Social Security Administration employees in Maine are urging the state's federal lawmakers to protect the agency from staffing cuts and office closures, saying it could have devastating consequences for more than 355,000 residents who use the benefits.
The Department of Government Efficiency is reportedly considering cutting half of the agency's staff, as well as limiting phone support and closing some offices.
The agency is already struggling to hire and retain employees, and staffing is at a 50-year low, said Christine Lizotte, a social security claims specialist and an officer of the union representing agency workers in New England.
"People with disability already face long delays in receiving their benefits," she said. "This will make it worse. I agree with our foremost Social Security Administration Commissioner, Martin O'Malley, these cuts will cause a meltdown of the system within 90 days."
She said further cuts would dramatically increase wait times. A new disability claim currently takes around 8 months to get an initial decision, but Lizotte said that could easily balloon to 18 months with fewer staff.
She said residents have earned their benefits — paying into a system for years with the expectation it would support them later.
73-year-old Kathy Davis of Lewiston receives less than $2,000 a month in Social Security benefits. She said it helps pay for all her expenses, including medical care for lupus and diabetes.
"And it really is very frightening, to think that I could have all that taken away from me," Davis said. "Without that meager amount of money, I would be on the street, I would not be able- I'd probably be dead, because without Medicare I couldn't afford the five days I spent in the hospital last spring."
Davis said everyone she talks to is on edge and, like her, worried about what to do if the cuts go through.
