Inevitable SSA delays and internal friction hamstrings implementation
Lisa Rein 22 — (Lisa Rein covers federal agencies and the management of government in the Biden administration at the Washingtonpost; ; Published: 10-7-2022; "Pandemic struggles still afflict Social Security, a last lifeline for many"; Washington Post; Accessed: 7-10-2023; https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/10/07/social-security-pandemic-failures/)//Pen-SY
Acknowledging “delays in service and long waits for disability decisions,” Social Security officials took the unusual step last month of pleading with Congress for an extra $800 million as lawmakers negotiated a temporary budget for the new fiscal year. Congress in the past week approved about $90 million in the temporary spending package that expires Dec. 16. Social Security officials have blamed the stumbles on a staffing crisis and inadequate budgets. But there are many causes, according to lawmakers, current and former Social Security officials and advocates for the disabled: the power of the agency’s labor unions, a hesitance to make temporary pandemic workarounds permanent and an absence of permanent leadership. “They have always been slow,” said Jeff Larsen, a Houston-based attorney with Lone Star Legal Aid who specializes in the disability system. “But it’s much slower now. There’s more friction in the system.”