Some stories hit a nerve and go viral. This is one of them.
After 59-year-old Mary Gates’ work-study job ended at the University of the District of Columbia, her Social Security disability benefits never kicked back in, according to WUSA9.
Gates told the outlet that for months, she kept calling the Social Security Administration. No luck. But by that time, the damage was done: she was behind on her home payments and other bills. Eventually, Gates said she contacted D.C.’s Legal Aid, who worked on the case for four more months before they were able to resolve the issue.
“I started working with Ms. Gates in March, and she first got a payment in July,” Stacy Cloyd, a senior staff attorney with Legal Aid DC, told WUSA9. According to Cloyd, reinstating disability benefits after working should not require a lawyer.
So, why the delays?
Fast Company has reached out to the Social Security Administration for comment. But one possible reason has already been circulating: According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP), the Social Security Administration (SSA) has cut over 8,000 workers, or 13% to 14% of its staff.
That includes over 3,800 customer service representatives, per CBPP. It’s also the SSA’s largest one-year staffing reduction on record—leaving the agency with “fewer employees than at any time since 1967.”
Gates is just one of 63 million Americans who receive Social Security benefits. That number includes 54 million retired workers and 9 million of their survivors and dependents. Many of them rely on the check for their monthly expenses.
However, the program, which was launched in 1940, is running out of cash and currently facing insolvency. As Fast Company has previously reported, already cash-strapped older Americans and those on disability could see their monthly Social Security benefits drop by an average of $500 (or 24%) in 2032, to make up for the gap if a solution is not found, according to a report from the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB).
