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 The organizational structure at Headquarters also is outdated and inefficient.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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jo L.
Was my comment on anothers post taken down? I commented that the reduction in staffing, etc is to help make up and contribute to the 4 Trilliion tax cut for the super wealthy. If you don’t know about this, you should learn. Thank you.
Lu C.
I can’t believe so many don’t think there is room for improvement in ALL government agencies. Of course, there is bloat. There is redundancy, fraud and waste. That is ALL the President and Mr. Musk are attempting to fix. We will go bankrupt if this is not done. That won’t help anybody. We all have to balance our budgets every month. The government should do the same. That requires downsizing. Look at what they have already found…billions to be saved.
Stephen D.
Just another way for der neue Fuehrer to destroy this nation and our government. We the People are being screwed.
Maril
Bloated organization? Phone calls take whatever t seems like hours to get to talk with an actual person. Months to wait for an appointment at an office? Bloated? Sounds like you need more staff.
Concerned C.
Agree, I was immediately offended by this blog post and seems like the new Director was “coached” on this wording by DOGE. Very disappointed and dismayed.
Harold
You got that right. More decent hard working staff – also overworked and under paid compared to the blabber moths in the White House.
Sal R.
I completely agree. This language is coming straight from a billionaire’s mouth who doesn’t gave to worry about social security. How dare you do this to our elderly who have worked their/our whole lives. The staff at SS do a GREAT job and we need more offices and longer hours and more staff as the baby boomers age and retire! No we are not lazy we earned this and paid our share!
Eileen k.
I agree. The only thing bloated are the egos of the people directing these “cuts” who accuse hard working people of fraud and criminal behaviours for just doing their jobs for the American people. It is only going to make this program less “user friendly” and difficult to navigate for us poor sods who are the beneficiaries. So sad.
John S.
My real comment: the implications of cut backs are questionable, it can save money, but there is usually a recovery period of four years after RIFs and removing bloated departments in any company. It hurts companies in the sort term. They lose wisdom, intelligence, and steadiness, often keeping underpaid bloated lackeys.
“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”. When did the AGENCY makes thes plans? Mutual decision, perhaps a directive? Perhaps a threat?
Bloated is such a nasty, descriptive word – it carries so much weight… and just who is an employee who PROVIDES A MISSION CRITICAL SERVICES? Is the SSA relocating to Mars – on badly built space ships that blow up?
But, the government is not a corporation. does this mean we won’t be talking to any real, knowledgeable people with experience anymore? AI does remove bloat, but is not necessarily helpful. And, I hope all those American people still employed will get a raise for the 50,000 who get retirement. that’s the size of a small midwest town by the way. Or, is that next? Taking away what we as AMERICANS paid into to receive at retirement. Most baby boomers worked for over 55 years. And, how are you going to decide which of us are bloated? Please spare us the transparency. My condolences to our bloated workforce. We all know life isnt fair, but I guess it wasn’t enough to allow human beings to leave the workforce with dignity.
Good Luck to us all.
Ann R.
The surgery is a necessity.
Mary C.
THANK YOU! My sentiments exactly.
Mike D.
My heart goes out to all the employees of ssa. President Musks method cutting huge chunks of the Federal workforce will harm the agency significantly. Couldn’t they have put some forethought into controlling inefficiencies? Your a heart less tyrant President Musk.
Carol S.
My heart goes out also not only to these employees that Musk has fired, but all the other employees from other companies that were fired! This country is falling apart and
Trump and Musk are the ones that will start World War 3!! I agree with you Mike Trump is a tyrant and a dictator!!
Diane H.
Absolutely agree!
Embarrassed L.
I agree that Mr. Musk is heartless and unqualified to make national budget cut recommendations based on inefficiencies. He is not an elected official, and does not deserve or qualify to be called President. In fact, He has claimed in biographies and when sued, stated in court documents on several occasions to have received a physics and economics degree in 1995 as well as attending, briefly, a Ph.D. program at Stanford. He was given diplomas by the Univerity of PA in 1997 after making a large donation to the shcool; however, his physics diploma appears to be a largely blank diploma and indicates no specific concentration. Also he never attended Stanford, ever. He said under oath, “I finished everything that was needed for a Wharton degree in ’94. They’d actually mailed me a Wharton degree. Then I called the school to get a copy of my graduation certificate, and they said I hadn’t graduated.” Smell a rat? That’s because he walks talks and smells like one.
JSW
Are you kidding. Do you honestly believe that the SSA does not have a vast number 0f unnecessary employees. As does almost every government agency. DOGE is made up a very intelligent people who want to streamline our government and cut down our ridiculous debt. What is it about cutting waste you disagree with?
Colleen O.
Absolutely hideous, they seem understaffed as it is.- of course all these savings will be reallocated toward Musk’s contracts
John S.
My condolences to the poor bloated 50,000 workforce that are faced with the transparency of losing your jobs. I hope someone provides you the dignity you deserve. Who knows you may find a state job in the unemployment offices!
SHJones
The SSS employs 60,000. Only 10,000 face losing their jobs
Justina
First, they are claiming 7000 will be fired.
Secondly, the use of the word ONLY makes it sound like you think potential job losses are insignificant. That’s a lot of people whose lives will be turned upside down. I can’t imagine the stress employees are under with this hanging over them. I don’t wish this on anyone.
Cathy M.
The fact that you used the term “bloated workforce” in this blog speaks volumes. It suggests the message had to be approved at the highest levels and had some negative terminology requirements. I’m sure Musk will approve. I do not.
Edward S.
Well said!!!
Cheryl M.
The plans for efficiency strike me as unrealistic if the agency is actually interested in improving services. By downsizing offices, it will become even MORE difficult for YOUR clients to obtain information and assistance.
I think that calling this agency bloated is inaccurate. The only bloated individual involved in this travesty is Trump.
I am incredibly disappointed in the DOGE approach. We will remember what this administration and Congress has done to our country. There will be consequences.
Sal R.
Agreed! It’s classic rejection, whatever you do accuse others of doing it. The voters see what you are doing, enriching the high income off the backs of our older population.
JSW
Hopefully you can understand that it’s not the number of people it is the number of employees that are doing their jobs properly. You really believe we need 57,000 employees to run SSA. And by the way they are running it very badly