by Shaw, Bransford & Roth, P.C.
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Congress could play a greater role in the Social Security Administration's local hearing office operations, if a bill introduced last week by Representative Brian Higgins (D-New York) becomes law. Titled the "Social Security Customer Service Improvement Act," the bill is intended to strengthen customer service at Social Security field offices. Specifically, the legislation would: (1) require SSA to provide Congress with a nonpartisan detailed yearly budget estimate, which would include yearly statistics of the number of cases pending at hearing offices, the rate at which case backlogs are increasing or decreasing, the average length of time it takes for claims to be administered, and staffing level trends at offices over time; (2) prohibit SSA from closing or limiting hours at local offices without providing Congress with at least 6 months' notice and justifications for closure; and (3) require SSA to inform Congress of changes to how it staffs offices at least 3 months before a proposed change could be implemented.
"In 2006 the total nationwide backlog of Social Security cases, including initial disability claims and hearings pending, reached a record 1.3 million cases," said Higgins. "The changes in this bill would give Congress the information it needs to help make field offices work better, and to give Social Security beneficiaries the respect and dignity they deserve."
The bill is H.R. 5110. It currently is pending before the House Committee on Ways and Means.
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