The Social Security Administration (SSA) reported a slight increase in its workforce between 2014 and 2015, according to figures just released for Dec. 31, 2015.
Calendar year-end figures show the SSA building back its workforce form a low of 61,957 employees in December 2013 to 65,518 in December 2015. The staffing level still falls below five years ago, when the federal agency had 65,911 employees.
The number of administrative law judges (ALJs), who decide SSDI claims at the hearing level, continues to hover around 1,500. The SSA has acknowledged ongoing retirements and hiring challenges have kept this figure below the agency’s goal.
The SSA Office of the Inspector General reported in September on the agency’s objective of reaching up to 1,900 ALJs by fiscal year 2018. The planned addition of new ALJs is designed to help the SSA address the hearing backlog, which now numbers over 1.1 million claims and is anticipated to continue growing through fiscal year 2017.
