In the name of cost-effectiveness, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has applied a hatchet to government agencies without first establishing where the “inefficiencies” exist.
This hurts Americans in many ways, but some of the worst are cuts to the Social Security Administration (SSA) and Veterans Affairs (VA). These agencies serve the most vulnerable populations in our country: those who are disabled and can no longer work.
The SSA oversees Social Security Disability (SSD) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) programs, which have kept millions out of poverty since their inception almost 70 years ago. SSD claimants have worked and paid into the Social Security system in good faith so that if they became disabled they would have a basic income. The VA provides disability income to about 5.27 million soldiers with service-connected disabilities. These individuals went to war zones to defend our freedoms and to help make those freedoms available to other societies.
The SSA, which has been underfunded since 2011 and which is already experiencing its lowest level of staffing in 50 years, has a backlog of 1 million SSD claims. On average, claimants go two years without income or reliable health insurance to get a final decision on benefits. The backlog for VA disability claims is 241,600 and veterans wait on average five to 11.5 months to receive a disability rating.
DOGE is proposing to close 40 SSA field offices and eliminate 7,000 to 10,000 employees, including many senior workers, who have vast experience. The VA was asked to eliminate 80,000 employees, almost 17% of its staff.
Former SSA Commissioner Martin O’Malley reported 30,000 SSD claimants died while waiting for a decision on benefits in 2023. The VA does not report similar statistics; however, if neither the SSA or the VA can serve disabled clients in much less than a year or two years now, how are they going to provide timely services with smaller staffs?
While they wait to get benefits, SSD claimants do not have medical insurance or an income. The VA covers veterans’ medical needs – although how efficiently care will be delivered with fewer staff is questionable. But veterans also go without income waiting for disability.
Your voice counts. Call, email, write your representatives in Congress to stop DOGE’s cuts on the SSA and VA and protect the rights of the disabled.