A new study of the Social Security Administration’s workforce and operations since 2010 shows sizable declines in staffing for the federal agency and state Disability Determination Service (DDS) offices nationwide.
Overall staffing has declined by 6 percent, with five states losing more than 15 percent of their SSA staff, and seven states losing more than 20 percent of their DDS staff, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. The center attributes the losses to operating budget cuts and hiring freezes.
Staffing losses total about 5,000 for the federal agency and 2,000 for state DDS offices since 2010.
DDS staff declined most significantly in:
- Texas – 26 percent
- Kansas – 25 percent
- Tennessee – 25 percent
- Indiana – 24 percent
- Louisiana – 21 percent
- Mississippi – 21 percent
- South Dakota – 21 percent
The U.S. map below illustrates the widespread effects of a reduced workforce.
The SSA has warned federal lawmakers about ongoing declines in customers service and worsening disability backlogs if the fiscal year 2017 budget is reduced over 2016 spending.
