IG: SSA needs clearer human capital and operating plans that address its human capital risks. Image: Sundry Photography/Shutterstock.com
By: FEDweek StaffEmployment at the SSA fell by about 1,000 to about 58,600 in fiscal 2024 as budget-driven restrictions on hiring more than offset an improvement in retention, says an inspector general report that listed human capital first among the management challenges facing the agency.
That also was the case with employment in the state-based offices funded by the SSA that make determinations in disability claims, which declined by some 800 to about 12,600. In both cases, that eroded staffing gains that had been made in fiscal 2023 when SSA received additional funding enabling it to lift a hiring freeze and it gained direct-hire authority to fill frontline positions, said the report.
“SSA needs funding to restore staffing to FY 2023 levels to improve service delivery, including reducing National 800 Number wait times and disability claims processing delays,” it says.
It adds: “While additional employees should help improve service delivery, SSA needs to plan for multiple contingencies. SSA needs clearer human capital and operating plans that address its human capital risks, including limited staffing and increased attrition rates at both SSA and state DDSs, to ensure it has a clear vision on how it will improve service delays and backlogged workloads with its existing human capital.”
The IG cited a series of reports it has issued over the years on SSA hiring and retention problems—even as the agency faces a growing workload due to the aging population—and noted that a long-term HR plan the agency issued earlier this year focuses on those issues, along with employee morale and competition for talent.
However, the IG said that “We are concerned that SSA describes these challenges as new when they have been present for a number of years, and the vast majority of the strategies in its draft plan are scheduled to be implemented in 3 to 10 years. While SSA has continually stated its staffing is a critical part of its ability to improve customer service and meet its mission, its plans need specificity and urgency and consideration of how it will make progress should its funding fall short of the staffing it envisions it will need.”
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