Legislation to end Furloughs of Federally Paid State Disability Workers – How does this Affect you?
The social security agency is submitting legislation to the Congress for preventing states to lay off employees or bring down the number of state workers who are responsible for making disability determinations for social security. However, this is permissible only with the prior authorization of the agency’s Commissioner. Also, the hours of work cannot be reduced below the number of hours that is authorized. The agency firmly vociferates that the states will have to put an end to unconscionable layoffs and freezes on hiring that go on to harm citizens who suffer from various disabilities. It is understood that these states do not accrue any fiscal savings from such actions.
The new legislation is intended to prevent unnecessary delays in the process of disability determination. Over a dozen states have made employee layoffs and freezes on hiring the order of the day. These impact the federally funded state workers who are responsible for making disability determinations. Those state agencies that have these workers operating for them as a part of their disability determination service (DDS) obtain 100 percent funding from the Federal government. Therefore, there is no saving that these state agencies make by way of implementing layoffs and hiring freezes on employees who are federally funded. In fact, these end up slowing benefits to citizens who suffer from various disabilities.
To cite an example – the fiscal year 2010 saw layoffs in California which slowed down payment of more than $11 million as benefits to over 40, 000 disabled Americans. Such state implemented hiring freezes and furloughs bring down state income tax revenues and catapult state unemployment numbers. Local 1000 members have shown that laying off federally funded state workers make no economic sense and the situation in California stands testimony to this fact. The initiative of social security to move this new legislation will help the economic setup of the country and prevent occurrences of bad economic policies.
Such legislation will not only help workers in disability determination services but also disability claimants who depend upon the services of these agencies and its workers. The economic recession has made quite a blow to this community of people and has had a terrible impact on them. There is a huge workload in terms of claims that have resulted from the recession. Furloughs and hiring freezes only add to the problem by way of creating unnecessary and undue delays that are evitable. Therefore, a quick action is warranted.
While this proposal will do a world of good to both federally funded state workers and claimants of disability, the time taken for implementing such an initiative is questionable. However, the proposal set forth by the current Commissioner of the agency, Michael J. Astrue is perceived and considered indeed commendable. With numerous beneficiaries and the country’s economic setup at stake, it is but a requirement to have such legislations in the country. This proposal was made to the Congress in mid year 2010 and a solution is sought for as quickly as possible.
