Why would DEM governors prevent staffing of Soc. Sec. disability offices???

[dixiegrrrrl]

Sound weird,I know.
And has nothing to do with the current government shut down issue.
But 19 states, some of them with DEM governors,
" have lost $65 million in federal funds collectively by furloughing workers whose salaries are paid by the SSA.

Under a joint federal-state funding relationship, SSA pays the full salaries of state employees who do initial processing of disability claims under the federal Disability Determination Services program.

As a budget-reduction measure, governors in recent months have adopted furloughs for their state workforces.
The mandatory time off without pay included the disability-processing workers in 19 states, despite cautions from SSA not to include them.
“Furloughing 100 percent federally funded employees makes no sense,” the SSA said on its website. “The states save no money by furloughing employees working in the DDS.”

States that lost the most funding from January 2009 to February 2011 were California, $48 million; Ohio, $6 million; and New Jersey, $2 million, according to the map.

The online map, which was posted on the SSA’s open-government Web pages this month, also shows that disabled people in those states have been delayed in receiving $33 million in federal benefits as a result of those furloughs."


Here is the online map link:

http://www.ssa.gov/open/ODD/index.html


Here is the story link:
http://fcw.com/articles/2011/03/29/ssa-displays-online-interactive-map-on-impact-of-state-furloughs-in-19-states.aspx

[aquart]

1. I don't understand anything anymore.

[dixiegrrrrl]

2. I have been shaking my head so much today I am dizzy.

Serisly.

[Frustratedlady]

3. Boy, is that an understatement.

My neck is sore from shaking my head in disbelief. I don't recognize the federal OR state governments anymore.

It's crazy out there.

[CountAllVotes]

4. simple answer:

If there are no offices there will be no one going there. If there is no one there to do the work of processing the applications (which are already backlogged), people will be waiting longer for disability benefits.

A lot of people cannot wait.

They don't disappear, they just get sicker. Eventually I suspect some die waiting for their well-deserved insurance benefits. :mad:

[dixiegrrrrl]

5. yes, got that. but DEM governors doing this?

Ok, maybe DINO. Maybe that is it.

[CC]

6. The only thing I can think of is

if it is a furlough day for state employees and the offices are in a state building. If the state building is closed and has no state workers there (including guards etc.) then the Federal employees would be locked out too. Our local office is in a state building and when the building is closed no one gets in to work. Beyond that makes no sense to me and has to be frustrating for the SSA employees.