SSA Talks: Commissioner O’Malley’s Top Priorities
Reading Time: 1 MinuteLast Updated: April 18, 2024
Commissioner Martin O’Malley joined SSA Talks to discuss his top priorities. Since being sworn in on December 20, 2023, Commissioner O’Malley has been focused on the most pressing issues facing the agency and three top priorities: 1) Reduce call wait times, 2) Issue faster disability decisions, 3) Resolve inequities in overpayments and underpayments.
In this 18-minute episode, Commissioner O’Malley discusses these challenges – and a path to improve customer service. He also explains how his new SecurityStat initiative drives data-driven decision making and change at a more rapid pace.
The episode is accompanied by a fact sheet and transcript.
Listen to the episode on our SSA Talks page and subscribe to receive alerts about future episodes. For more information and news about Social Security, check out our Communications Corner.
We are also pleased to announce that Commissioner O’Malley is now on social media. You can follow @OMalleySSA on X for latest updates from the Commissioner.
Please share this with your friends, family, and colleagues – and post it on social media.
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Tags: Commissioner, General Information, social security, SSA
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Dawn Bystry, Associate Commissioner, Office of Strategic and Digital Communications
Deputy Associate Commissioner, Office of Strategic and Digital Communications
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Mitchell E.
I appreciate the time and effort the Commissioner has put into these monthly information bulletins. It makes me feel that there is now some compassion at the leadership level. I can only pray that this filters down to the local level where SSA clerks, eyes glazed over, give canned answers before I finish giving enough details for them to understand the issue. There is no compassion, or passion at these local locations. Only mistrust on both sides of the bullet-proof glass.
Joan
What is the dollar amount incoming Illegal Aliens receive upon being let in, at inception, and ongoing?
Joardar
Prayer for immigration to the USA /SNAP benefit
Dear sir
Prayer for migration to the USA and getting a permanent job visa.
I was the only earning person in my family, Now job less more than three years ,
Living with me my 3 daughter and wife plus my daughter son,
We are living with very very disaster condition,
I have done application for free visa without any document, Because I have none any document ,only have with me valid passport and my NID card,
So many times I have sent the (Prayer for immigration to USA and get the permanent job visa) request letter to U,S census Bureau, U,S Copyright office, Social Security Administration, Benefit of us GVN. Under EA program for SNAP benefit.
Federal Reserve,
Please consider my prayer as your kind cooperation ,
Dhaka, Bangladesh ,
Ali B.
Sorry, but it looks like the best way to get government benefits is to come here illegally.
Tony
Those who spent the overpayment and cannot pay it all back at 10% should be appointed a representative payee because they can’t manage their benefits.
The representative payee will be responsible/liable for the overpayment if it happens again. The taxpayers shouldn’t have to pay again if the SSA or the same beneficiary fails to report their financial situations.
This is what need to be done to protect the taxpayers’ money from overpayment.
Paul T.
Complexities in Overpayment Recovery:
Large overpayments create challenges for both Social Security beneficiaries and the SSA. Beneficiary eligibility can depend on minor income variances, and the SSA’s methods for determining this can be confusing. These complexities lead to processing delays and situations where beneficiaries are unaware of overpayments until the debt becomes significant. Commissioner O’Malley’s recent changes to overpayment recovery are a positive initial step.
Financial Hardship and Representative Payees:
Financial hardship shouldn’t automatically trigger a representative payee assignment. Assigning a payee can burden beneficiaries with additional life complexities. Finding reliable payees is also challenging for the SSA, and many beneficiaries have unique circumstances that make managing their finances difficult. The SSA should instead prioritize simplifying administrative procedures and invest in technological solutions to prevent overpayments through faster and more accurate income processing. Streamlining the system can significantly reduce unmanageable overpayments as well as administrative costs in general.
Unintentional Overpayments:
The SSA should be more understanding of unintentional overpayments. Waivers are particularly appropriate when payments continue during appeals or attempts to return to work. The SSA’s policies should prioritize granting waivers, without the stigma of jeopardizing the agency’s payment accuracy record. This would foster fairer decisions and avoid assuming fraud or a client’s failure to report unless the case is particularly egregious. Complex rules and inadequate communication often lead to misunderstandings about benefits, resulting in overpayments that are not entirely the beneficiary’s fault and that create financial hardship.
Addressing Old and Inaccurate Debt:
The burden of old and inaccurate debt needs to be addressed. Fairness necessitates writing off most of this debt as uncollectible as much of it is poorly documented. From an administrative perspective, pursuing such debt is impractical as it consumes valuable resources the SSA lacks, especially if done in a way that is fair to beneficiaries. Writing off overpayments exceeding a decade in age is a necessary administrative expense – a cost incurred in the past but that was never properly recorded.
Ashley N.
Email me please
John S.
All,of the discrepancies in Extra Help have been resolved.
rocky d.
1) I’m an ex-pat here in New Zealand, rec’ing my US Social Security income; and am also entitled to NZ “SuperAnnuation”. Sadly though, NZ has a “Direct Deduction Policy” which means they deduct the Super-Ann amount from the US SSI, and because my US SSI is larger than the amount of the NZ Super- I receive nothing. This horrible policy affects about 90K of us US citizens living here. Can you address this, please?
2) I would like to see the data that was collected by USSSA to determine the monthly amount of the income I receive- is this possible?
3) Due to my residence here in New Zealand- my USSSI account is managed by the FBO in Manila, The Philippines. They are very slow to respond to inquiries, did not permit an in-person visit w/ them when I was there in January, 2024. Am not very happy w/ the service they provide. Can I have my account transferred elsewhere, preferably in the USA?
Coll
I thought you had to live in the United States to get SSI?
S.D.
Thanks for reading our blog, Coll. We make Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments to people with disabilities, or people 65 or older, who have limited income and resources. To be eligible for SSI, you must live in one of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, or the Northern Mariana Islands. To learn more about SSI eligibility requirements, visit Understanding SSI. We hope this helps.
Pat c.
That’s ridiculous request. If you are an American, luve in the United States, having finacial diffi ulty YES the benefits are here, wish they was an easy answer for you but we are having a tough time 5aking care of our own people. Your gov’t needs to step up.
S.D.
We’re sorry to hear about your experience, Rocky. Since you’re living outside the United States, you should contact your local Federal Benefits Unit for assistance with your Social Security benefits. We are unable to transfer your claim. Also, our Office of Earnings & International Operations webpage provides additional resources for our customers living abroad. We hope this helps.
Paul M.
I received an overpayment July 2023 called and spoke to 2 different offset specialists that determined that i shouldn’t be offset and shouldn’t have an overpayment ..My appeal waiver was assigned to someone at the processing center in October and still the status hasn’t changed nor has my amount that they took away they dropped my amount by 500 a month
This should have been able to be fixed by the field office
We have bills to pay and SS doesn’t care
This really don’t know the damage they are causing seniors and disabled people
S.D.
We’re sorry to hear about your situation, Paul. For your security, we do not have access to private information in this venue. We encourage you to contact your local Social Security office. You can ask to speak with a supervisor during your next call or visit. Or you can call us at 1-800-772-1213, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. For more information, check out our blog. We hope this is resolved soon.
Yama M.
Easy to enter
Yama M.
I would appreciate if you can help me .I am legal guardian to my son Ron Mandalia.He has schizophrenia.He was home for 2 years and got sick he went to hospital I called the ss office # and told them he is in hospital they continued paying him and then I called again they still did not change the monthly payment.I went to Paterson office personally and told them again.
Then I got letter about overpayment of $9000.00 I went again and paid by credit card I am still paying for it .
I am really upset because I am 77 years old and I am on fixed income.My son was home and I had care takers for 6 months none of it was covered I was also privately for his psychiatrist $500.00 because it was difficult to take him to doctor .
I just heard that they have new regulations for overpayment is there anything I can do now since I already paid ???
Paul T.
People are seldom well-served taking on credit card debt to pay off a Social Security or SSI debt. Today’s credit card interest rates, which decades ago would have been deemed illegal usury, make such debt difficult to repay. Compare credit card rates to the fact that SSA does not charge interest on outstanding debt! In addition, as long as repayments remain current, SSA does not report your debt to credit reporting agencies, which may help keep the interest rates on other debt you have lower.
Did SSA discuss the above when you repaid with a credit card? Unfortunately, SSA employees are trained to act in SSA’s best interest, not yours. As an aside, this is also the primary reason why the vast majority of disability claims are denied (unless claims are appealed to the hearing level with the assistance of an attorney at which time your odds of approval versus denial approach the reciprocal). To reverse this agency culture, SSA should be required to pay attorney fees on successful appeals.
Getting back to your overpayment, SSA should train employees to help debtors choose the best repayment option for them. If a debtor still chooses a credit card, SSA should have the debtor sign a document explaining the potential disadvantages.
It is my opinion that SSA’s current overpayment collection procedures create fault on the part of SSA for a person who later struggles to repay a credit card they previously used to repay SSA. In severe cases, this fault might be considered grounds for getting a previously collected overpayment waived. Try for a waiver of the original O/P amount or at least on the remaining balance you owe. State the above-stated rationale.
Unfortunately, in your case, SSA may find you were at fault in creating the O/P as it appears you were aware the money was not due, and thus the money should have been saved for later repayment. However, if your waiver request is denied, you can request a hearing in front of an ALJ where it is possible the original denial would be reversed. You might also attach a copy of this blog to your waiver request as it is conceivable that Commissioner O’Malley’s office might take a special interest being that this blog is public.
Separately, does your son receive Social Security, possibly with SSI? If not, and assuming he has been disabled since before age 22, he might be eligible for benefits based on a parent’s work history. These “Disabled Adult Child” (DAC) benefits are sometimes overlooked.
Obtaining sufficient medical evidence of your son’s disability before age 22 can be difficult. Was your son in special education? Submitting those records with a DAC claim or appeal might be useful.
Ali B.
That is a well-thought-out and detailed reply. I hope it helps Yama.
Regarding your comment that the blog is public: Since most of the comments are negative, the SSA will realize their mistake and soon take it down.
S.D.
We’re sorry to hear about your situation, Yama. We have forwarded your comments to our colleagues in the New York region. To speak with a representative, you can contact your local Social Security office. Or you can call us at 1-800-772-1213, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. We hope this helps.