Staffing Cuts Lead to Extended Waiting Times for Social Security Recipients

In the wake of the Social Security Administration slashing 12% of its workforce earlier this year, the agency’s field offices have struggled to adjust to their new normal with overburdened workers and frustrated recipients, reports the New York Times:

When Rebekah Walker noticed she was short on her July rent, it quickly became clear that her monthly disability payment never arrived from Social Security, as it had for the past 16 years.

The agency claimed in an online message that she had been overpaid by $48,609.60 — and she needed to pay it back.

Until she could prove otherwise, she was cut off.

Ms. Walker, who has complex heart abnormalities and one functioning lung, headed to her local Social Security office for answers, waiting about 30 minutes before they turned her away. The earliest appointment slot wasn’t for two weeks.