Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Budget Cuts Force Fewer Hours For Social Security Offices
With leaders working to make cuts to the national budget, officials with the Social Security Administration announced Friday that hours at offices across the nation will be cut, as well.
In a press release issued Friday, agency officials announced, “Effective August 15, 2011, Social Security field offices nationwide will close to the public thirty minutes early each day.”
Commissioner of Social Security Michael J. Astrue explained, “While agency employees will continue to work their regular hours, this shorter public window will allow us to complete face-to-face service with the visiting public without incurring the cost of overtime for our employees.”
Operating funds for the agency were expected to come in nearly $1 billion less than had been requested in the 2011-2012 fiscal year budget. “This makes it impossible,” Astrue said, “for us to provide the amount of overtime needed to handle service to the public as we have in the past.”
As a result of the action the Lawrenceburg office will close its doors each day at 3:30 p.m. rather than 4:00.
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