Social Security Announces Workforce and Organization Plans
Reading Time: 2 MinutesLast Updated: February 28, 2025
Consistent with recent executive orders issued by the White House, the Social Security Administration will continue to implement efficiencies and reduce costs, with a renewed focus on mission critical work for the American people.
The agency plans to reduce the size of its bloated workforce and organizational structure, with a significant focus on functions and employees who do not directly provide mission critical services. Social Security recently set a staffing target of 50,000, down from the current level of approximately 57,000 employees. Rumor of a 50 percent reduction is false.
Initial steps to reduce the workforce included offering a limited number of employees the opportunity to leave the agency under the Deferred Resignation Program and Voluntary Early Retirement (VERA).
Yesterday, the agency announced to all employees that Social Security would soon implement agency-wide organizational restructuring that will include significant workforce reductions. The announcement includes offering Voluntary Separation Incentive Payments (VSIP) to all employees on a first come first serve basis and expanding VERA to all employees. Both VERA and VSIP require employees to opt in and to separate from the agency by specific dates.
Social Security anticipates that much of the staff reductions needed to reach the target of 50,000 will come from retirement, VSIP, and resignation. Additional reductions will come from reduction-in-force (RIF) actions that could include abolishment of organizations and positions. RIF also can include directed reassignments from one position to another position in the agency. Agencies are required to submit their RIF plans to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) by March 13, 2025. No date has been set when a RIF might begin after OPM approves the plan.
SSA has operated with a regional structure consisting of 10 offices, which is no longer sustainable. The agency will reduce the regional structure in all agency components down to four regions. The organizational structure at Headquarters also is outdated and inefficient. SSA will now have seven Deputy Commissioner level organizations.
These steps prioritize customer service by streamlining redundant layers of management, reducing non-mission critical work, and potential reassignment of employees to customer service positions. Also supporting this priority is looking for efficiencies and other opportunities to reduce costs across all spending categories, including information technology and contractor spending. SSA is committed to ensure this plan has a positive effect on the delivery of Social Security services.
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David F.
I don’t know about other SSA offices but the one I use on Sgt. Holcomb in Conroe, Texas sure didn’t seem bloated. This office had to stop doing walk-ins because there weren’t enough customer service representatives. The only thing that’s bloated is the head of Elon Musk and Donald Trump.
Boyd H.
My communications with Social Security personnel over the years have always been cordial and effective. Best wishes to those of you who are able to move on to a relaxed and enjoyable retirement.
Shannon N.
I’m on Social Security Disability for over 45 years +. Do you have any information for people like myself who has Social Security Disability for there Income ???
Martha W.
Oh by the way…may want to remove the info on this website that promises “Expanding You Access to SSI…” bc after you clowns finish what King Trump and Pseudo-President musk have you doing (illegal I might add), you guys won’t be expanding a damned thing other than our outrage.
Ron J.
Sounds like propaganda to cover for the train wreck that is about to happen! Indiscriminate firings just to satisfy Trump’s and Musk’s agenda will, in my opinion, lead to a drastic reduction in the SSA’s ability to meet the needs of a growing number of retirees and those currently retired that rely on a functional agency.
Sue
To bad this will lead to even more lengthy wait times when calling into SSA along with further distance and time travel with reduced offices. This is bad policy all around
Dbear44
“Bloated workforce????” The only thing bloated is that statement. These people have been doing amazing work and the Orange Turd and the Muskrat are only good at tearing things down and lining their own pockets. So… when do the cuts start. I mean, we paid into these accounts for ALL OUR LIVES! But, an illegal immigrant from South Africa knows what’s best for us… yea, sure.
Karen
DOGE plant in SSA wrote or edited this statement. “Bloated” to describe the workforce and organization? DOGE propaganda at play. American citizens should be on high alert over this.
kathy L.
I would like to know how you determined the agency was “bloated”? How did you determine the agency needs reduced by 7000? Is that 7000 people? 7000 ftee?
How are cost analysis being conducted to make informed decisions? Who in the agency is actually studying the “critical” functions or is it all simply by Executive orders ?
Louis K.
I think DOGE needs to evaluate the use of SSI and the abuse that is problematic within the SSI portion of the program. “Crazy money” is rampant and there are many people “gaming” the system to get fraudulent money. The old pensioners part of the fund in NOT an entitlement and many of us worked all our life contributing the the fund for it. Please don’t keep putting the fear of lack of funds on the back of the old pensioners who paid into the program. There is way too much fraud and “fat” that needs to be removed first and foremost before threatening the rest of us pensioners.
Mad U.
I don’t trust a thing you say anymore.
amanda r.
amen!