Rising workloads, staffing losses and limited resources \u2014 now coupled with recent benefits policy changes for employees \u2014 are hindering the Social Security Administration\u2019s ability to deliver to the public, a federal union warns.<\/p>\n
During an online press briefing last week, the American Federation of Government Employees made an urgent pitch to support what it says is a workforce that has long been under-resourced and understaffed. Union officials also heightened calls<\/a> on Congress to pass additional funding for SSA, $3 billion above its currently enacted spending levels.<\/p>\n AFGE\u2019s spending proposal would put resources toward hiring an additional 20,000 SSA employees, \u201cto begin to dig us out of the backlogs and service delays that have worsened since 2011,\u201d said Jessica LaPointe, president of AFGE Council 220, which represents thousands of SSA workers in field offices and teleservice centers.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are simply bleeding staff and have problems with recruitment and retention as a result,\u201d LaPointe told reporters.<\/p>\n ]]><\/p>\n During 2025, SSA lost\u00a0more than 7,000 employees<\/a>, as part of the Trump administration\u2019s efforts to shrink the federal workforce. With further employee separations in 2026, coupled with some limited hiring, SSA has seen a net loss of nearly 8,000 employees since President Donald Trump took office, Office of Personnel Management data shows<\/a>.<\/p>\n Following the workforce reductions, SSA has reassigned over 2,000 agency employees to staff its national 800 number, pulling them away from processing claims and providing in-person help at field offices.<\/p>\n \u201cThat was not efficiency. That was waste,\u201d said Rich Couture, a spokesperson for AFGE\u2019s general committee for SSA. \u201cThis further shows that SSA needs more staff, not less.\u201d<\/p>\n SSA currently has a workforce of about 50,000 employees, its lowest headcount in decades.\u00a0On average, it has about one field office employee for every 4,000 beneficiaries.<\/p>\n For the fiscal 2027 budget cycle, SSA is focusing on what it describes as a \u201cdigital-first\u201d strategy. The agency is requesting<\/a> an increase in IT funding to put toward modernizing legacy systems and improving its digital and automated services. The proposal includes $1.9 billion total for IT spending in the upcoming fiscal year.<\/p>\n \u201cSSA\u2019s proposed budget for fiscal year 2027 will enable the agency to continue executing on our digital-first agenda and streamline operations,\u201d an SSA spokesperson said in an email to Federal News Network. \u201cOur hiring efforts this year are aligned with the commissioner\u2019s goal to transform service delivery across all channels by leveraging new technology, implementing process improvements and updating tools to better serve the public.\u201d<\/p>\n While expressing support for \u201cresponsible and reasonable use of technology,\u201d AFGE officials argued that the 2027 budget request does not include sufficient investments in SSA\u2019s workforce. The union is pushing for a reversal of budget reductions and staff reassignments, which it says have led to longer wait times and worsening service delays.<\/p>\n ]]><\/p>\n \u201cWe believe in a human-first strategy,\u201d Couture said.<\/p>\n Earlier this year, SSA Commissioner Frank Bisignano told House committee members<\/a> that the agency is seeing its \u201cbest all-around performance ever,\u201d and that it is doing more with fewer employees.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat I think, in fact, is we have the right amount of staff in the right places,\u201d Bisignano said during a June committee hearing.<\/p>\n Also in June, SSA issued a press release<\/a> that touted significantly reduced phone call and field office wait times, lower disability claims backlogs and increases in online transactions.<\/p>\n \u201cCommissioner Bisignano has consistently pledged to have the right level of staffing to ensure Social Security operates at peak efficiency, meets customers where they want to be served and delivers better, faster, higher-quality customer service,\u201d the SSA spokesperson said. \u201cToday, SSA is serving more people at quicker speeds, whether it\u2019s on the phone, in-person or online.\u201d<\/p>\n AFGE officials, however, have called for more transparency in how SSA\u2019s service metrics and data are being calculated.<\/p>\n \u201cNone of that is on the website to indicate if service is actually improving, or if the metrics are just changing to be able to give the appearance of improvements,\u201d LaPointe said.<\/p>\n Suspending advanced leave options<\/p>\n At the same time, AFGE is calling for a reversal of SSA\u2019s recent suspension of advanced annual and sick leave for agency employees. In July, SSA began barring employees from requesting sick or annual leave in advance of having their full leave balances available to them.<\/p>\n \u201cThis change ensures that SSA\u2019s workforce is available to deliver the high-quality service the American people rely on and deserve,\u201d the SSA spokesperson said.<\/p>\n ]]><\/p>\n Advanced leave allows federal employees to dip into their leave banks and use time off that\u2019s expected to accrue within the following year. It\u2019s often used during a serious health condition of an employee or family member, for the birth or adoption of a child, and in other specific instances<\/a>.<\/p>\n Per AFGE\u2019s collective bargaining agreement with SSA, employees can use up to 30 days of sick leave in advance if they don\u2019t have any sick leave immediately available, if they fulfill other qualifying criteria. Employees can request advanced annual leave that is expected to become available to them as it accrues throughout the year.<\/p>\n The SSA spokesperson emphasized that the new leave policy will not impact earned annual leave, earned sick leave, the Voluntary Leave Transfer Program or leave allowed under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).<\/p>\n But without advanced sick leave or annual leave options, AFGE officials raised concerns about impacts on recruitment, retention and burnout of SSA employees.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re putting people into a situation where they have to choose between their health or their paycheck,\u201d said Angela DiGeronimo, executive vice president of AFGE Council 220. \u201cIt is creating an environment where we are no longer competitive to be able to attract talent, and employees are getting very disheartened to be able to continue to work for the agency.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf we cannot attract talent to do the work of the federal government, how are we going to serve the public?\u201d DiGeronimo continued. \u201cIt\u2019s going to become increasingly harder, and the public is going to have a harder time accessing these benefits.\u201d<\/p>\n Government Executive first reported<\/a> the suspension of advanced annual and sick leave at SSA, as well as at the IRS \u2014 where Bisignano is simultaneously serving as chief executive officer.<\/p>\n Going forward, AFGE officials are moving to grievance and arbitration proceedings over SSA\u2019s suspension of advanced leave.<\/p>\n More broadly, Couture said offering flexible benefits to employees is crucial for recruitment and retention at SSA. He pointed to a recent Government Accountability Office report, which said SSA\u2019s removal of telework options for employees puts the agency at risk of losing even more staff<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cTelework, flexible schedules, credit hours, advanced leave and other benefits are recruitment and retention tools to keep the best employees employed here and to serve the public,\u201d Couture said.<\/p>\n LaPointe added, \u201cYou can\u2019t do anything with Social Security if you don\u2019t protect the workers \u2014 the actual men and women that have dedicated their career to this program, the new generation of Social Security workers that we are hopefully hiring now, that will stay and they\u2019ll see this program for more than just the conditions that we\u2019re working under now.\u201d<\/p>\n