You may recall the Bush Administration suffered a defeat in their attempt to privatize Social Security. After this initiative failed due to public outcry, the focus of Bush’s presidency shifted back to the war in Iraq. This defeat does not mean the Republican efforts to outsource Social Security are finished, not by a long shot. The initiative to privatize Social Security, which is part of the “Contract with America” to reduce government, has shifted from a political campaign to a slanderous attempt to discredit the agency and sway public opinion back in favor of privatization.

This is being done by eroding the agency from within. They are discrediting Social Security’s front line employees to make the agency look incapable of fulfilling its charter. Social Security’s front line employees come in two varieties: service representatives you meet in your local field office, and Tele-Service representatives you speak with when you call the national 800 number. These front line workers are unionized under the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE). After the Bush Administration’s effort to privatize Social Security failed, the Administration took sweeping measures to limit AFGE’s ability to represent its members. Social Security employees were given a contract that prevents the union from representing its members as it has in the past.

The Bush Administration is implementing a “pay-for-performance” appraisal plan for Social Security employees and a subjective call monitoring initiative that has resulted in the unprecedented attrition of Social Security employees. Social Security’s 800 number representatives are monitored by members of management following subjective guidelines for quality; this monitoring is being enforced with a record number of employee suspensions at the nation’s Tele-Service Centers. Employees are being suspended for infractions ranging from their “tone of voice” to what is being called “rude and discourteous behavior.”

This may sound trivial to the casual observer; however, with no clear guidelines for Service representatives and without considering the context of the calls being taken, the one to five day suspensions being handed down are clearly designed to drive the employee attrition to current levels that call centers in the private sector would shudder at. The unprecedented levels of employee turnover has resulted in a hiring spree of new employees and the expense of their training; a blatant waste of your tax dollars.

Other initiatives designed to drive Social Security employees out are a mandatory four minute limit on each call. If an employee is unable to solve the caller’s problem within four minutes they are required to place the caller on hold and seek assistance from their supervisor. How can a four minute limit on calls serve the best interests of the public? On top of this employee unfriendly work environment, the agency is threatening its employees with work furloughs where each employee would have mandatory unpaid time off each month. These furloughs are designed to further drive employee attrition and make the agency look incapable of managing its budget, all in an effort to sway public opinion in favor of private Social Security. Social Security’s front line employees serve the public day in and day out; they deserve better treatment than this.

---
Related Articles at Social Security Retirement:

• No related posts

You might think because you have “Power of Attorney” for your relative or loved one you will be able to conduct business for them with the Social Security Administration. The agency does not recognize “Power of Attorney” and this document will get you no information from Social Security about your relative or loved one.

Social Security does have a process for representation. The agency can designate you as the “Representative Payee” for this individual if you have good cause for becoming one. To do this you would need to take your “Power of Attorney” documents and photo identification to the local Social Security office and fill out the Representative Payee application. You don’t need “Power of Attorney” to become payee, just a good reason for doing so.

It takes the local Social Security office about 30 to 60 days to process the application. If your application is approved Social Security will send you a letter letting you know that you have been appointed as Representative Payee for the person in question. All correspondence while you are payee will be sent in your name for the beneficiary. Payment will also be issued in your name for the person you are Payee for. You are responsible for seeing that the Social Security check is spent in an appropriate manner.

All representative payees are required to document in an annual report how the money you are responsible for is being spent. Social Security will mail you an annual “Representative Payee Report” for this purpose. Being a representative payee is not a responsibility you should take lightly; if the person you are seeing is overpaid for example, you could be liable for paying back the overpayment.

---
Related Articles at Social Security Retirement:

• No related posts

Millions of people request replacement Social Security cards every year. Social Security has recently changed the rules for accepting applications for these cards. Here is what you need to know to get your Social Security card replaced.

In order to replace your Social Security card you will need to fill out an application; the application is Social Security form SS-5. You must sign and date the form. If you are a US citizen you will need to prove your identity for the application to be processed. You need to provide your original driver’s license, State ID card, or US passport to have the application processed. Social Security does not accept photocopies and you will be required to present original documents for the replacement Social Security card. If you are a non US citizen you will be required to show current immigration documents, the unexpired passport from your country of origin, or the work permit issued to you by Homeland Security.

It is possible to submit the application through the mail; however, you will need to mail the original identification documents to Social Security for them to process the application. The local Social Security office will mail your identification back to you when they finish. If you are uncomfortable with the idea of mailing your identification your best bet is to visit your local Social Security office and submit the application in person.

If you are changing your name due to a marriage or divorce you will need to show proof of the name change. This proof could be your marriage license or marriage certificate, or your divorce decree or court order authorizing the name change. You will generally be required to show proof of identity in both names before Social Security will approve the change.

Social Security has also placed limits this year on the number of replacement cards you can request. The limit on replacement cards are three per year and a lifetime limit of ten. If you receive a replacement card due to a name change, that card is not counted towards your annual or lifetime limit. Social Security states they are imposing these limits to make it more difficult for criminals to exploit Social Security numbers with false identification or immigration papers.

---
Related Articles at Social Security Retirement:

• No related posts

A common misconception about Social Security is that: “The money I pay into Social Security is my retirement or disability, and when I retire that pile of money is there waiting for me.”

In fact, the taxes you pay on your wages fund the Social Security Trust Fund, which actively pays the people who are currently receiving Social Security benefits. When it’s your turn to retire or receive disability benefits, your payments will be funded by the people who are currently working and paying into the system.

The Trust Fund is how the government accounts for Social Security taxes paid by workers in the United States. The current system only works when there are enough people paying taxes to support the number of people collecting benefits for retirement and disability. The Trust Fund works like a giant checking account. When there is enough money coming in to cover the checks going out, all is well.

There is a crisis brewing for Social Security. When the generation of Americans known as “Baby Boomers” reaches retirement age, there will not be enough people working and paying the taxes needed to keep the trust funded. It is projected that by the year 2018 the Trust Fund will be in the red; Social Security will be entirely depleted by the year 2042. Congress and the President will have to take action to prevent this.

---
Related Articles at Social Security Retirement:

• No related posts

Social Security has announced the cost of living increase for 2007. This increase will be a 3.3% raise reflected in your January check. The Medicare Part B premium is also going up; this premium will have a $5 increase from $88.50 to $93.50, also effective in January 2007.

---
Related Articles at Social Security Retirement:

• No related posts