The Social Security Administration (SSA) has reached an agreement with its three unions on office reentry plans according to a statement from Acting SSA Commissioner Kilolo Kijakazi.
Starting March 30, close to two years after the pandemic began, about 45,000 employees will be returning to Social Security Administration offices across the U.S., according to the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) and a related announcement by the SSA. The AFGE specified that the return date may change due to pandemic conditions and further negotiations with the agency.
The National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU), which represents employees in SSA’s Office of Hearing Operations, (OHO) said the union has negotiated an agreement that increases telework opportunities for all employees for the first six months of the reentry, extends scheduling flexibilities and maximizes safety for those who return to the office.
In addition, the Association of Administrative Law Judges (AALJ), also announced earlier this week that it reached an agreement with SSA to resume in-person disability hearings as soon as May 4, with all judges returning to the office on June 3.
SSA field offices have been closed to the public except for specially scheduled and limited-criteria appointments since March 2020.
