Colvin, whom Obama has nominated to be the full time commissioner, said, “I’ve had to make some very, very difficult decisions.”
Reduced funding prevented the agency from hiring administrative law judges who conduct the hearings. That led, Colvin said, to “a situation I find not acceptable.”
The agency lost 12,000 employees it could not replace. How do you manage a field office now staffed with two or three employees instead of the eight to 12 who once worked there, she asked. Her answer: “It’s almost impossible.”
She assured the advocates that “there is no grand plan to close down field offices” and she has “absolutely no intention” of using technology to replace workers — particular concerns of Mikulski and the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), whose members staff them.
Colvin plans, however, to move more functions to the Internet and envisions “a smorgasbord of options” for clients, including service in person, by telephone, video conference and online
Article Appeared @http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/federal_government/social-security-advocates-fear-more-cuts-in-staff-and-service/2014/11/18/d0c087cc-6f5b-11e4-8808-afaa1e3a33ef_story.html?tid=hpModule_308f7142-9199-11e2-bdea-e32ad90da239&hpid=z16