Trump's Social Security shakeup is hurting the disabled and poor, advocates say

The Trump administration's changes at the Social Security Administration have hurt many disabled and poor Americans, says a report coming out next month.Why it matters: The findings, based on interviews with 14 benefits specialists, attorneys and others who help multiple people apply for benefits, show how the process is pushing many of the poorest Americans closer to the financial edges: potential homelessness, food insecurity and suicidal ideation.The report — by researchers from California State University, Sacramento; University of Wisconsin-Madison; and State University of New York, Binghamton — echoes Axios' own conversations with others who do this work.Catch up quick: The Trump administration has pushed out staff, updated phone systems and tweaked policy at the SSA.The agency oversees retirement and disability benefits, as well as Supplemental Security Income, or SSI, which provides monthly cash payments to those who are poor and unable to work.Friction point: The situation is nuanced. The agency has had improvements this year — most notably a declining backlog of disability claims — something the White House has trumpeted and advocates don't dispute. And the retirement benefits that more than 50 million Americans receive have not been adversely affected by the changes.But for those for whom internet access is challenging and who need high-touch customer service from the agency, the situation has worsened, advocates say. Zoom in: Beneficiaries and their advocates point to problems with agency field offices, where they're now told to keep appointments short. Often, there's not enough time to resolve problems."Every time I went to the appointment, they said it's only for 10 minutes," says F. Johnson in Philadelphia, who was trying to get SSI benefits restored for her 19-year-old disabled grandson after they'd been cut off without warning. She asked that her full name be withheld, fearing retaliation."If I didn't work part-time, I wouldn't have been able to negotiate going back and forth to the Social Security office," she said. Still, she didn't have much success until she brought in an attorney.Calling field offices has become more difficult, now that the agency changed its phone system. When lawyers call, they're often re-routed to other locations that don't have familiarity with their cases.By the numbers: SSI recipients in particular are among the most vulnerable in the country.Of the 5 million people who get SSI benefits, nearly 900,000 have intellectual disabilities, and another 800,000 are autistic or have other developmental disorders. Another 350,000 have schizophrenia.Recipients can't have more than $2,000 in the bank. "SSI program rules are complex, and SSI recipients have responsibility to report changes to SSA that may affect their eligibility for benefits," Barton Mackey, press officer at the Social Security Administration, tells Axios."The commissioner recently named a dedicated executive to lead SSI, a first for the agency, bringing a heightened focus on reducing complexity and easing the ability for recipients to report changes."The agency has "already implemented process improvements to verify data electronically on wages and assets, which has reduced the burden on claimants and improved payment accuracy.""Based on the customer service satisfaction data SSA collects after every call, last month almost 90 percent of customers were satisfied or beyond satisfied with their service," he adds. In an interview with Fox last week, agency commissioner Frank Bisignano emphasized that most people interact with Social Security online. "We do 1.5 trillion transactions on the web a day and only 130,000 visitors to our field office," he said.The other side: The SSA says it has been doing better this year overall and tackling some of Social Security's longstanding problems."Fewer claims are pending, claimants receive a decision faster and our quality has increased," Mackey says.Others are quick to say that it's always been difficult for SSI and disability recipients to manage the process.Advocates for the poor and disabled disagree: The processes have "become not easier, but much harder," a benefits specialist in Denver says in the report. "And I have people at the level of just plain giving up."Jen Burdick, an attorney with Legal Services of Philadelphia, says she's had clients who've had payments canceled and are getting eviction notices. Others are homeless.Yes, but: There's no hard data backing the research.What to watch: The researchers plan to release a full report in October.

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