has zero contact with beneficiaries. When the reviewer 
asked why not, the payee appeared to disagree with the obligation 
payees have to maintain regular contact with beneficiaries.
          The payee was also found to have withheld grocery 
money from a beneficiary.

      Payee business office is inaccessible to people using 
wheelchairs. The reviewer made a referral to the payee for the 
accessible renovation of the office.
          With guidance from a job coach, a beneficiary was 
working at a hotel as a housekeeper but was not being paid. When the 
beneficiary inquired about getting a paycheck, the job coach said, 
``You're not getting paid right now.'' Not long after, the employee was 
let go.
          Personal Needs Allowance was withheld as a means 
of deterring direct support staff from accessing cash in the house.

      A beneficiary's landlord continually made unwanted sexual 
advances. Payee did not assist with finding new housing, so the 
beneficiary (independently) contacted a service coordinator for help.

Now, though, SSA is calling this work of the P&A agencies to monitor 
around COVID-related issues as being outside the scope of the program. 
This continues a long running trend of SSA throwing up barrier after 
barrier to implementing this program, and fits into a pattern of 
resistance to anything that is outside what SSA considers to be its 
sole function, the issuance of retirement or disability benefit funds. 
This is especially true for this program where P&A agencies find 
unsuitable payees that by the sheer nature of their actions should 
require removal as that individual's payees. SSA does not want to have 
to address those issues by finding a suitable payee so they would 
rather not know.

This long-running pattern of barriers also includes overly stringent 
requirements on how reviews are done, which does not recognize that 
flexibility is needed when interviewing people with different types of 
disabilities, the requirements that all equipment be SSA authorized 
equipment which creates delays and additional administrative headaches 
in the obtaining of necessary equipment, and delays or lack of response 
to reviews or simple questions.

Another issue that has been raised, which causes SSA pause in its 
support of the program, is that the P&As are encountering the 
inconsistencies within SSA. Some of those inconsistencies are between 
headquarters and the regional offices (ROs) and field offices (FOs), 
but more often are occurring between the individual ROs and FOs within 
the same region. As a nationwide network of agencies we are seeing 
these inconsistencies, but when alerted to them SSA tends to ignore 
them and not correct these inconsistencies.

As demonstrated above, the PABRP program has been extraordinarily 
effective, even with all the barriers SSA and the pandemic have thrown 
in the way. But if SSA is continued to be allowed to subvert the intent 
of Congress of the PABRP program to ensure the health and well-being of 
Social Security beneficiaries with representative payees by insisting 
that things like the examples above are outside the scope of the 
program, people with disabilities who don't have control over their 
finances and use a rep payee will not receive the intended benefits of 
the PABRP program.

NDRN calls on the Congress to reinforce the clear legislative language 
and intent of Congress that the P&A agencies are supposed to be 
monitoring the health and well-being of the beneficiaries, not just 
verifying that every penny is properly accounted for. NDRN also calls 
on SSA to work collaboratively with NDRN as the NAG and the P&As as the 
organizations doing the reviews to streamline the existing 
administrative burdens to make the program more effective and efficient 
and finally to ensure consistency between the national headquarters and 
the ROs, between the ROs themselves, and the FOs within an individual 
region on how the program is administered.

Congress took an important step in 2018 to ensure the health, well-
being, and financial security of beneficiaries by employing the P&A 
network to do these important reviews. SSA should not be allowed to 
undermine the effectiveness and efficiency of these programs through 
their faulty interpretations.

                                 ______
                                 
  National Organization of Social Security Claimants' Representatives

                       161 Airport Executive Park

                            Nanuet, NY 10954

                       Telephone: (845) 682-1880

                        email: [email protected]

April 28, 2021

Senator Ron Wyden
Chair
U.S. Senate
Committee on Finance
Dirksen Senate Office Bldg.
Washington, DC 20510-6200

RE: April 29, 2021 Hearing on ``Social Security During COVID: How the 
Pandemic Hampered Access to Benefits and Strategies for Improving 
Service Delivery''

Dear Chairman Wyden,

This statement is submitted on behalf of the National Organization of 
Social Security Claimants' Representatives (NOSSCR), a specialized bar 
association for attorneys and advocates who represent Social Security 
Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 
claimants throughout the adjudication process and in federal court.

Although NOSSCR members and staff engage with many components of the 
Social Security Administration (SSA), these comments focus on the 
services provided by the Office of Operations because Deputy 
Commissioner of Operations Grace Kim is the agency's witness for this 
hearing.

SSA's Operations component--which oversees field offices, program 
service centers, state disability determination service agencies 
(DDSs), international operations, and more--underwent major, rapid, 
changes during the COVID-19 pandemic. This in turn required members of 
the public, including disability claimants and beneficiaries, as well 
as those who represent them, to adjust the ways they interact with SSA.

Some aspects of the changes were positive: for example, we commend SSA 
for publishing the direct phone numbers for each field office on the 
agency website so people could call them directly, instead of having to 
go through the national 800 number. We appreciate that when we learned 
that some field office staff were directing people to mail in their 
green cards, Operations leadership issued a reminder that this was 
against SSA and Department of Homeland Security policy and instructed 
staff to offer in-person appointments when hands-on verification of 
these documents were necessary. And NOSSCR had a helpful discussion 
with the Office of Earnings and International Operations that led to 
better communications and process improvements for claimants and 
beneficiaries living abroad.

Unfortunately, the pandemic also made many aspects of interacting with 
SSA more difficult and amplified many existing challenges. We will 
highlight a few of these issues below.

Challenges for Applicants

Closing field offices to the public means that it is harder for 
claimants, especially unrepresented claimants, to apply for benefits. 
We see this in the steep declines in disabled worker and SSI disability 
applications and awards over the past year. Research shows that when 
one field office closes in an area, it reduces the number of disability 
claims among people who would have been likely to be awarded benefits: 
closing all field offices, unsurprisingly, had an even greater effect.

One area where we are especially concerned is for people over age 62 
with disabilities, who may apply for early retirement without realizing 
that they can also apply for SSDI. These claimants could have received 
retirement benefits while their disability claims were pending and 
received higher benefits and earlier eligibility for Medicare if they 
were found to be disabled, but if they apply online without field 
office staff to explain these complexities, many may just take the 
reduced retirement benefit and have less financial stability for the 
rest of their lives.

Field Office Interactions

When most field office employees began full-time telework at the start 
of the pandemic, the effects varied widely. Some NOSSCR members 
reported that it was easier than ever before to reach SSA staff by 
phone and they could quickly resolve issues. But in other offices, 
phones were rarely answered and voicemails were not returned. It is not 
clear to us how SSA tracks productivity or compares field offices to 
identify best practices and areas of concern.

A small number of field office employees have been working in person 
throughout the pandemic to process mail and faxes. We appreciate their 
service and realize that their jobs are extremely challenging. There 
are often more documents that need to be opened, scanned, connected to 
a specific claimant or beneficiary, and routed to teleworking employees 
than the people working in person can handle. This creates serious 
consequences for the public, who may be overpaid or underpaid until SSA 
processes their communications, or who must go long periods without 
important documents they mailed in for verification.

One example of document-processing challenges is the SSA-1696 form, 
which claimants and beneficiaries use to appoint representatives. 
Delays in processing the 1696 were a challenge before the pandemic, but 
COVID made it worse. Whether the 1696 is mailed, faxed, attached to an 
appeal, or submitted electronically with the online form SSA created 
this year, an SSA employee must still type information about the 
claimant and representative into several different computer systems and 
take other manual steps. Until this is done properly, a representative 
does not receive notices, cannot view the electronic file, and cannot 
communicate with SSA or DDSs about their client's case.

State Agency Challenges

State agencies, also known as DDSs, make medical determinations on 
disability claims at the initial and reconsideration levels and for 
Continuing Disability Reviews. Before the pandemic, some DDSs did a lot 
of telework and some did none. The pandemic led to much more telework 
and some states adjusted much better and quicker than others. In some 
states, mail piled up for weeks and months, fax machines were untended, 
and it was not possible to communicate with DDS staff. Even today, 
there are wide variations in how DDSs are operating--some state to 
state and some employee to employee within a given state.

This is especially challenging because representatives' access to 
electronic case files are more limited at the DDS level than when a 
case is scheduled for an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) hearing or 
review by the Appeals Council (AC). Representatives for cases at the 
DDS levels cannot view the A, B, or D sections of the claims file 
online but need to be sent an encrypted CD. They do not have access to 
a status report of all their cases, and cannot upload evidence in the 
same way they can at the ALJ or AC levels. They are more reliant on 
faxes, phone calls, and the mail. And as described above, 
representatives can only communicate with DDSs about a case once the 
field office has processed their 1696s.

DDS backlogs have grown tremendously during the pandemic, though there 
is wide variation across states. DDSs nationwide received 11.5% fewer 
initial claims and 13.3% fewer requests for reconsideration in the last 
nine months of 2020 than they did in those same months of 2019. 
Although fewer cases were coming in, there were 26.5% more pending 
initial cases and 49.4% more pending reconsiderations in December 2020 
than in April 2019. At the end of 2020, there were 887,829 initial and 
reconsideration claims pending at DDSs. Each claim represents someone 
waiting, often desperately, for SSI or SSDI.

[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

Source: https://www.ssa.gov/disability/data/ssa-sa-mowl.htm.

There is no one correct amount of processing time. Some cases involve 
more evidence, more barriers to communication, or more complicated 
facts. It is possible for a case to be moved too quickly: if a decision 
is issued before medical providers have the chance to submit evidence 
or before the 1696 is processed and a representative can communicate 
about the claim, then everyone is poorly served. But NOSSCR members 
often report that they have submitted all evidence in clear-cut cases 
that languish for months at DDSs--and that it is difficult or 
impossible to contact anyone at the DDS to address these concerns.

Paper and Non-Disability Appeals

At times, SSA must adjudicate not whether a person meets the medical 
standard for disability, but whether they qualify for SSI or Title II 
benefits (and for what amount of benefits they qualify) based on age, 
work history, marital status, citizenship, income, assets, living 
situation, and a plethora of other criteria. These ``non-disability'' 
cases can be extremely complex. Adding to the complexity, many of these 
cases are not electronic but rely on paper files that are mailed from 
one SSA office to another. Some disability cases are also ``paper 
cases.''

SSA has had extreme difficulty processing paper and/or non-disability 
cases during the pandemic. SSA leadership has communicated to some 
extent with advocates about these issues. The agency has made some 
progress, but the number of cases pending in field offices that need to 
be moved to the Office of Hearing Operations has actually increased in 
the past few months. Cases awaiting effectuation of ALJ decisions, 
cases pending due to systems issues, and cases that SSA misplaced or 
needs to redevelop are also not decreasing. And we remain concerned 
that SSA may have paper files that are not included in these statistics 
because they have been lost in field offices or not properly tracked. 
These situations can sometimes be resolved with the efforts of a 
dedicated representative, but unrepresented claimants have an even 
harder time. Proper adjudication of these cases is crucial if SSA is to 
provide due process, comply with Congressional intent, and reach high 
standards of payment accuracy.

 Communicating with Program Service Centers and Workload Support Units

SSA has a variety of offices within the Operations component that even 
before the pandemic were much more opaque to the public than field 
offices or DDSs. These include the Office of Central Operations (OCO), 
Program Service Centers (PSCs) and Workload Support Units (WSUs). The 
pandemic has made it even harder for claimants, beneficiaries, and 
representatives to get information from those offices, which play 
critical roles in effectuating benefits, addressing over- and 
underpayments, and processing claims. Notices can be confusing, 
telephone messages are often not returned, and field office staff are 
frequently unwilling or unable to inquire about cases being handled by 
OCO, PSCs or WSUs.

For example, NOSSCR and other member organizations of the Consortium 
for Citizens with Disabilities Social Security Task Force asked SSA to 
establish ways for representatives to send documents to PSCs, as SSA 
did with the Representative Call Center at OCO. SSA's written response 
was, ``Representatives should continue to fax material to the PSCs 
using the existing channels they have relied on for service in the 
past.'' The problem is that SSA has not published any fax numbers for 
the PSCs (there is a single fax number only for fee payment issues for 
Title II claimants under age 54, whose claims are processed at OCO, not 
the PSCs). The system of submitting documentation to field offices who 
would then send them on to PSCs was barely serviceable before the 
pandemic and has completely broken down now that there is limited staff 
going to the field offices. Publicizing fax numbers and/or secure email 
addresses for representatives to submit documentation directly to PSCs 
would speed effectuation and reduce an unnecessary burden on field 
office staff. When questioned again about this, SSA's response was

        The Social Security Office Locator webpage now displays the fax 
        lines and phone numbers for each of our Field Offices (FOs). 
        While our employees continue to work remotely during the 
        pandemic, they are able to receive faxes electronically and 
        take all appropriate action on cases. The FO will route the 
        material to the Payment Center (PC) if the FO is unable to work 
        the case. We want to keep these existing communications 
        channels intact during the pandemic to ensure we handle the 
        flow of work into our FOs and PCs efficiently. If there is an 
        extended processing delay, please contact the local field 
        office via their general inquiry line.

This again misses the point that communicating through the field 
offices is inefficient and extremely flawed. Expecting field office 
managers to do ``manager to manager'' communications with the PSCs on 
behalf of represented claimants, while they are also often the only 
people physically in the office to process all mail and faxes and 
handle in-person appointments, is not reasonable.

Similar issues exist with the WSUs that handle online claims. When a 
representative files a claim on behalf of their client, the WSU (or 
field office, if they are processing the claim) needs to send the 
claimant an attestation to make sure the person really did want to 
file. That is a good thing, but it seems to be working less well 
recently, probably partially because of SSA and partly because of 
declines in the US Postal Service's speed and accuracy. NOSSCR members 
note that some WSUs seem to be working better than others and that some 
but not all field offices can see what documents are in the WSU's 
WorkTrack system of files scanned and waiting to be processed. This 
means that in some cases, if the claimant submitted the attestation 
packet but it hasn't been processed, field office staff could check the 
WSU's WorkTrack and communicate with a representative. This is 
especially helpful when a disability claimant qualifies for expedited 
processing (for dire need, presumptive disability, compassionate 
allowances, etc.), but this is not universal. It is not clear what data 
Operations collects with regard to WSUs, what backlogs there are at 
different WSUs, and how SSA plans to reduce them.

Effectuating Benefits and Representative Fees

When SSA does determine that a person qualifies for disability 
benefits, there are a host of actions that must be taken to calculate 
retroactive and ongoing benefits for the claimant and his or her 
dependents (considering factors like the Windfall Elimination Provision 
and Government Pension Offset; worker's compensation offsets; SSI rules 
on income, assets, and living arrangements, etc.); determine where to 
send the benefits (direct deposit or Direct Express card; to the 
claimant or a representative payee); handle Medicare eligibility; pay 
representative fees and state Interim Assistance reimbursements; 
communicate with the Treasury Department for any offsets; and more. 
This effectuation process is complicated and time-consuming, but it is 
incredibly important to ensure that the proper benefits are paid.

Problems that predated the pandemic have only worsened over the past 
year. Notices of Award (NOAs) are often delayed, sent to the claimant 
and not the representative, or lost in the mail and SSA will not issue 
a replacement. And sometimes the Notice is not accurate: it might have 
math errors, inaccurately characterize a government pension or workers' 
compensation, leave off auxiliary beneficiaries, etc. This causes 
challenges for ensuring that benefits are effectuated properly, and 
representative fees are accurately paid. And as described above, it can 
be nearly impossible to talk with the people who are effectuating the 
cases, either at field offices, OCO, or PSCs. It would be helpful to 
know what management information SSA collects on if the NOA was sent 
out in a timely fashion, whether it was also mailed to the 
representative as the POMS directs, and if it is accurate. Does anyone 
at SSA compare claims processed by OCO, the different district offices, 
and various Program Service Centers to see how they are doing on this 
workload, collect best practices, and provide additional training to 
staff who are not sending NOAs or sending inaccurate ones?

Sometimes effectuating a decision requires reviewing documents like 
birth, death, or marriage certificates or proofs of citizenship. With 
field offices closed, effectuation is more difficult. SSA only allows 
in-person appointments for benefit issues when the beneficiary is 
without food, shelter, utilities, or medical care or coverage and 
requires an in-person appointment to resolve it. This is interpreted in 
very different ways by different hearing offices and individual 
employees. When appointments are offered, they are often many weeks or 
months away; people are sometimes told that their only option is to 
mail the documents and they are understandably hesitant to do so.

There are also delays and inaccuracies in the representative fee 
process. Again, this is not a new issue but it has become harder to 
resolve during the pandemic. NOSSCR often hears from members who helped 
their clients receive favorable disability determinations and have been 
waiting over a year to be paid for their services. In some situations, 
SSA withholds 25% of a claimant's past-due benefits, but takes months 
or years to determine what portion goes to the claimant and what to the 
representative. In other cases, SSA misapplies its own policies and 
fails to properly withhold past-due benefits to pay the 
representative's fee. SSA should collect and publish more data about 
the timely and accurate processing of representative fees, and include 
goals on this topic in the agency's Annual Performance Report and 
Plans.

Conclusion

Thank you for your consideration of this statement and for your 
valuable oversight of SSA in this hearing and many other ways. We would 
be glad to provide additional information to the Committee if that 
would be helpful.

Sincerely,

Barbara Silverstone
Executive Director

                                 ______
                                 
                   National Treasury Employees Union

                       800 K St., NW, Suite 1000

                          Washington, DC 20001

          Statement of Anthony M. Reardon, National President

Chairman Wyden, Ranking Member Crapo and members of the Committee, 
thank you for allowing NTEU to submit its thoughts on methods to 
improve service delivery at the Social Security Administration. NTEU 
represents approximately 150,000 federal employees in 34 agencies 
including 1,900 attorneys and paralegals in the Social Security 
Administration's Office of Hearings Operations (OHO). The Office of 
Hearings Operations (OHO) handles appeals of disability claims. OHO 
strives to issue legally sufficient decisions and award benefits to 
disabled claimants as early in the process as possible. But in recent 
years the hearing process has been encumbered by insufficient 
resources, inadequate staffing, expanding case files, expansive changes 
in regulations, conflicting operational messages, and escalating 
internal tensions. There are many features of the process that could be 
changed to improve service delivery, but NTEU would like to highlight 
three areas that are important to the employees we represent.

Permanently expand telework. The pandemic has proven, once and for all, 
the value of a robust telework program in the federal government. 
Maximum telework policies have protected the health and safety of 
federal workers around the country, and their families, without 
sacrificing productivity. Prior to the pandemic, OHO attorneys 
generally were allowed to telework three or four days per week. Due to 
the pandemic, employees are currently on mandatory full time telework 
whenever possible and have reported increase productivity and increased 
employee satisfaction. NTEU believes telework should be expanded to the 
maximum extent possible. Post-probationary employees should be required 
to be in the office no more than one day per pay period and when needed 
for training or other office activities. We also believe that OHO 
should consider implementing a full time telework program like the 
innovative program that has been so successful at the NTEU-represented 
U.S. Trademark Office. Expanded telework would improve employee 
productivity and retention as well as offering the potential savings 
from the Social Security Disability Insurance Trust Fund by reducing 
the leasing costs of OHO Offices. The pandemic has proven this program 
works. The Agency should take advantage of that.

Support rural broadband. NTEU strongly supports the Administration's 
proposal to expand rural broadband. When the mandatory telework orders 
were issued due to the pandemic, there were at least fifty OHO 
employees' with work that was perfectly portable who lacked 
satisfactory broadband in the rural area in which they lived to 
actually work remotely. Both workers and communities in rural America 
would benefit from more federal and private sector employees being free 
to work remotely in rural areas and we hope Congress will support the 
rapid expansion of rural broadband to help make this a reality.

Public service student loan forgiveness. The Attorney-Advisors at OHO 
are generally a young workforce and the unacceptable level of turnover 
has negatively impacted the ability of the office to fully perform its 
function. Our members believe an important tool for recruiting and 
retaining the best employees would be to cancel the student loan debt 
of employees who have completed a decade or more of public service. The 
Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program was created to ease the 
burden of student loan debt for a generation of those who have chosen 
careers in public service. But after years of scandal and allegations 
of widespread mismanagement, it is clear to NTEU that the federal 
government has fundamentally failed to deliver on this promise. Since 
2017, when the first public service workers became eligible for debt 
cancellation, 98 percent of those who applied for PSLF have been 
rejected. And that is just the tip of the iceberg--for every borrower 
who has served for a decade and been rejected for PSLF, tens of 
thousands have been knocked off track or never had the opportunity to 
apply for relief. Ensuring this program works for public servants is 
vital to recruiting and retaining qualified employees at OHO and across 
the federal government and we look forward to working with Congress and 
the Administration to ensure this benefit is available for employees.

I appreciate this opportunity to present NTEU's views.

                                   