Social Security Administration Pushes Back On DOGE Cuts As Elderly Recipients Complain About Declining Service

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), formerly headed by Elon Musk, attempted to implement changes at the Social Security Administration (SSA). Still, the pushback has led the agency to reverse many of the changes proposed by DOGE.

While DOGE has not tried to cut funding for the SSA directly, they have been attempting to implement anti-fraud checks for telephone claims. Musk and DOGE have claimed that Social Security claims are often found to be fraudulent.

However, this new policy hasn’t yielded any findings of fraud and has slowed down the overall process for people trying to file retirement claims.

The anti-fraud checks resulted in telephone claims being put on a three-day hold, which significantly delays Americans who are trying to file claims.

The SSA is reportedly ending the anti-fraud checks not only due to the delay in filing claims but also because of the pressure it puts on employees, resulting from the staff cuts.

The SSA has noted that it will utilize an AI system to flag claims with the highest likelihood of fraud. This will ease a lot of the pressure that employees have been facing from the increasing requirements imposed by DOGE.

DOGE has forced the SSA to cut many essential staff members, including senior executives and employees proficient in technology, as well as those who navigate the system’s software and databases.

Earlier in the year, DOGE ordered the SSA to pressure 12% of its staff, around 7,000 employees, to leave. So far, 3,000 employees have voluntarily left, while 2,000 employees have been reassigned to other locations.

While other government organizations have received funding cuts and staff reductions, the pushback from the SSA demonstrates that there is a limit to the extent of DOGE’s interference with organizational policies, particularly those that significantly impact the daily lives of elderly Americans.

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Article by Sherry Chen

Sherry Chen is a uPolitics writer.