A Secret Plan to Close Social Security's Offices and Outsource Its Work

[eridani]

http://readersupportednews.org/news-section2/318-66/24417-a-secret-plan-to-close-social-securitys-offices-and-outsource-its-work

or months there have been rumors that the Social Security Administration has a "secret plan" to close all of its field offices. Is it true? A little-known report commissioned by the SSA at the request of Congress seems to hold the answer. The summary document outlining the plan, which is labeled "for internal use only," is unavailable from the SSA but can be found here.

Does the document, titled "Long Term Strategic Vision and Vision Elements," really propose shuttering all field offices? The answer, buried beneath a barrage of obfuscatory consultantese, clearly seems to be "yes." Worse, the report also suggests that many of the SSA's critical functions could soon be outsourced to private-sector partners and contractors.

[SammyWinstonJack]

1. rec

[merrily]

2. Who in Congress commissioned this shit?

(Tip o' the hat to those making such a deal recently of cuss words. And in a hidden post no less. Until then, I used very few. Thanks to them, I'm getting into it, though.)

I rec'd this because I think the topic is important and DUers should see it, not because I want OASDI privatized. There is really no way to communicate that, and I see DUers judging other DUers on the basis of what they rec, so I want to be clear.

[eridani]

3. It's an internal administrative report

Congress has nothing to do with it--yet. That's why you should be bugging your Congresscritters about this, ASAP.

[merrily]

4. From your link, about the second sentence:

A little-known report commissioned by the SSA at the request of Congress seems to hold the answer. The summary document outlining the plan, which is labeled "for internal use only," is unavailable from the SSA but can be found here.

That's why you should be bugging your Congresscritters about this, ASAP.

Yeah, that works.

[bananas]

8. Here's the link to the pdf

http://media.wix.com/ugd/b383ab_141574fcf6ad41e4b33b0da291a79416.pdf

[merrily]

9. Can you give me a hint? I hate pdf.

Does the link say Congress did NOT ask the SSA for this?

[bananas]

17. I just pulled out the link for anyone who wanted to read the report.

I wasn't actually responding to your post.
I think you already answered your question with the paragraph you quoted, it was at the request of Congress.
But that could mean just some Republican congressman.
And often these reports are requested with specific restrictions to bias the results.

[merrily]

21. Ah, thank you.

It looked as though you were responding to my post.

[truedelphi]

64. Yep! The One Percent, utilizing their very valuable puppet master strings,

Has already outsourced the student loan jobs (Or most of them anyway.)

So why wouldn't Social Security be next?

And pls note, in the last thirty years, there has been no one Presidential candidate from either Big Party who believes there is anything that can be done about returning jobs to Americans.

In a sense, Obama the 2008 Candidate was an exception, as he stated in his campaigning that he would "undo" NAFTA. But then he soon got more involved in the wars, and the appointing of Monsanto ex-officials to the FDA and CDC, and the Geithner/Bernanke types to their economic top spots. So in the flurry to do all that, he forgot to undo NAFTA.

And now those of us who follow such dismal reports understand that he is also behind the TPP, and the newer agreement the TIS agreement, is it? The later has a provision wherein it will be highly illegal to even ask to know what is contained! (Nothing would be known at all about this newer trade agreement, except for Wikileaks! No wonder Obama hates Greenwald, Assange and Snowden...)

However in other nations, the elected officials create legislation that doesn't allow their corporations to hire people in other nations to do their data entry, their customer service etc.

[merrily]

66. Making "act locally" even more appealing.

Of course, the corollary to that is that money has to stay in the states. I think a constitutional amendment cutting Congress in half (at least) sounds good. (How many people does it take to focus on nothing but getting themselves re-elected?)

Never in my life did I think I'd be shilling for a left version of states' rights and, which I always considered vile, because of its history as a dog whistle for Jim Crow, much less smaller federal government. But, I am about to give up on D.C.

Take a bow, Third Way.

[truedelphi]

68. Boy Do I hear you. Merrily, are you aware

of the Community Rights organization? Already one hundred and fifty communities have a Community Rights org up and running in their locale.

In Pittsburg, PA the citizenry utilized this movement to ban the 3 fracking wells that were planned, and about which their elected officials had stated that "We simply have no way to stop it - democracy demands that companies have a right to go after resources." Community rights members let those elected officials shit in their pants - citizens are sick and tired of our elected officials selling us out.

Ditto what happened in New Hampshire, when citizenry united to stop a major Canadian Utility from coming in. And not only did that successful legislation ban that utility, the legislation supports sustainable utilities, not Big Corporate ones.

Google Paul Cienfuegos and Community Rights + youtube, to learn more.

[merrily]

70. Paul FiveFires? Thanks. I will google that you tube film.

Here, they keep telling us traditional Democrats are all but lunatic radicals, but I am not buying it. More and more people are getting fed up, even if they never heard of Third Way.

I have to run to the store. It closes at 9 and I need veggies to make dinner. Great talking to you. Talk to you another time.

[truedelphi]

71. You are one of the folks on DU that has kept me

Here.

(Hopefully that won't get you in trouble!)

[BuelahWitch]

5. kick!

[Scuba]

6. I'm sure President Obama would veto a bill privatizing the SS offices. Right?

[woo me with science]

13. HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA

You have that sarcasm thing going. I can tell.

[truedelphi]

69. He will probably do that on the same day he signs an

Executive Order banning fracking in the USA, or an exec order demanding that Wall Street folks return the bonus monies to US Treasury.

[ctsnowman]

7. Thanks for the post.

All so that the MIC can continue to be feed the best steak.

[cantbeserious]

10. The 1% Have To Be Protected At The Expense Of The 99%

eom

[Historic NY]

11. Majority of SSA stuff can be done online now...

and it faster. They went direct deposit check - ATM benefit card route in 2013, so a paper check isn't sent. Who would have thought not having to worry about it getting taken from the mailbox.

http://socialsecurity.gov/myaccount/

http://www.ssa.gov/onlineservices/

This is made to be some secret plan and its not. They have been cutting back on face time, as a cost savings based on need.

[eridani]

12. Let us know how that works out for people not fluent in English,

or who down't own computers, or who have early Alzheimers.

[Historic NY]

24. They actually have it in Spanish...

if you checked. Really Alzheimers is what you came up with...

how is face to face in an office going to help with that.

Your outrage is noted....maybe a congress willing to fund them is the answer.

[merrily]

27. Spanish and English are not the only languages elders speak.

Who are you defending? The SSA? Congress?

[bullsnarfle]

46. I do not have a computer.

I cannot afford one. I do not have a land-line phone either, or a fancy smart-phone, just an old-timey clamshell with a basement-rate plan. So what am I supposed to do? And there are a lot of folks in my same boat around here.

And spare me that "go to the library" crud. Thanks to the crappy economy the hours were drastically cut at all branches (the ones they did not just close outright). You wait forever behind a dozen or more other people waiting to get on, then you get timed out after a few minutes on-line and have to sign back into the queue and wait all over again.

[Historic NY]

47. Well your posting here....

you can always use the phone.

[yeoman6987]

55. Lol.

You caught that poster big time! Wow! I hope they are ashamed.

[bullsnarfle]

56. Yep, you sure got me.

I am at work. The computer belongs to the company. I read DU on my break to try & keep a bit of sanity.

Excuse me, I have to go back to "eating cake", I mean, work, now.

[happynewyear]

52. +1

Agree!

[starroute]

23. That doesn't explain the "outsourcing critical functions" part

As the flawed rollout of the ACA shows, handing critical government functions over to private contractors almost never ends well.

[yeoman6987]

28. I haven't stepped for it a Social Security Office.

I would imagine an extremely small percentage of people have been in a Social Security Office. If it is between closing the buildings or cutting the checks. I will pick the little used buildings. The workers can work at the Main Headquarters in Washington DC which would be a pay raise due to COLA that federal workers get.

[REP]

49. I have.

I'm on Disability, and I've been visiting my local office regularly due to huge fuck-up with my paperwork. If I hadn't gone in and gotten a date-stamped receipt, I would have been screwed. Because I did go in and get a date- stamped receipt, I didn't have to restart a claim that was granted over 10 years ago or lose my benefits or Medicare eligibility.

Just because it isn't important to you doesn't mean it isn't important to others.

[eridani]

73. The buildings are overwhelmed with people seeking help.

And is is NOT between closing buildings and cutting checks. That is just Repuke bullshit.

[yeoman6987]

75. No that is my idea

I don't understand why getting rid of unnecessary buildings and workers is not a good idea. Everyone complains when they threaten Social Security and possibility of getting rid of it completely until those same folks complain when they make great choices. I applaud this so much.

[eridani]

76. Except that there ARE no unnecessary buildings

Huge numbers of retiring baby boomers will need direct service.

Tbey closed a so-called "unnecessary" building in Seattle's International District, and removed the services to the Federal Building, access to which is blocked by a checkpoint. Elderly Asian Americans no longer have access to SSA workers who speak various languages, and the mentally disabled are totally bewildered and unable to deal with the checkpoint. Can't figure out why any non-sociopath would be happy about that.

[winter is coming]

77. I have, and there were plenty of people there seeking help. n/t

[eridani]

14. Resolution for your organizations

Resolution against Implementing the Social Security Administration’s “Vision 2025”

WHEREAS the Social Security Administration (SSA) published its ‘Vision 2025” on March 10, 2014 advocating making online self-service deliver its primary service channel, eliminating direct service to clients except in very limited circumstances, farming out much of its workload to outside agencies and eliminating traditional centralized offices; and

WHEREAS outside organizations would be allowed to charge for services which workers have already paid for with their FICA taxes; and

WHEREAS SSA field offices served a record 43 million visitors in 2013, and call volume to the 800 number created unprecedented delays in contacting an agent; and

WHEREAS, given that SSA field office employees get 17 weeks of training and only become fully proficient in 3 to 4 years, it is patently unrealistic to expect anyone without such training to be able to navigate the system in just a few minutes online; and

WHEREAS requiring online enrollment essentially strips people for whom English is not a first language, people who do not have and do not know how to use computers, and people with disabilities such as early onset Alzheimer’s of benefits they have worked for all their lives; and

WHEREAS “Vision 2025” would force most workers, their families and their survivors to fend for themselves;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the 34th Legislative Democrats urge our federal lawmakers to decisively reject “Vision 2025” and instead to mandate increased funding for SSA field workers and traditional full service field offices; and

THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the 34th Legislative Democrats forward this resolution to KCDCC and WSDCC; and

THEREFORE BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that the 34th Legislative Democrats send copies of this resolution to our senators and to our Democratic congressional delegation.

Submitted to the 34th Legislative District Democrats meeting of June 9, 2014
Disposition: Passed unanimously

[freshwest]

16. Is this a draft for a bill? Or is there a bill number to call my representative about?

And my main concern is that, like the Post Office, they want to give our records over to private contractors.

Talk about privacy concenrs? Manipulation of groups the wingnuts don't like?

I've dealt with Social Security on and off for years. They went from being dutiful, to outright hostile during the Shrub's reign, and then with Obama very professional and helpful, less discriminatory. These were all face to face meetings, as NONE of the things could be managed on a website.

This is a devastating thing for many people with disabilities and the elderly and those who need personal assistance. And after all, websites and data bases do make mistakes!

[eridani]

18. No, it's a resolution passed by a Democratic party local organization

We need to ask our representatives to write a bill blocking "vision 2025"

[merrily]

29. What did Obama do to make SSA personnel more helpful?

Regardless of administration, they've always been nice whenever I had to call.

Not always the sharpest tools, but not discourteous.

[REP]

50. They've always been courteous but since 2012, hugely incompetent

I filed routine paperwork in person and on time at my local office (and got a date-stamped receipt). They lost my paperwork for over two years, despite me going in every six weeks once it became obvious my paperwork hadn't been filed properly. Every time, every person to whom I spoke was helpful, apologetic and courteous - but the problem did not get fixed until I finally managed to get to the second in command ... two years later and over $50K in medical bills.

If I hadn't gone in person and gotten that receipt, I would have been screwed worse.

[merrily]

51. Just like I didn't think courtesy was new, I don't know if incompetence is new, either.

Guess I won't get an answer on what Obama supposedly did to improve courtesy at the SSA, either.

[ieoeja]

59. Obamacare apparently helped a lot.

I tried setting up an online SSA account several times prior to the ACA rollout with no success. I never tried the ACA, but the difficulties being reported sounded identical to those I encountered with SSA (except that nobody cared about THAT apparently). I figured they were using the same company.

Once the ACA got fixed, I popped over to the SSA and, sure enough, it was now working. Pretty sure the ACA fix was applied to SSA too.

[merrily]

60. How does that relate to Obama making SSA personnel more courteous?

That's what the post I replied to claimed. That Obama's professionalism made face to face interactions with SSA personnel more pleasant.

[ieoeja]

61. Magic. n/t

[merrily]

62. Magical thinking.

[woo me with science]

15. They'll privatize and find a way to profit on it,

or they won't plan to need any offices, brick or virtual.

[sinkingfeeling]

19. Don't think it's a secret plan. I signed petitions and wrote letters to my

Senator and Reps about 6 weeks ago.

[whistler162]

58. Everything is a "secret plan" when

you want publicity!

[Exposethefrauds]

20. To stop the speculation people need to look at who wrote the paper

Google the National Academy of Public Administration, learn how they work and who pays the bills for their work.

There website has lots if useful information.

Bottom line is that just about anyone in congress or in the executive branch or just about any government agency with the money can fund any study they want.

Most likely this is a BS study developed with a pre determined conclusion in mind.

But I am sure lots of speculation will go on instead

Follow the money folks, if you are interested in the truth.

[annabanana]

25. What YOU said.. . . - nonetheless

I know MY local SS office closed recently. Lots of people who have trouble getting around now have to find their way around a couple of bus changes and a walk of nearly 1/2 mile.

[Exposethefrauds]

26. Agree closing are going on but how much of that was planned already

Due to budget cuts and technology improvements?

The government does nothing fast except for killing people that they do quickly. Closing government offices takes time and a plan, typically planned at least a year or more in advance

The only thing the gov can quickly terminate is contracts with contractors, those can be ended in 30 to 60 days or less.

[annabanana]

34. technology is SO senior friendly. .

You have to consider the sector of the public being served.

[Exposethefrauds]

45. I am not closing anything I am just tell you how it works

Yeah people are getting screwed by that is what pubs and moderates do, find a way to fuck over people and make some money for their corporate pals.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

53. Ten years from now? Twenty?

My eighty-year-old aunt is on Facebook. Twenty years from now, the Social Security generation will have been born in 1969 -- meaning that they grew up on computer technology.

I'm not suggesting they should close every office or close any thing tomorrow or the next day. But that's what's coming.

[yeoman6987]

30. You had two offices 1/2 mile apart?

Good grief. No wonder one of them had to close. That is just plan ridiculous and waste of money.

[annabanana]

31. NO! 2 bus rides AND 1/2 mile walk..

reading is fundamental

[yeoman6987]

37. Well still worth the closing

2 bus rides and 1/2 mile walk is not that terrible. Closing one saved the other.

[annabanana]

38. Try it with a cane or a walker. . n/t

[yeoman6987]

42. What are you talking about

When you want Social Security, you fill out one piece of paper. Send it in and on your eligible day, you start getting a check and it does not stop until you die (or maybe 100 years old...I heard that somewhere). Anyway, I would rather see the elderly get a nice big increase in pay instead of all these bureaucratic buildings that are no longer needed. I guarantee a person on Social Security would rather see the buildings go if they could add 500 a month to their checks which could happen if we didn't fight every single thing that comes along to save money. Social Security is to HELP folks along in their senior years not to support a conglomerate of buildings in every state especially when you have more than one per city.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

54. I've been to the local office...

And there were virtually NO elderly people there. The overwhelming majority were young, able-bodied persons, most of them immigrants. I suppose the elderly people do show up at the office, but I'm not certain for what reason an appearance in person would be mandatory. In my case, I had previously lost my card and had to appear (with birth certificate) to get a replacement.

[merrily]

33. Very convenient for the elderly and disabled, no doubt.

[annabanana]

36. Thank you merrily.

It caused major inconvenience for a vulnerable population.

[merrily]

39. Yep. As if the PTB care.

[merrily]

32. There almost always is a pre-determined conclusion in mind.

[truedelphi]

65. Problem with following the money on 90% of all issues,

You end up looking lame.

There are topics I approach only reluctantly, as the Mainstream Media has done such a good job of brainwashing the public.

I have spent so much of my life feeling like some type of Quixotic character tilting at windmills.

Cigarettes being safe, was one such issue. Back in the early 1970's, I would complain to work supervisors that I couldn't breath in the grey-purple air in big corporate offices, and those supervisors would look at me like I was stating that I saw little green men on the windowsills.

Same thing with being an early on, early 1990's "The Sky Is Falling" reporter regarding Climate Change.

And now vaccines, and also the issue that I can't mention here, although Scandinavian researchers report that 15% of yearly carbon insults to the earth are from the "non-existent" program I cannot mention.

This is what we are up against, and although the gas additive MTBE is the only chem substance that I can speak authoritatively about, in terms of suppression of truth and this reality, I sure can extrapolate how lied to we all are, every day of our lives on numerous things:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/06/22/540267/-The-TRUTH-Versus-the-Mainstream-Media

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/06/22/540267/-The-TRUTH-Versus-the-Mainstream-Media

[B Calm]

22. How many baby boomers are retiring every day?

[merrily]

35. Enough to keep the SSA going, that's for sure.

[truedelphi]

72. Besides which, the Social Security Fund has a 2.1 + trillion dollar

Surplus. Although the checks sent to individual participants are handled by the US General Fund, the money is money that we employees and our employers have paid into the system.

Although many of us suspect that Congress saw to it that this Fund's money got "loaned out" for various purposes (wars, Bailouts, etc)

[TNNurse]

40. I live near Knoxville, TN

Our office already closed and we have to go to Knoxville to talk to someone in person. That nice building in our town is just sitting empty. It was built for the SS office, seems like a huge waste to not use it.

[ananda]

41. SS has already closed some field offices.

This is a bad business.

[octoberlib]

43. The panel members are listed at the link.

At the request of Congress, the Social Security Administration (SSA) has contracted
with the National Academy of Public Administration (the Academy) to conduct a
study and submit a high-level plan proposing a long-range strategic vision. The purpose
of the plan is to help the the agency address the service delivery challenges it will face
in the coming ten to fifteen years. The Academy will address critical areas such as:

 Organizational structure;
 Workforce capacity;
 Electronic service delivery;
 Investment in automation and information technology; and
 Physical infrastructure.

This review will be led by a seven-member Panel of expert Academy Fellows who
are listed below. In preparing its long-range vision and high level plan, the Panel’s
study team will work in consultation with SSA to determine a future SSA vision
appropriate for service delivery when operating in alternative future scenarios. In so
doing, the Panel will assess SSA’s current state and then propose a high level plan to
prepare for 2025-2030.http://www.napawash.org/images/WorkInProgress/SocialSecurityAdministrationWorkInProgress.pdf

[Glitterati]

44. So, let me give you just one example of how this privatization works

I've gotten my Social Security benefits on their privatized debit card for years. So many years, in fact, that my first card expired in February. Please understand that this card is the ONLY access to your funds.

In January, I hadn't received a new card to replace the expiring one, so I called. Of course, it took a real search effort to FIND a number to this private company, and it's not an 800 number, of course. You can go to their website, but you can't email them, and you'll have to search high and low for a phone number.

But, call them I did. And, the automated machine said Hello, and then said, "we are experiencing an unusually high volume of calls. Call back later." and simply hung up! For four days. I called at all hours of the day and night, staying up or getting up at 3:00AM, 4:00AM, Midnight, etc.

So, in desperation I called my local SSA office to ask for help reaching them. The response? Sorry, ma'am, we have no control over them, you'll just have to keep trying.

It took me 3 weeks to find out they had sent my replacement card to an old address. Why? Because there's no way to change your address on their website! I had mail forwarding on my address for a year, but it had expired when they finally tried to send my replacement card. I changed my address immediately with SSA, but no one bothered to tell the "private company" I did so, and there was no ability to do that myself.

My deposits now go to my private bank account, where customer service actually ANSWERS the phone.

[Historic NY]

48. That was the purpose of the direct deposits in the first place...

it eliminates the middleman. Now if you had an on-line SS account one can go in and modify your info.

http://www.ssa.gov/myaccount/

[Glitterati]

57. Well, doesn't work

I HAVE an online SS account.

Perhaps you missed this part of my post:

I changed my address immediately with SSA, but no one bothered to tell the "private company" I did so, and there was no ability to do that myself.

[merrily]

67. Not many people in their 70s, 80s and 90s are tech savvy?

I've spoken to some who are almost in tears over even automated phone answering systems. Hell, sometimes I'm tearing out my hair. "I understand that you want to speak to a representative. I am an automated assistant. Tell me your question. Sorry, I didn't get that. Is your question about billing? Sorry, I didn't get that."

[Armstead]

63. Heck the IRS office and State Revenue Dept office has been closed here for a number of years

Have to drive about 45 miles if you want to someone in person.

It sucks, but no reason they don't have the same shit in mind for SS.

[spanone]

74. guess it's not too secret, eh?