In March 2020, the Social Security Administration division that handles disability claims went on an emergency telework system — like much of the rest of the federal government during the early days of the coronavirus pandemic. But the Disability Determination Services division lacked much experience with telework, and tech hiccups and high employee attrition rates continue to reverberate in the high-levels of current backlogs.
DDS, which makes initial medical decisions about disability claims, saw initial medical consults drop by 22.8% nationwide, with some offices experiencing drops of more than 30% from just before the pandemic to March 2022, according to an oversight report from SSA’s internal watchdog released on June 22.
